Page 35 of Welcome to the Cornish Country Hospital

‘Well, I do get my lack of height from you.’ Esther grinned for the first time.

‘And your gorgeous hair colour from your mum.’ Lilian looked at her daughter-in-law. ‘Although Caroline’s comes out of a bottle these days.’

‘Nan!’ Esther widened her eyes, but Caroline just laughed.

‘I wish I had your bust, Essie, but you owe the generosity of that to your father. Patrick’s definitely got the boobs for a V-neck.’

‘Poor Dad.’ Esther shook her head, but she was laughing too, and Danni couldn’t help joining in. When she’d first met Esther’s family, they’d been warm and welcoming, but she hadn’t been sure how to react to the way they teased one another. It was only when Patrick had asked Danni if she was any relation to Ronald McDonald, after she’d tried dying her hair red one summer, that she’d realised they really did think of her as one of the family. Giving each other a ribbing was their language of love and, in addition to the nickname of Haggage that Esther had given her, Danni loved the fact that Patrick’s pet name for her was Ronnie. It meant she was an honorary Hamilton.

‘He doesn’t mind; according to him, they’re well-developed pecs.’ Caroline shrugged. ‘We all think you’re beautiful, but the question is, how do you feel?’

Esther looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment, smoothing the dress over her hips. ‘Actually, I think I love it.’

‘Thank God for that.’ Caroline let go of a long breath.

‘I’ve got something for you.’ Danni twisted the watch on her wrist, which Esther had bought her for her thirtieth birthday. Danni hadn’t wanted to make a big deal of her birthday as there was no one special in her life who wanted to mark the occasion with her. Her mother didn’t even mention it and although her brother, Joe, had sent her a beautiful card and a gorgeous pair of earrings, he was on the other side of the world. So when Esther had suggested that they go to dinner at her parents’ house, Danni had just been grateful she had somewhere to go with people who loved her. But when she’d got there, Danni had arranged a surprise party with their friends and colleagues. Caroline and Patrick had laid on a buffet with all her favourite foods, and Lilian had made her a three-tier birthday cake – one for each decade.

There’d been so many gifts, including the beautiful watch Esther had given her, with an inscription on the back.

Time goes by, but you’ll always have me

Danni had worn it every day since, and it meant more to her than any other gift she’d ever received. It was priceless, just like the friendship it represented.

She’d searched everywhere to find the perfect gift to match the meaning behind the watch. When she’d seen it, she’d been certain it would go with the wedding dress, but the last thing she wanted was for Esther to feel under any pressure to wear it – especially when she’d clearly been having so many doubts about the dress. ‘I don’t want you to feel like you have to wear it on your wedding day, but if you like it, it could always be your something new.’

Danni took the box containing a necklace out of her bag and handed it to Esther, watching as her friend read the label.

This infinity knot represents a love that can never end. Marriage is a continuation of that, but whatever life brings you, I want you to know that this is how I’ll always see our friendship. Nugget and Haggage forever xxxx

‘Oh, Dan, I love it.’ Esther launched herself at Danni, seeming to forget that she was wearing a wedding dress, and any worries Danni might have had about whether she’d done the right thing disappeared. Even if the worst happened, and Lucas told Esther that his doubts about marrying her were down to Danni, at least she’d had the chance to tell her best friend how she felt about her – how she’d always feel about her, no matter what.

‘When you gave me the watch, you made it hard to equal, but I wanted to try.’

‘You two!’ Caroline put her arms around both of them. ‘My girls. I’m so glad we’re all back living close together; it wasn’t the same with you halfway across the country, Danni.’

‘No it wasn’t.’ Esther looked up at her. ‘And you’ve got to promise me you won’t ever pull a stunt like that again, and move away. Otherwise I’m going to ask Aidan to be my maid of honour instead of you.’

‘He’d probably organise a better hen night.’ Danni wrinkled her nose.

‘As long as I’m with the women who mean the most to me, I don’t care what we do.’ Esther looked at Lilian. ‘Although you quite like the idea of aMagic Mikenight, don’t you, Nan?’

‘Try everything once, that’s my motto!’ Lilian laughed. ‘After all, you only regret the things you don’t do. Remember that, girls!’

Danni forced a smile, looking at three generations of women from the family she’d come to think of as her own. She’d never regret not acting on her feelings for Lucas. But if she lost these women, she had a feeling that, for the rest of her life, she’d regret telling Lucas he needed to be honest. That was the measure of her love for Esther, though, and it was a chance she was just going to have to take.

* * *

Charlie opened the door to the holiday cottage and gestured for Danni to go in ahead of him. ‘I know this is probably old-fashioned at best, and sexist at worst, but my parents always taught me to hold the door open for a lady. And, seeing as there are three of you, I think you should all go in ahead of me.’

‘I’m not offended by it, but I can’t vouch for Brenda or Maggie.’ Danni laughed as the basset hound let out a low moan, lifting her head into the air, already on the trail of her latest quarry. That was the thing with hounds of any sort: if they got the scent of something, nothing could stop them. And Brenda wasn’t the only one who’d noticed what smelt very much like fresh cookies. ‘Have you been baking?’

‘I promised you biscuits if you came back for a drink after our walk, didn’t I? But I didn’t think you’d come if I told you I’d made them myself.’ Charlie shrugged and his self-effacing charm was definitely part of his appeal.

‘I think I’ll risk it, but only because I’m a fully qualified medical professional.’

‘You can go off people, you know.’ Charlie smiled and Danni had an almost overwhelming urge to trace the outline of the dimple that always appeared in his cheek. Somehow she resisted, even though imagining what it would be like to touch him had made her fingers tingle. Apart from a few hugs, mostly to say hello or goodbye, they hadn’t had much physical contact. They’d been for a drink and out to dinner, and she’d thought about kissing him at the end of the night on both occasions. Danni had never had the confidence to make the first move, but that didn’t stop her thinking about what it would be like to kiss him. Just that morning, on their walk, she’d tripped on an old tree root and Charlie had needed to catch hold of her to stop her from falling. It was hardly romantic, but that didn’t stop her body from reacting to his touch.

‘Come on in and sit down. What can I get you to drink?’ Charlie went into the kitchen area, while Danni took a seat on the sofa, with Maggie and Brenda settling themselves down by her feet.

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