Page 61 of The London Girls
‘That’s a feeling I know very well,’ Florence replied. ‘How is your family? Your parents?’
‘They’re well, and thrilled about my brother coming home,’ Olivia said. ‘But my mother has been fretting about me constantly; it all became a bit much to be honest, so I’ve been spending most of my time with the two children she took in. They’re so inquisitive and lively, despite everything they’ve been through, so I’m really going to miss them.’
‘You’re not going back there?’ Florence asked, surprised. ‘You’re staying in London?’
‘I gave up my place in the flat after what happened, but I was actually wondering if Grandma Ivy might let me share Ava’s room,’ Olivia said with a nervous smile. ‘Wallowing at home isn’t going to do me any good, I’d rather keep busy; and I did pack a bag just in case she said yes.’
‘Olivia, of course she’ll say yes! We would love to have you here.’
‘You’re certain?’ she asked, looking hopeful.
‘I’ve been worried all these weeks that you might somehow blame me,’ Florence blurted out. ‘That night, what happened ...’
Olivia gave her another hug, and Florence was happy to see the colour come back into her friend’s cheeks. ‘That couldn’t be further from the truth. Please don’t ever think that again.’
They both sighed, and a weight lifted from Florence’s shoulders that she hadn’t even known was there.
‘That man, is that—’
‘Jack!’ Florence whispered. ‘We’re just friends, so don’t go making a fuss, but—’
‘Flo, would you really invite someone who was just a friend over for Christmas dinner?’ Olivia whispered back, linking their arms and leaning into her.
‘I invited you and Ava, didn’t I?’
Olivia laughed, dropping her head to Florence’s shoulder as they walked. ‘I’ve missed you so much. You and Ava both.’
‘And we’ve missed you, too,’ Florence said. ‘It just hasn’t been the same without you.’
‘So, you and Jack, you’re certain there’s nothing romantic between you?’ Olivia murmured.
Florence leaned in close, about to answer and tell Olivia about his son, but then Jack caught her eye. He was standing beside her grandmother, saying something that had her grandma laughing like a woman half her age.
‘Because from where I’m standing, your Jack isn’t looking at you like he wants to be just your friend.’
Florence let go of Olivia as Ava greeted and embraced her, and she turned to Jack and found herself wondering if Olivia just had an overactive imagination or whether maybe, just maybe, she might be right. But it didn’t change the fact that he’d kept a rather large secret from her. If he’d been able to keep that from her, what else could he be hiding?
She took a deep breath and decided the mutton needed to be checked. At least it gave her an excuse to bolt from the room, instead of trying to make awkward small talk with Jack.
‘I can’t tell you how good it is to see you, Liv,’ Florence said, as they sat at the dinner table long after they’d finished eating. Jack and William were sitting playing a board game with her grandmother, which meant the three of them were able to have a few moments alone together before they dished up their Blitzmas pudding. Her grandmother had declared the making of plum pudding with carrots instead of their usual sweet, fat plums a travesty, but Florence had insisted it was better than nothing, and now she was pleased they at least had something to serve. She found herself observing Jack, seeing the way he was with his son. It was obvious they hadn’t spent much time together; there was something stilted between them even though William smiled frequently up at his dad.
‘When I first got your letter,’ Olivia said, pulling her from her thoughts, ‘I honestly didn’t know whether I’d be able to come or not. But now I’m here, I’m so pleased I did.’
Florence noticed the tears in her eyes but she pretended otherwise, knowing that it was kinder not to acknowledge them since she was clearly trying hard to keep her composure.
‘Well, you certainly made Christmas for me. Having you here is better than any gift I could wish for. And my grandma’s face when you asked if you could stay? I don’t think you could have given her a better Christmas if you’d tried.’
She patted Olivia’s leg, so grateful to have her friends with her. Worrying about Olivia had taken her mind off her own memories, but when she glanced over at her grandmother, laughing once againat something one of the boys had said, it all came back to her in a flash.
Mother singing in the kitchen, her father smoking his pipe and reading a book as she and her sister scurried back and forth to set the table and serve the food. Her grandmother arriving with pudding and gifts and joining her mother in the kitchen.
She found herself blinking away her tears, and this time she saw it was Olivia noticingheremotion but being kind enough not to say anything.
‘Have you thought about when you might return to work?’ Ava asked Olivia. ‘It’s just not the same without you there.’
Florence shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was anxious about anyone asking her the same question, and she was grateful the attention was firmly on Olivia.
‘I think I’ll start soon,’ Olivia replied. ‘I actually went to see George on my way here, and I convinced him that the best thing for me was to be keeping busy. He said he wanted to make sure I was ready, because if I was distracted I could be a danger to myself, so he said to come back next week and he’d let me know his decision then.’
