Page 10 of Christmas at the Home Farm Vets
Erin sat back, letting the conversation carry on around her. When Bill learned that Oli had never seen the Christmas episode ofThe Good Life, one of his favourites, he decided it wasn’t too early to watch it again. Erin found it for him and slotted the DVD into the player beneath the television. She found it hard to relax as her family took up their usual positions, squashed up to Oli on one side of the couch with her mum on the other.
Then they got Monopoly out, and Heather excused herself after an hour to return to bed. Bill never missed an opportunity, piling hotels on his Mayfair property and making the rest of them stump up the rent. Joyce was out first, then Bill, and it was left to Erin to maintain family honour and beat Oli, and they shared a high five. Bill was dozing in front of the gas fire and Joyce nudged him awake to go up to bed. Erin’s senses were on high alert as she and Oli were left on their own, nowhere near ready for sleep yet.
‘Uno?’ She got the little box out of the sideboard where all the games lived. ‘Do you know how to play?’
‘Of course I do.’ Oli shuffled onto the floor, and she joined him, setting the cards out. After beating him in five straight games, she went into the kitchen to make tea and he followed, settling at the small table and chairs for two when she insisted she didn’t need any help. She pulled out the chair opposite him and it was easier to talk about Catz, the work they’d done so far, the plans for next term.
‘Time for sleep.’ She closed her eyes, finally feeling the tiredness pressing in behind them. It had been an unusual and emotional day, and weariness was finally claiming her. ‘Grandad will have you out early inspecting his sprouts, and you must be beat after that drive.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’ Oli leaned back, covering a yawn. ‘I am a bit tired, to be honest. Is this the right moment to tell you I’ve never driven so far in my life?’
‘Oli!’ She leaned across the table to bat his arm, and he laughed. ‘Why did you do it, then?’
‘I hope you know why,’ he said quietly. He held her gaze and Erin stood up hastily. This day, that look, none of it made sense in her world.
‘I think Nan’s left the stuff for your bed in my room, I’ll go and get it.’
‘Can I help?’ Oli was on his feet too.
‘I can manage a duvet and a couple of pillows.’
‘I know you can. But I’d like to help.’
‘Okay,’ she said slowly from the foot of the stairs. ‘But one word about my bedroom and you’ll be sleeping in the car.’
‘Got it. So what’s wrong with your room?’
‘Nothing, I love it. I just didn’t ever imagine you seeing it, that’s all.’
His feet were unfamiliar behind hers, and upstairs Erin opened the door, heart pounding at sharing the memories it contained.
‘Am I allowed to say I love it too? It’s really cute.’ His voice was as low as hers, mindful of her grandparents next door. ‘Especially the squirrels.’
‘Liar.’ She picked up the spare pillow and flung it at him. He caught it easily, tossing it back on the bed. ‘I bet your bedroom doesn’t look anything like this.’
‘No. But I only saw it in the holidays because I was away at school.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Her reply was an automatic response to the quick pursing of his lips, the glimpse of sorrow in his eyes, before she remembered that boarding school was supposed to represent opportunity in his world.
‘Thanks.’ He edged into her narrow room, staring at the shelf filled with the cuddly toys she couldn’t part with, awards from school, and more photos of animals from the shelter where she’d volunteered.
‘Was it a nice school?’ She held her breath as he sat on the bed too, the single mattress sinking some more.
‘You could say that. But it wasn’t home, not like this.’
‘How old were you when you first went?’
‘Seven when I started prep school.’ Oli was staring at his clasped hands. ‘I moved to Harrow when I was thirteen.’
‘I couldn’t think of anything worse,’ she blurted out. ‘Sorry, that’s probably not the right thing to say.’ There was so much she still didn’t know about him, but she understood that being away from home had hurt, and she wasn’t expecting the clench in her own heart.
‘No, it’s fine. I appreciate your honesty.’
‘I think sometimes it’s called bluntness. Family trait.’ They shared a smile and somehow Erin’s hand found its way to his. He slid his fingers between hers and she was staring at this first real connection, their shoulders and thighs pressed together on her blue-and-white galloping horses duvet cover.
‘What did you miss most about home?’ They’d already crossed a line when she’d agreed to let him drive her here and now he’d seen her world, the room she’d slept in for thirteen years.
‘My family, obviously. Although it wasn’t the same after my parents divorced.’ He swallowed. ‘My dad left us for someone else and my sister and I, we’d had no idea that things weren’t right between them. We thought they were happy.’
