Page 50 of Lost in Love
Katherine seemed to sense the distress rising in Anna and walked around behind her, placing her arms over her shoulders, and pulling her back to rest against her.
“Let’s not rake over the past, Rebecca, or I may have to mention all your conquests, and we simply don’t have time to cover that many men!”
“That was the best bit sharing a house with a lesbian, Anna: we were never in competition for the same people.”
Anna felt some relief at the confirmation that Rebecca was straight and her relationship with Katherine was purely platonic.
A buzzer went off.
“Right, folks, that’s lunch!”
Katherine insisted on clearing up after lunch and would take no assistance. Anna resettled her dad into his chair, where he was soon joined by Virginia. She returned to the kitchen and lingered awkwardly, not sure where to put herself. “Are you sure I can’t help?”
Katherine approached her and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Go chat with Rebecca. I want you two to get to know each other.”
Anna did as instructed and collapsed onto a patio chair in the sunshine next to Rebecca. She wasn’t sure how they were going to get to know each other; they seemed to be very different people with little in common. She found Rebecca intimidating. Then again, she had found Katherine intimidating to start, and that soon wore off.
Rebecca picked up the champagne bottle and gestured with it to Anna.
Anna shook her head. “I have to look out for Dad. Can’t have the wobbly leading the wobbly.”
Rebecca nodded her understanding.
Dishes banging drew Anna’s attention to the kitchen. “She’s in her element.”
“She likes a full house. It stops her thinking about things.”
Anna wasn’t sure how to respond. Was Rebecca trying to initiate a conversation with her about Katherine’s past? It wasn’t exactly an appropriate topic, considering Katherine wasn’t there. She decided to try a change of subject.
“So you two have been friends for some time then.”
“Yes, I’ve been with her through the good and the bad times.”
The change of tack clearly hadn’t worked, so Anna decided to face it head-on. “I don’t intend to hurt her, you know.”
Rebecca dropped her sunglasses down her nose a fraction and peered over them at Anna. “There’s no suggestion you would intend on doing anything. Usually people don’t set out with that intention.”
“I understand any misgivings you might have about Katherine entering a relationship after… what happened.”
“What happened? You have no idea what happened.” Rebecca raised her voice a little and deepened her tone. “Katherine needed a full rebuild, physical, mental, emotional, you name it. She thought the only way to protect herself was to withdraw from everything. I became her last contact with the real world. I pulled her back from the brink when I thought she might do something stupid. Cradled her night after night as she cried herself to sleep. Held her in the day as she screamed that she wanted to die so she could be with Helena and the baby.”
Anna felt tears forming in her eyes and dropped her sunglasses from her head to cover them.
“Anyway.” Rebecca smiled, calm again. “There are no misgivings. I actively encouraged Katherine to make new friends and put herself back out there. It’s what any good friend should do. It doesn’t mean they won’t worry when they see their friend putting their heart back on their sleeve, especially when one has invested so much in repairing that heart.”
Anna could understand her outburst. Rebecca must have known Katherine had opened up to her, but she wanted to ensure Anna knew the real depth of Katherine’s despair. But anger rose in her nonetheless; she knew what was at stake, and she certainly hadn’t gone into it for a bit of fun.
“I’m serious about Katherine; this isn’t some dalliance for me. I may not have been there to witness her breakdown, but I’m sure as hell going to be there to witness her happiness after, and I’m going to ensure I’m the cause of it because I — ”
The patio door opened behind them. Anna fell into silence.
“Becks, I hope you’ve been playing nicely?” Katherine asked as she stepped out.
Rebecca flashed her a smile in return.
Anna stood. She needed a moment away to clear her head. “Here, have my chair. I’d best check on Dad.”
Katherine stopped her as she passed. “Don’t mind Becks; she’s very protective of me,” she whispered in her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek.
