Page 109 of Barging In
Her mum seemed to read her thoughts. “You changed with him. Always standing behind him, letting him take the spotlight. He drained you. Watching it happen broke our hearts.” She paused, then added, “So you see, that’s why we had to put some distance between us — to try to preserve the remnants of our relationship with you. We hoped you'd make the right decision eventually. And it looks like you have moved on.” She nodded towards Victoria’s and Clem’s joined hands. “Who’s this?”
“Oh, erm?—”
“I’m Clem,” she said, stepping in smoothly. “I work here, and well…” She lifted their clasped hands slightly. “As you can see, I’m a little more than an employee.”
To Victoria’s surprise, her mum smiled and glanced at her dad, who smiled back.
“And are you happy, Vic?” he asked.
Considering they hadn’t even had a proper conversation about the kiss in the kitchen, she hesitated. Clem gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze. She looked at her, finding her beaming, not only with pride, but with certainty, like she already knew the answer and was simply waiting for Victoria to say it out loud.
“Yes. Yes, I am,” Victoria found herself answering, and she knew that it was the truth.
“Then I’m happy for you,” her mum said, looking around her. “Maybe you could show us around the wharf?”
“I’ll leave you all to it,” Clem said. “Take your time. I can see to everything. It was lovely to meet you…”
“Oh, Mary and Ralph,” Victoria’s mum said.
They both gave Clem a nod of acknowledgment as she stepped away.
“She seems nice,” Victoria’s dad said as soon as Clem was out of earshot.
“You don’t have a problem with her being a woman?” Victoria asked, carefully watching their faces. She needed to be sure they weren’t simply being polite in front of Clem.
“No. Should we?” he said, his tone soft but honest.
Victoria shrugged. “I would hope not. It’s early days, but… this is who I am now.”
There was a brief pause before her mum asked cautiously, “Can we ask what happened to Drew?”
“I’m divorcing him. I will get the house and the wharf,” Victoria informed them, happy in the knowledge it was now all formally agreed between Drew’s solicitors and hers.
“Good,” her dad said with a relieved smile. “I’m glad you got something out of it.”
“Only what I worked for. I didn’t want anything else.”
They both nodded, their expressions unreadable.
“So, my great-great-grandfather built all this, did he?” her dad asked.
“Yes, let me show you more,” she said, leading her parents out of her office. “All the floors above are private apartments now, but we have a museum and café-event space as you no doubt saw. Clem does all the baking for us as well as all the marketing.”
Her comment seemed to meet with their approval as she led them into the busy café and through to the museum. To her relief, there was no further mention of Drew, and to her surprise, there was a genuine interest in what she’d built and created in the space. Her parents asked questions, admired details, and listened with the kind of attentiveness she hadn’t realised she’d been craving. She felt proud to finally show her parents the culmination of years of hard work.
She’d spent so long believing their absence meant indifference. Now she knew differently, even if Clem had told her as much. They hadn’t left because they didn’t love her. They’d done it because they did; because it hurt too much to witness her pouring herself into a life that had been draining her.
Now she wished she’d left Drew years ago and saved herself from the slow erosion of who she was. But maybe she hadn’t been ready then. Maybe she had needed to walk every painful step of that road to become the woman she was now. Clem’s arrival hadn’t just offered Victoria another chance at love; she had reminded her of who she was, of her strength and value when she’d forgotten. She wasn’t lost in someone else’s story anymore. She was finally writing her own.
Her parents’ visit was brief; having made a day trip ofit and wishing to return home before dusk. They’d promised to stay in touch and even suggested Victoria visit them in the Lake District to talk some more. She was cautious in her response, saying only that she would think about it. Although the intent behind their absence was finally laid bare, the wound it left wasn’t so easily healed. She understood now, but understanding didn’t erase the years of distance between them. It would take time to process what had always felt like abandonment.
When she later emerged from the wharf, the energy of the day had dissipated. Stall holders were packing up, and the last of the visitors were leaving the barn with bottle carriers laden with cider. She spotted Clem on one of the picnic benches, taking what looked like a well-earned rest with an almost empty glass of cider.
Sitting beside her, Victoria said, “I hope it works out for Jasper and Max’s little cider enterprise.”
“Max certainly couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic investor,” Clem replied with a laugh.
Victoria reached out and rested a hand on top of Clem’s. “Can I give you a ride home? Specifically, my home. We should talk — and by God, do I need a glass of wine after today.”
