Page 108 of Barging In
“We should double-date,” he said, still grinning.
“Give us a chance to work things out first,” she protested. “I just kissed her! We’ve still got things to discuss.”
“Discuss? Like what, who is having what side of the bed? You love her, and sheindefatigablyloves you. Have you not seen her pining these past months, like a lonesome puppy?”
“Hmm,” Victoria replied. “You better go…” She nodded at a group of women all holding his book. “I think your fans want your autograph.”
“Will my fame never end?” Jasper said, spinning on one foot and hurrying off to greet them.
Now alone with her thoughts, Jasper’s claim rushed back: Did Clem love her?
Victoria had seen the way Clem looked at her when shethought no one was watching; the look was full of feelings clearly held back. Then there was the careful distance she kept, even as her fingers always seemed to find Victoria’s arm or hand under the guise of a casual touch. The way her voice softened when she said her name. Clem had pulled back just enough these past months to give her the time and space she needed, but the warmth and desire in her eyes had always remained.
Had she fallen in love with Clem?
That question had been answering itself for weeks now, in the stir beneath her ribs, in the ache she felt when Clem wasn’t nearby. She might have been packing away her past, but her future had been quietly building itself inside her. It was there in the nervous energy she had before they were due to meet, the flutter she tried to suppress when their eyes caught for too long. In the way she took Clem in every time she entered a room. How she inhaled a little more deeply when Clem passed, hoping to catch her scent. How she grabbed Clem’s arm or hand at every opportune moment, just to have some physical contact with her.
It didn’t feel like falling. It felt like finding something she hadn’t realised she was missing. Something that made everything else quieter. Simpler. And still, it overwhelmed her sometimes.
She left the museum and went to her office, in need of five minutes down time away from the bustle of the day. As she was about to close her office door Clem appeared, and that familiar flutter rose in her chest once again.
“Ah, I’ve been looking for you,” Clem said, stepping in “Some people want to speak to you.”
“More?” Victoria groaned. “I’ve already done three press interviews.” Her tone softened. “It was a great idea to invite them, though. You really are very clever.” She pressed herself closer to Clem and took her hand.
Clem smiled at the compliment, but her voice held a note of caution. “Err… I don’t think they’re journalists.”
An elderly couple appeared in the doorway.
“Oh — Mum. Dad. What are you doing here?”
“They’re your parents?” Clem whispered.
“Mmm,” Victoria murmured, instinctively stepping away from Clem — only to realise too late she was still holding her hand. She was about to let go when a voice in her head reminded her that she was fifty years old. She didn’t need or want their approval. Not anymore.
Her parents’ eyes dropped to their clasped hands as they cautiously entered the room. Surprise flickered across their faces, but it quickly faded, almost turning into tentative smiles.
“We thought we should come and see what you’ve done with the place,” her mum said gently.
“Why now?” Victoria asked, not unkindly, but still in a pointed way. She figured she was at least owed that, after many years of silence.
Her mum hesitated. “We missed the grand opening…” She looked down.
Her dad stepped in to take over. “But when we saw this event advertised on Facebook, it felt like the right time to come and see you. We’ve always kept an eye on things from afar, and we’re proud of what you’ve achieved. Aren’t we, love?”
He glanced at Victoria’s mum, who nodded.
“We wanted to see you, regardless of…” She looked at Victoria’s and Clem’s hands again. “It’s been too long. All we ever wanted was for you to be happy,” she said, her voice almost pleading. “We wanted more for you than you had… with him. A family, for one thing. Not for us, but because we knew how much it meant to you. You were always so adamant that you wanted children. When Drew couldn’t give you that, it was an opportunity to leave him.”
Victoria sighed. It seemed they were back there again.
“But you were stubborn,” her mum said gently, “and we knew we had to let you live your life the way you wanted. So rather than stand by and watch it unfold, we stepped back — to protect all of us.”
Victoria’s eyebrows rose. They had only ever wanted her to be happy. To them, that happiness hadn’t looked like staying with a man like Drew.
“We’re sorry if our pushing ever made you dig your heels in further. Or if we made the wrong decision by leaving and not trying to find a better way to support you. You were always so determined to make your own choices.” A smile flickered on her mum’s lips. “Even when you were little, you wouldn’t let anyone choose your clothes. You were so confident.”
Victoria remembered. When had that confidence faded? When did she begin to doubt herself so much?
