Page 66 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
Tom persisted with his questions and found out exactly what his brother-in-law told Fee. ‘You did great. Off you go and pamper my sister.’
Once he was alone again Tom fixed himself a cup of steaming hot coffee and strolled out onto the porch.
‘Are you up for company?’ Fee materialised out of the fading light.
He forced down the urge to spring to his feet. ‘I guess.’
‘I met Billy earlier.’ She came to sit down next to him.
‘So I heard.’ Tom wasn’t going to make this easy for her. ‘I was coming to tell you later. And the other guests of course.’
‘Were you?’ she asked. Fee’s eyes brightened with unshed tearsand he couldn’t keep up his indifferent front any longer.
Tom sighed. ‘Oh, Fee. I can’t pretend I don’t care about you. Go away and leave me be if you feel the way you did in New Orleans.’
‘I made a huge mistake out there about a lot of things.’
The sadness in her eyes struck him deep in the gut. ‘Allain?’
Fee shook her head unable to say the words out loud. Tomheld out his hand and she couldn’t resist shifting over to sit on his lap. She rested her forehead against his chest and relished his steady heartbeat thumping under the frayed blue check shirt.
‘He’s not my father,’ she murmured. ‘You should’ve heard Lisette gloat when we got the test results. Allain was devastated.’
‘And you?’
‘It hurt,’ she admitted. ‘At first I thinkI followed up the possibility more to keep my mum off my back but… after I met him I came around to the idea.’
‘Do you regret going?’
She forced herself to think before she replied. The truth was she didn’t have any regrets. ‘No.’
‘Good. You shouldn’t.’
She trailed her finger over his chest. ‘But I do regret what I said to you. Are you doing something stupid nowbecause I was a total idiot?’
‘Nope. I’m doin’ it because ever since I met you I’ve gone all off kilter. I didn’t realise I’d turned into a bore.’
‘I never said you were boring,’ Fee protested. ‘What’s wrong with being contented? I wish I was.’ He stared at her in disbelief. ‘I’m envious, you fool.’
‘But you’ve travelled the world and seen so much. Your job is a constantchallenge and nothing about your life is predictable. I’m not saying I’d care for it long-term but I need shakin’ up.’
‘Oh, Tom. I’m not saying don’t leave Pine Ridge for a while but I think you’ll discover you already have a great life.’
‘But if you’re not a part of it none of the rest matters,’ Tom whispered and his eyes shone. ‘I haven’t done anything drastic. I’ve got a planeticket to London leaving the same day as you, and Rayna and Billy will run this place until I get back. How about we go from there?’
Fee softened into him and he wrapped his arms around her, giving a big squeeze. ‘I suppose that’s reasonable,’ she admitted. ‘I need to visit my mother. I can’t give her this news over the phone and…’ She didn’t know how to put into words her need to makeone last effort with Maddy.
‘No excuses needed, honey. She’s still your mother.’
His simple acceptance loosened something inside Fee and she didn’t try to hold back her tears. Tom tenderly removed her glasses and set them down on the table before pulling out another of his crisp, white handkerchiefs to wipe her eyes. ‘I don’t want your family to blame me for luring you away,’ shesobbed.
‘Come with me tomorrow. I need you to meet someone important.’
‘Who?’
‘My grandmother.’
Fee’s face burned with embarrassment. ‘I’m already having coffee with her in the morning.’
