Page 83 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘It’s one reason I love you.’
Tom held her tight. ‘Love you, too.’
The contrast between the vibrant, laughing woman standing in front of him and the closed down person she’d been a short while ago was mind-blowing. He wonderedif she realised how far she’d come and not simply in air-miles. ‘Later.’
‘Later,’ she said and left, glancing over her shoulder to give him another smile full of promise on the way out of the door.
Fee stared at her empty backpack on the bed. She’d never been one for looking back. Make a decision. Stick to it. Go forward. That had been her mantra for so long but the idea of facingher mother again for the first time in years brought a lot of long-suppressed memories slamming back. The strange thing was they weren’t all bad. She’d had a freedom many children would envy because Maddy believed Fee needed to learn for herself rather than simply be ordered to do things a certain way. It’d helped her develop an independent mind that stood her in good stead for her career andmade it easier to deal with the transient nature of the job.
It would be interesting to discover what her relationship with Tom looked like outside of Pine Ridge. They’d avoided any deep discussions about where they saw their future leading but at some point it couldn’t be stepped around any more. She loved Black Cherry and Tom’s wonderful family but still harboured doubts about her abilityto settle. Fee suspected he had concerns too, but neither of them wanted to speak them out loud and spoil the magic.
What if they were making a huge mistake and this was nothing more than a high-octane holiday romance with a touch of therapy thrown in for good measure? Maybe she’d arrived on the scene as Tom was becoming receptive to the idea of moving on from his tragic marriage. Thewhole thing could be nothing more than coincidence – the stars aligning and all that nonsense.
Her phone buzzed and she answered without checking to see who was calling.
‘I got your email and I can’t believe you’re coming,’ Maddy babbled. ‘I can’t wait to see you and the mysterious Tom of course.’
Fee was taken aback by her mother’s enthusiasm and tried to inject a noteof caution. ‘If you don’t have room for us to stay we’ll book into a hotel. It’s not a big deal.’
‘Don’t talk nonsense. Will’s house has plenty of space.’
‘Will?’
‘Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten him? I know it’s been a long time, but…’
‘Will Sawyer? Are you in Cornwall? I assumed you were at the last address I had for you in London.’
‘We’ll talk when youget here. Let me know which train you’ll be catching and we’ll come and meet you.’
Reuniting on a station platform sounded a terrible idea but Fee needed to be careful how she phrased her refusal. ‘I’m not sure when we’ll come to Cornwall. Tom might like to spend a day or two in London first. How about I give you a ring? We can always get a bus or taxi from the station if we need to.’
‘Do you remember Will’s address?’
‘Yes, unless it’s changed. I assume you mean the house in St.Ives where we used to stay? I’m surprised you’re back there.’
‘Why?’
Because you always mocked Cornwall and said it was the dullest place on the planet.‘I didn’t think you cared for it much.’
‘People change.’
If Fee didn’t get off the phone she might changeher mind about going at all. She said a quick goodbye and hung up with her heart thumping.
