Page 20 of Winter at the Cornish Garden Café
‘I don’t know, but your mum always said everything happens for a reason and according to that logic, you’ve found this photo today for a reason.’
‘A reminder.’ Lucas licked his lips. ‘Of what was and what could have been.’
‘What could still be. I’d like to think that would be a more positive way to view it now.’ His father laughed softly, and Lucas smiled.
‘What could still be.’ He handed the photo to his father, then sat back on the sofa. ‘Mum and Thora got on well, didn’t they?’
‘The breakup devastated your mum.’
‘I was away, so I didn’t see that she was upset by it, but I should have known. Well, I probably knew but didn’t want to admit it to myself because it was too hard to think about.’ He pushed his hands back through his hair. ‘That’s what I’ve always done.’
‘What?’
‘Pushed difficult thoughts away. Kept busy. Stayed away from Cornwall.’ He gave a wry laugh, and his father reached over and patted his hand.
‘We all avoid things that hurt us. It’s self preservation. But don’t leave it too late, Lucas. Don’t do what I did and waste time. Speak to Thora. Apologise. Explain. See if there’s a way to salvage something between you, even if it’s just friendship. You were friends as well as romantically involved.’
‘She used to make me laugh so hard. I’ve never met a woman who could make me laugh like that. In fact, I’ve never met anyone who could.’
‘I remember that well. Your mum would sit on the sofa knitting and we’d hear the pair of you upstairs giggling away. She’d smile and nudge me and more often than not, I think I’d grumble something about youngsters not understanding what life had in store for them. But your mum always saw the positives. I was such an idiot for letting her think I didn’t love her. What a waste of happiness and all because I was pursuing something that wasn’t real, other women I had no business pursuing. I had my head turned and thought it was what I wanted when I really had everything I wanted right here at home.’
Lucas covered his father’s hand with one of his and sighed. ‘Life isn’t easy, Dad. All we can do is learn as we go along.’
They sat there for a while, side by side, as they looked through the photographs again and Lucas realised that not only was he learning more about his mum but he was also getting to know more about his father. No person was all good or all bad and people had reasons for the things they said and did. Judging his father was wrong because he had never walked in his father’s shoes or lived through his experiences. Besides which, his father had punished himself enough over the years, and Lucas did not want to add to his pain.
So he listened as his father told him about happy times when he’d been with Lucas’ mother and then when Lucas had come along. His father’s face lit up, and it made his heart brim with love to hear about the life they’d shared as a family and about how, when Thora had come into their lives, she’d brought even more joy. She had been, his father said, the daughter his mum had always wanted along with her precious son.
Life may be short, but love, well, love lasted forever.
11
THORA
‘My hands are cold, Mum,’ Rosie said as they walked down to the village square the following evening. With just a month to go until Christmas, there had been a slight delay in the turning on of the lights, but now everything was good to go.
‘I told you to wear your gloves.’ Thora took a deep breath, preparing for Rosie to have another moan. She’d put a spare pair of gloves in her coat pocket for Rosie but didn’t want to tell her straight away, as Rosie was fifteen and not five and needed to learn to be more organised.
‘I should have listened to you.’ Rosie held out her hands to show how red and cold her fingers were and Thora’s heart sank. She couldn’t hold out on her daughter, not even to teach her a lesson, when she was suffering like that.
‘Here you go.’ Thora got the gloves out and Rosie grinned.
‘I knew you’d bring some for me.’
‘How did you know?’ Thora asked with mock outrage.
‘Because you’re the best mum in the world!’ Rosie slid her arm through Thora’s and leant in close and Thora glowed at the praise. Of course, there were days when Rosie looked at her with a certain amount of teenage disdain, but there were also times like these when she felt her daughter’s love wrapped around her like a warm hug.
‘Can I have a badge with that on it, please?’ Thora asked.
‘Of course you can! I’ll make you one.’ Rosie laughed.
Next to them, Reggie was walking with his hands in his pockets. He had his headphones on so hadn’t heard a word they were saying but when he realised Thora was looking at him, he removed them. ‘What’s that?’
‘Rosie said I’m the best mum in the world.’
‘Kissing ass—’ He stopped himself and rephrased what he was about to say. ‘Sucking up to Mum now, Rosie?’
‘Shut up, Reggie!’ Rosie poked out her tongue.
