Page 62 of Christmas in Mistletoe
“Delilah is gay? Well, shit the bed.” Her sister paused. “Fran has a thing for singers, huh?”
“Hopefully just a thing for me, but the photos of her and Delilah gadding about town have done nothing for my ego.”
“I saw those photos, but just assumed they worked together. She seemed pretty into you, didn’t she?”
Ruby nodded. “She did. And she does still work with Delilah, I know that. Plus, I hardly have any claim over her. We slept together once.” But ever since, every day had dragged like it was a year. Ruby wanted to know what Fran was doing, what she was thinking. The distance, albeit temporary, was killing her.
Victoria shook her head. “You and I both know that counts for something.”
Ruby pouted. “We only started being civil to each other two weeks ago. It’s too soon to tell.” Ruby’s words were rational, but her feelings were anything but.
“No wonder you’re forgetting words.” Victoria took Ruby by the shoulders. “Fran had to go back to London, but she will be back and you will work this out — whether she gets back for the concert or not. Even if she doesn’t, you’ve got tons of people who are looking forward to it, so you have to push your fears aside and do it. You’re going to smash this, little sister. You know why?”
Ruby shook her head. “I have no clue.”
“Because you’re a superstar! I knew that when Mum and Dad gave you your first microphone, aged three. I still know it today. I’m sure Fran will try her best to be here, seeing as it was her idea in the first place. She’s invested. But even if she doesn’t, there are still a million reasons to be excited about it. Mistletoe. The farm. The community. The exposure. This is your night to shine and make a difference. Don’t lose sight of the reasons you’re doing it in the first place.” Victoria paused. “It’s all going to work out with the gig and with Fran. I guarantee it.”
Ruby gave her a smile. She loved her sister for trying. “How can you be sure?”
Victoria gave her a wink. “Because you don’t fall off a ladder for just anyone. Youwantthis to work. So, it will.”
Chapter 26
Damian slid intothe chair beside Fran. He spun around once, twice, then let out a long sigh before he stopped, facing her.
“Why the long face?”
“Why the long sigh?”
Damian gave her a slow shrug. “I spoke to marketing to see if we could get Fast Forward’s next single moved up to jump on the success of this one. But the dates don’t work, which sucks.” He paused. “Your turn.”
“I was just looking at the trains back to Snowy Bottom on Saturday and wondering if they were going to be running. There’s currently a tree on the line and more snow forecast.” She glanced out the window, where a light flurry was still falling. Fran blew out a breath and Googled car hire. The prices made her wince.
Damian put both his palms up and sat forward in his chair. “Can we just take a moment to stop and marvel at the fact you’re getting a train in the snow to Snowy Bottom, and then heading to Mistletoe? If I didn’t know this was true, I would never believe you.”
Fran laughed. Damian was always good at light relief. “You can’t help but say the names and feel happier, can you? Everyone is happy in Mistletoe.” She thought of Audrey, Mary, Norman and the gang. “Eccentric, but happy. I just hope I can make it for tomorrow.”
Fran also hoped Ruby had remembered her words. She’d texted last night to say she was having issues.
Damian studied her, went to say something, then sat back.
“What?” Fran asked.
Damian shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just… This is about Ruby, right? You really want to get back for the gig. I get it. But you’ve never been like this before with anyone else. Certainly not with you-know-who.”
“I wasn’t allowed to be anything with her.” Fran remembered everything about being in a relationship with Delilah. Most of it was bad. She was glad they could be friends now.
Fran just hoped Ruby felt the same.
“But you’re distracted. You’re different.” He paused, tilting his head. “I think you’ve found someone you really care about.”
Damian was only 29. The same age as Ruby. However, he was wise beyond his years. He’d also been in a committed relationship for three years with a lovely woman named Isla. If anyone was the relationship expert of the two of them, it was him. Damian managed to juggle work and love, a trick Fran had never mastered. Instead, she’d just put love on hold and thrown herself into work. The only reason she and Delilah had met was because it had happened at work.
But Damian had a point. Fran was distracted. She wasn’t focused purely on her job.
Ruby had her attention.
“I like this new side of you, by the way. It makes you seem more human. More vulnerable.”
