Page 129 of A Christmas Celebration
‘I still think it’s a bit early to be talking about love,’ I quickly said, not wanting to further discuss the future either. Not until it was at least a little more decided in my head and in spite of the fact she had sussed so much out already.
‘I don’t,’ she firmly responded. ‘Anyone can see that you love the very bones of Albert and he feels just the same about you.’
I bit my lip, grateful that I hadn’t said Brodie’s name as that was who I had assumed she was referring to.
‘Actually,’ I said as I smiled back, ‘you’re right. Keeping myself busy, helping Albert and working in a collaborative way again has helped me process and come to terms withwhat happened and the work and my involvement in it has made my life richer too. It’s been the best Christmas present I could have wished for.’
‘You’re truly blessed,’ said Molly, standing up and stifling a yawn. ‘We both are and I’m so happy for you, Paige. I feel honoured that you were able to share this part of your journey with me.’
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Reaffirming our friendship means so much to me.’
‘And to me too,’ she responded. ‘And do keep in mind that this incident will only now fade with time. By this time next year, you’ll barely recall the depth of negative emotion it induced at all.’
I had a feeling she was going to be right about that.
‘Now,’ she sighed, ‘would you mind if I went and had a bit of a rest?’
‘Are you all right?’ I asked.
I hoped my unburdening hadn’t zapped her cosmic energy.
‘Yes,’ she said, colouring a little, ‘but it’s the solstice celebration in a couple of days and I need all of my strength in order to make it a truly memorable one.’
I stood up too and gave her another hug. She was comfortingly warm but as ever, felt as light as air.
‘I think I’m ready to give you this back,’ I said, sliding the rose quartz out of my pocket. ‘I’m happy to say that I love myself a whole lot more than I did when I first arrived.’
Molly smiled and closed my fingers around the crystal, the feel, shape and texture of which had become so familiar.
‘You keep it,’ she said, ‘as a reminder of how far you’ve come and how much you can change in such a short space of time.’
‘And there are more changes to come, aren’t there?’ I said, thinking of our conversation at the Wishing Tree clearing.
‘Oh, yes,’ she smiled. ‘Lots.’
I tried to pack my nerves away as I headed off in Anna’s Fiat to talk to Albert and Brodie. I had been going to take the Land Rover so Bran could come with me but he had preferred to stay curled up with Floss in front of the Aga. I wondered if he could sense that Gabe was heading back as I kissed the top of his head and silently thanked him for the strong and silent support he’d given me during the last few weeks.
I shed more tears when I left him because it felt as though some hugely important phase or cycle was coming to an end and once the calendar flipped to the new year, I would be stepping into a new one. My tears didn’t spring from a place of upset, but rather from one of excitement and a little trepidation. Life really was full of surprises.
And talking of surprises.
‘What’s all this?’ I asked, as I pulled up in front of the cottage and found Brodie unloading cardboard boxes from the back of a car I didn’t recognize. ‘I thought I was going to help you move. Although looking at the size of a couple of those boxes, the Fiat wouldn’t have been big enough. You said you didn’t have more than a few bags to shift!’
‘I know,’ he said, looking into the cavernous boot of thedecrepit looking Volvo he was standing next to. ‘And I didn’t until earlier, but then I got a bit carried away at the art supplies place in town.’
‘A bit,’ I laughed.
‘So,’ he said, putting the box down and stepping further away from the car so I could see the whole of it. ‘What do you think?’
‘To what?’
‘The car, of course,’ he said, rolling his eyes. ‘This is my new set of wheels.’
‘This is yours?’ I laughed again. ‘And it’s new?’
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Don’t laugh. It’s new to me and the best I can afford. The guy I got it from had loads of others in his yard, so if something falls off…’
‘If?’ I interrupted.
