Page 50 of A Christmas Celebration
‘Sorry?’
‘You’re an overseas aid worker, aren’t you?’
I shook my head in disbelief.
‘Life in a small town.’ He shrugged. ‘There are no secrets.’
‘Oh, I know that,’ I said. ‘Say no more.’
‘Where were you last?’ he asked, holding the door open.
‘Jordan,’ I told him. ‘In one of the camps.’
‘Are you finding it hard to readjust?’
‘A little.’
‘I was the same,’ he said, closing the door again. ‘Can I offer you a bit of advice?’
‘I suppose,’ I said, briefly lifting my gaze to his face.
‘Don’t be hard on yourself,’ he said seriously. ‘And don’t expect regular life to fall immediately and neatly into place.’
‘That’s easier said than done.’
‘I know.’ He smiled.
‘But I made this stupid mistake before I came back,’ I unexpectedly blurted out. ‘Sometimes I can’t stop thinking about it.’
‘Paige,’ Will said patiently. ‘Under pressure and in tough circumstances, we’ve all made mistakes. They’re inevitable. We’re only human and sometimes things go wrong. No one’s infallible. Remember that.’
‘Okay.’ I nodded.
‘And it’s almost Christmas,’ he added, with a smile. ‘Enjoy it. You are allowed.’
Listening to someone who had genuine experience, indeed frontline experience, triggered something in me and knowing that I was getting better at keeping a lid on the catastrophizing which had previouslyalwaysarrived after running through the reel of what I’d done wrong, I could finally acknowledge that I was making progress.
My thoughts after my earlier conversation with Albert were proof that I was readjusting my lone wolf mindset so perhaps, if I carried on in the same vein, the questioning and need for reassurance might fade away too.
‘I will,’ I therefore told Will, returning his smile.
‘Good,’ he said, opening the door again.
‘Thank you for checking Bella over at such short notice.’
‘It’s been a pleasure to catch up with her,’ he told me. ‘You take care, Paige, and remember what I’ve said.’
Back at the cottage, I gave Albert the good news and his shoulders relaxed.
‘I feel bad that it was the food I gave you that put her out of sorts though,’ I said, looking at Bella who was in front of the fire, only now having a wash, rather than sleeping.
‘Like the vet said,’ Albert reminded me, ‘no harm done. How much do I owe you?’
‘Will said he’d give you a ring about it next week,’ I told him. ‘Hey, you’ve changed your glasses. They look great.’
‘And they fit well, too,’ he said. ‘Which is a relief, becauseI didn’t much fancy having to go to town to get them sorted.’
I wondered again how long it had been since he’d left the cottage but didn’t ask. I didn’t want to do or say anything which might spoil our re-acquaintance.
