Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lisa woke to the sound of her phone buzzing with messages. She rolled over, and her head thumped with the movement, but she smiled at the sight of Felicity and her children opening their presents. Stage-by-stage photographs of the wrapping being undone on the array of toys she had bought for Flick’s children – once she had managed to convince her that she absolutely was buying them presents no matter how many times she told her there was no need – some weird tool for Pete that apparently she would appreciate if she were into gardening, and a framed picture of herself and Felicity that she took on their road trip. Lisa had included a card saying how much she loved the one Felicity had hanging in her hallway and how happy she was that they were making new memories together – how grateful she was for that opportunity. Felicity sent her a text saying great minds think alike and that she hoped she liked her present.
As she went to put her phone back on the side and slide back under her covers, it rang. The noise made her jump and hold her head all at the same time. As she focused on the screen she saw that it was Dom, and felt a flash of disappointment that it wasn’t Nathan.
‘Hello, my lovely. Happy Christmas.’
‘Winnie!’ Lisa sat up at the surprise of hearing Winnie’s voice.
She thanked Lisa for her cushion, making her laugh when she said that Jack ‘the blighter’ was after it for himself. She told Lisa that she and her son were making progress, and welcomed the news that Lisa was enjoying the festivities with her family. They ended their chat with the promise of a cup of tea and a biscuit in the New Year. Dom wished Lisa a happy Christmas and confirmed that things were going well, despite the fact Jack had christened his dad’s Christmas tree. He also stated he hadn’t forgotten their chat and that Lisa would be the first to know if the opportunity arose to talk to Winnie.
Christmas had barely started and Lisa already felt blessed. The year had been tough; tougher than any other she had experienced and yet, now it was drawing to a close, she was with her family, and had friends who cared enough to send her messages and call her on Christmas Day. She thought about the previous year, when Ben had got up and gone for a jog, they had gone to his friends’ apartment for drinks and wandered through Hyde Park, past Winter Wonderland, which looked soulless due to being closed for the day. She questioned why she had ever thought she would miss it before realising she had been concentrating on the ghost of Christmases long past, as opposed to the reality of what her life had become. Not that it mattered now. This year she was waking up in a real winter wonderland and felt more full of Christmas spirit than she had for a very long time.
Excitement built as she thought about the presents they’d all placed under the tree the previous evening. She was pleased her mum had decided to forgo the French tradition of opening them after the Christmas Eve meal, with the words ‘oh sod it, we’re English’, when they decided they were all too full of wine and roast dinner to enjoy it.
There was a knock at her door. Lisa sat up as her dad carried in a mug of coffee for her.
‘Merry Christmas! We are all starting the day with one of these, your mother especially.’ He winked.
‘Sorry, I encouraged her.’ Lisa smiled.
Her dad put the coffee down and sat on the edge of her bed. ‘I’m not sure she needed much encouraging. She … I mean, we … love having you here.’ With that he gave her a hug.
‘Thanks, Dad. Merry Christmas.’
He stood up to leave, but as he got to the door he hesitated. ‘And, Lisa … I’m sorry to hear about … about everything really… but especially about the … about the baby. You know I never would have pushed so hard about starting your business if I’d known.’
Lisa swallowed back tears. She knew her mum would tell her dad; that was the way they worked. Telling one of her parents anything always meant she was indirectly telling both, but she hadn’t expected that. ‘Thank you,’ was all she could manage. At some point she would thank her dad properly, as she knew there had been days when having her business and clients depending on her had been the only thing that had kept her going; her only reason for getting out of bed and going through the motions of the day.
Her dad wiped his eye and offered a small smile, before leaving the room.
Once they had finished the selection of pastries their mum had got in for breakfast, they gathered round the tree that Lisa and Luke had helped choose just days before. It was tastefully decorated and hadn’t dared to shed a needle, since being put in place adjacent to the fireplace and log-burning stove. It wasn’t Bing, but Lisa had to admit it was pretty. As they opened their gifts, Lisa smiled at the framed photograph Felicity had given her, another image taken on their road trip, only hers came complete with a bag of Percy Pig and Pals and the message, ‘Let’s stick together’. It was perfect.
Lisa was pleased her parents liked their present – a photobook of highlights from her and Luke’s childhood, with holidays they had been on, birthdays, special moments and special people. Her mum and dad had both welled up flicking through it. Lisa’s mum said how lovely it was to have such precious memories with them in France – an added bonus Lisa hadn’t thought of. It all made the hours of sorting the box of photographs, scanning them in, attempting to get the pictures and captions in the right places, losing it when almost finished and starting over, worth it. After Luke had given them tickets for the Aiguille du Midi cable car and a meal at the 3842 restaurant, named after its altitude, she was worried her present would look a bit homemade, but they loved it.
Luke’s faux leather passport case printed with a picture of Bondi Beach, which she hastily pretended was to go with a helicopter ride over the Alps she wanted to get him, did look rubbish though, especially after he had clubbed together with her mum and dad to get Lisa a cookery weekend in Italy. It was extravagant and amazing. She was almost speechless; it was such a lovely gift.
‘Well, you used to love Italy and when Harold said you’d been eating a lot of Chinese takeaway—’
‘What?’ Lisa nearly dropped her gift.
‘Well, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘So there you go.’
Lisa didn’t know whether to be horrified that Harold had been keeping an eye on her or grateful now that she had such a lovely present as a result. Either way, she would be more careful regarding her privacy once she was back in England.
As they cleared up the wrapping paper, there was a knock at the door. Nobody had called since Lisa had been at her parents’, but she knew they had friends among their neighbours.
‘I’ll go!’ she bellowed as she ran down the stairs preparing to say ‘joyeux noël’ in her best French accent.
She swung the door open. ‘Joy—’ Lisa’s eyes went wide as the words she had rehearsed were taken away by the hit of cold air and the sight of the person standing in front of her.
‘Merry Christmas, Lisa.’ Nathan smiled, looking almost hesitant, as he awaited her response.
It took her a moment to find the words. ‘M- merry Christmas … Nathan, you are here!’ Her cheeks burned hot despite the cold air and her heart thudded against her chest.
‘May I come in?’ Nathan’s blue eyes sparkled more brightly with the contrast of the snow. He was there, larger than life, hair ruffled and stubble at least a day old, looking thoroughly lovely in the doorway.
Lisa realised she should step back, open the door wider and welcome him in, all things that would be appropriate if only she could move. ‘It’s you … you’re here … at my parents—’
‘She does?’
‘I’d like to explain, but it’s freezing out here.’
Snapping out of her stunned paralysis, Lisa moved back from the door. ‘Of course, come in.’ She looked up towards the first floor as she heard her mum, dad and Luke scuttle back from the banister.
Still taken aback, Lisa took Nathan’s coat, the smell of his aftershave and the feel of his hand brushing against hers proving to her senses that he was actually there; that this was actually happening. He slipped off his boots, revealing thick socks. He was wearing jeans and a jumper that touched in all the right places to show his muscles. Lisa wished she had made more of an effort instead of hurrying out of the shower, excited to open her Christmas presents. She didn’t know why he was there, but the fact it was Christmas Day and her mum knew he was coming had to be good signs, didn’t they?
Lisa directed Nathan up the stairs and followed behind him, noticing the quiver in her legs with each step.
‘Nathan, it has been a very long time.’ Lisa’s mum kissed Nathan on both cheeks. ‘I’m so pleased you found us OK.’
Lisa looked at her dumbfounded.
While Nathan moved on to shaking hands with her dad and Luke, exchanging Christmas greetings, and talking about the condition of the roads and the snow, Lisa took her mum by the elbow. ‘Come and help me fetch Nathan a drink,’ she insisted, throwing the words ‘excuse us,’ as casually as she could behind them as they went.
Once in the kitchen, Lisa took several deep breaths and raised her eyebrows expectantly at her mum.
‘I hope I’ve done the right thing,’ her mum whispered.
‘Mum, Nathan is here,’ Lisa attempted to maintain a hushed tone, while hoping to elicit more of an explanation.
‘I know! He’s come all the way to France to speak to you. He’s been travelling for hours.’
Lisa couldn’t help but think that, for somebody who was whispering, her mum seemed desperately animated and excited.
‘Harold said—’
‘Harold? Mum, what is it with you encouraging Harold Martin to snoop into my life.’
‘I haven’t encouraged him to snoop, darling, just to keep an eye on you.’
‘An eye! Honestly, I’m beginning to think he’s been living in the loft or something. Oh God, Mum, he hasn’t been living in the loft, has he?’
‘Lisa, darling, you’re not still watching those silly crime programmes that scare you, are you? Of course he hasn’t been living in the loft. Now, calm down.’
‘I’m sorry it’s just, Harold is … and this is … well, it’s all …’ Lisa poured herself a drink of water from the cooler on the fridge and drank it straight down. ‘Nathan is here, in France, in your chalet and I don’t know why or how.’
Lisa’s mum walked over and stroked Lisa’s arm, in an attempt to calm her down. ‘Why, I’ll leave to him. How … well, let’s just say he’s been paying a lot of interest in our house back home, and eventually Harold told him he needed to know who he was and why he was there, or he would be forced to make a citizen’s arrest. Not wanting to do anything to overstep the mark if Nathan was telling the truth about knowing us, Harold phoned me a few days ago to see if I could corroborate his story.’
Corroborate his story? Lisa couldn’t help but think that Harold had danced, skipped and leapt over the mark some time ago, but decided to stick to the matter in hand. ‘But he is here, Mum. How has Nathan ended up here, on Christmas Day? It’s Christmas Day, for goodness’ sake!’
‘I know, isn’t it perfect? I can’t believe he got a crossing at such short notice.’
Needing something stronger than water Lisa turned the coffee machine on.
‘After our chat yesterday, when you said about the year you’d had and about the “what ifs” … I just thought … well, no matter what you say, I know I encouraged you not to get too serious too young. I know I influenced you with all the things I told you I’d missed out on. But, Lisa, you’re all grown up now. And Nathan, well, even though I know you were up to all sorts behind my back – never trust your brother to keep a secret, darling – Nathan always made you happy. He was crushed when you left and word is he never got serious over anyone else. So when Harold said he had been hanging round the house and you said … well … I wanted to make you happy. To see you smile on Christmas Day.’
Lisa looked at her mum, tears welling in her eyes. She put down her empty glass and gave her a hug, not knowing what to say to her kind words.
‘So I, um, well, what is it Luke called it? I drunk dialled him last night. I told him if he was that desperate to see you he should stop skulking around and come here, and find you.’
‘Mum!’
‘Harold had got his number, as a security measure or something. I hope I did the right thing. I hope I haven’t ruined your Christmas. He’s been travelling for over eleven hours!’ The words came out in a rush.
‘Any chance of those drinks?’ Lisa’s dad appeared in the doorway, gesturing towards the living room with his head, giving a look that said they were running out of small talk.
On her mum’s instruction, Lisa went to rescue the situation. She invited Nathan to join her at the table. From there the view was an easy talking point. She had so many other things she wanted to say, but with Luke in earshot, and her mum and dad fetching drinks she couldn’t bring herself to ask the questions leaping and fizzing round her mind. It reminded her of being a teenager – the two of them waiting for Luke and her parents to go to bed so they could be alone. With hours to go until bedtime, Lisa wondered if she should suggest going for a drive, but as Nathan had been driving for hours she thought better of it.
When Lisa’s parents appeared from the kitchen her mum was carrying a bottle of wine, two glasses and some festive nibbles on a tray. ‘There now, I thought something stronger than coffee might be in order.’ She placed the tray down on the table. ‘You two have a drink; the rest of us are going snowshoeing.’
Lisa mouthed thank you and gave a grateful smile.
‘What?’ Luke looked horrified at the thought.
‘You remember, your mum said she wanted to show us that route through the woods out the back,’ her dad added, picking up his jumper and slipping it on.
‘Really?’ Luke remained unconvinced.
‘Just because it’s not as cool as surfing, riding the wave when the surfs up, doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it.’ Lisa grinned and raised her eyebrows suggestively ensuring he registered the link to his tattoo. He didn’t know their mum already knew and Lisa decided her need to be alone with Nathan was greater than the moral implications of an implied threat.
Luke glared at her.
‘You should tell Mum—’
‘Right, well, it’s been good to see you, Nathan; I’m sure we’ll catch up when we get back.’ Luke stood up. ‘If we haven’t frozen, or got lost in the woods or attacked by wild boar on Christmas Day.’ He continued to mutter as he made his way down the stairs to the boot room.