CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Amelia
I ran behind Cayley up the hallway. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go far. We ran to Josh’s room and she shoved open the door.
“Josh!” I yelled. “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”
The kids looked at each other, then at me. I supposed I must have looked quite a sight, with my hair loose and my cheeks flushed, eyes wild. They laughed, self-conscious.
“Sorry, auntie,” Cayley said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to worry you. It isn’t like a life-or-death.”
“Whew!” I sat down on the bed, not even thinking about the fact at first that Carson had been sleeping here all week. “Heck! Don’t do that to me again,” I said, hand on my chest. “I thought someone was injured.”
“Sorry, auntie,” Josh giggled, coming to sit next to me. “We were scared. You see, I lost the spare key. I think it’s in here somewhere. Dad will be so mad! Could you help us?”
“You want to look for it?”
“Please,” Cayley asked. “There are some places we can’t get to.”
“Okay,” I agreed. I bit my lip. Looking through Carson’s things for a second time in as many days would be awkward, but I supposed I could do it. Especially if the kids needed my help.
“I’ll do under the bed,” Josh said. “Cayley, will you do the drawers?”
“Okay,” Cayley agreed quickly. “Auntie, could you do the cupboard?”
“Okay,” I agreed. I set about searching the wardrobe. While I was looking, I saw an envelope on the floor of the wardrobe. I picked it up. I tensed when I saw a name on the front. “Carson”.
Oh, hell. I wanted to drop it like a burning ember. But something made me stay my hand.
I swallowed hard. If this was a card from Leona, I would know for sure. Thanks to the kids, I was standing in the middle of my brother’s son’s room, with a letter from the other woman in my hand. Should I open it?
Josh and Cayley were looking up at me expectantly.
“Open it, auntie,” Josh urged.
“I want to see what’s inside,” Cayley insisted.
I looked at them with amazement. Then I laughed. It was what I wanted to do anyhow, so why not let two naughty kids persuade me into it, after all? “Okay.”
I opened the envelope. Inside was, as I imagined there was, a Christmas card. It had a snowy mountain on the front with the suggestion of a sled flying over the top. Cute, I thought.
I opened the card.
“Dear Daddy,” I read aloud. “I am so excited about seeing you. Even though you can’t visit for Christmas, I am so happy. I’m so glad I can see you more often now. Wishing you the bestest everything. Your daughter, Leona.”
I dropped the card. Like a snowflake, it swooped and landed silently on the floor.
“She’s his daughter,” I whispered under my breath. I sat down on the bed, tears flowing down my cheeks, a smile on my lips. “She’s his daughter!”
The kids were smiling happily, and I drew them both into my arms and squeezed them close, collapsing back onto the bed. I tickled them both until they screamed for mercy, laughing helplessly in my arms.
“Oh, kids,” I sighed. “I am so happy. Right. Now, let’s put these things away, hey?”
“Okay, auntie,” Cayley said gravely. She winked at me. I laughed.
“Is it a secret?”
“Not really,” I told Josh gently. “I think we can talk about this one.”
“Oh,” Josh said, grinning. “Oh, good.”
I smiled. My whole mood was sunny. I wanted to run out into the freezing cold afternoon and kiss everyone I met, laughing and shouting. Carson wasn’t two-timing me with Leona. Leona was his daughter!
Another thought occurred to me: Was the person he was talking to on the phone his wife? But if he was still married, why was he spending Christmas with my brother? Why did his daughter say she wasn’t expecting him to be there? No, I decided, he was separated from his wife.
I was still grinning like an idiot and the kids were still laughing as we walked down into the sitting room together. We all sat down with an air of celebration. We were still sitting there, laughing and playing some complicated card game that none of us actually knew all the rules to, when I heard the front door open.