Christmas Day dawned dry and bright in France. Ben surprised Jodie with breakfast in bed, a small package on the tray alongside the croissants.
‘Joyeux Noel,’ Ben said, handing it to her.
Carefully she unwrapped and opened the small gift box. Nestling on a padded silk bed were a pair of amber earrings.
‘These were the ones I liked when we were in Cannes,’ she said. ‘You remembered. Thank you. Your present is under the tree. I’ll fetch it for you.’
Ben was thrilled with his Mont Blanc fountain pen. ‘I’ve always wanted one of these. Perfect for book signings. Thank you.’
Once the turkey was in the oven and the vegetables were prepared, Ben and Jodie took Tess for a walk. Annette and Thierry, due home from honeymoon late the previous evening, had said they’d see them for lunch around one o’clock.
Back home after their walk, Jodie’s laptop was showing a missed Skype message from Travis. Hoping he would still be around at the other end, she pressed the button to return the call.
Seconds later a woman’s voice answered. ‘Hi, Jodie. This is Travis’s mum, Caroline. I’m sorry he’s not here right now. He had to go out. He said to say Happy Christmas if you rang and he missed you.’ As she finished speaking, the video picture came to life and Jodie found herself looking at the woman who, technically, could be called her stepmother.
From the little Jodie could see of Caroline, head and shoulders basically, she was an attractive woman, with dark curls framing a lightly tanned face, and deep-blue eyes, just like Travis.
‘Travis has your eyes,’ Jodie said.
Caroline laughed. ‘I’ve heard that once or twice before. Did he tell you how thrilled he was to find he had a sister? He spent lots of years asking for siblings. Sadly, after him, I couldn’t have any more.’
Jodie felt her involuntary ‘I’m sorry’ to be inadequate as sadness flitted across Caroline’s face.
‘Travis tells me you’re pregnant. Tommy would have been thrilled to hear that. He loved children. I expect your mum would have been excited too.’
It took Jodie a few seconds to work out who Tommy was. Her father. She’d never heard him called that before.
‘Yes, Mum would have been over the moon,’ Jodie said.
‘Travis is making plans to visit again in the New Year,’ Caroline said. ‘He can’t wait to meet his nephew or niece.’
‘You’d be more than welcome to come with him,’ Jodie said.
Caroline nodded. ‘Travis has already suggested it. But I need to sort out a new life direction for me first. Selling the ranch won’t be easy. Then I have to find somewhere to live down here.’ She sighed. ‘I suspect it will all take time, like these things do.’
‘Well, when you’re ready for a holiday, think of us in Europe,’ Jodie said. ‘I’m glad we’ve “met”. It’s nice to visualise people but I’m a slave to the kitchen today and have to go. I guess you’ve had a barbeque in the sun?’
‘Yes, we did.’
‘Say hi to Travis for me. Happy Christmas to you both,’ Jodie said. ‘And Happy New Year.’
Thoughtfully, Jodie closed down the Skype connection. Caroline reminded her of someone she couldn’t quite put a name to.
In the kitchen, stirring the gravy, it came to her. It was her mum. Not in physical looks or colouring because Jacqueline had been more of an English rose. No, it was the way Caroline looked at you steadily, held eye contact, and her smile was similar. Self-composed would be the word to describe both Jacqueline and Caroline.
Was it a coincidence? They said men’s second wives often mirrored their first, that they tended to fall in love with the same type of woman. It would be interesting to eventually meet Caroline and see for herself if there really was any similarity.
Annette and Thierry arrived in a flurry of laughter and kisses, clutching gifts. Champagne was poured and presents were opened and exclaimed over before Jodie announced, ‘Lunch is served.’
Sitting at the dining table with her new family alongside her, Jodie fingered her pendant on its chain and thought about her mum. It was the first Christmas since Jacqueline had died that Jodie truly felt she had a family. Last year it had been her and Ben alone on honeymoon in the Alps, and the Christmas before, the first one without her mum, was best forgotten. It had been survived rather than celebrated, that was for sure.
It was as she placed the flaming Christmas pudding on the table that Ben said, ‘Mum, Thierry, we have a little bit of news for you.’
Annette smiled and sighed happily. ‘Finally, I guess you’re officially going to tell me I’m going to be a grandmother. When’s the baby due?’
Jodie looked at Annette. ‘How did you know that was our news?’
Annette shrugged and laughed. ‘Intuition, I guess you’d call it. That bug, virus, whatever, didn’t fool me for a moment. Besides, you’ve not been drinking alcohol since before our wedding. Easy to put two and two together. I’ve been waiting weeks for you to tell us. Congratulations to both of you.’
‘Thank you,’ Ben and Jodie said together.
‘Now about names, are you going traditional or modern? There’s some lovely modern ones out there I particularly like,’ Annette said.
Jodie interrupted her with a smile. ‘Sorry, names are non-negotiable. It’s going to be Jacqueline Annette for a girl. Ben Thomas for a boy.’