Page 80 of Snow Going Back

Eleanor sighed. ‘I realise I can be a bit vocal with my opinions and that there are some,very rare, occasions where I don’t get things entirely right – not that you areeverto repeat that in hearing ofanyof the neighbours.’ Kate shook her head with a fond smile. ‘But even when it doesn’t look like it, the most important thing in the world to me is you. It always has been and always will be, Katherine. Having you was the best thing I’ve ever done. I want you to remember that. Because I’ve realised, after a lengthy talk your father and I had today, that there are times I must have made you feel that youweren’tthe priority.’

There was a pause, and Kate heard her mother struggle to hold back her tears. One fell down her own cheek at this, and she wiped it away.

‘So if you ever feel like that again, I want you to tell me. OK? Because I never want that. I want you to know you can talk to me and that I’m here for you. Like I am now. If Lance wasn’t the one, he wasn’t the one,’ Eleanor said.

Kate smiled, touched by this unusual display of openness and solidarity from her mother. ‘Thanks, Mum. That means a lot to me.’

‘And you can just ignore all those things I said about being single at forty, by the way,’ Eleanor added. ‘Not that you’re anywhere near it yet, but even if youarestill single at forty, youwon’tlook tired around the edges. But if you do look alittlebit tired, there are all sorts of wonders available to change that now. So we’ll just look into your options.’

Kate had to throw herself face down onto the bed to muffle the laugh that rose up and exploded at her mother’s words. Only Eleanor could come out with something like that with wholehearted, loving sincerity.

‘Katherine? Are you still there?’

Kate lifted her face from the pillow. ‘Yep! I’m here,’ she confirmed, looking at the phone with a fond smile. ‘I love you, Mum. And I’m really glad we had this chat.’

‘I am, too,’ Eleanor agreed. ‘We don’t properly sit down and talk to each other enough.’

Kate thought about it and realised she was right. There was always something else going on, keeping them busy while they exchanged brief snippets of information, or they were with other people and got carried along with the conversational flow of the group. They rarely spent time just the two of them. In fact, now she thought about it, Kate realised that the run-up to Christmas was probably the only time of year they ever truly made time forthat. They talked on long walks and over games of cards by the fire. Over lazy breakfasts and late-night eggnogs. She realised suddenly that this was what she’dreallybeen missing every time she felt a pang of nostalgia for their traditions of Christmas. It wasn’t the lingering smell of nutmeg or the taste of her mother’s famous Christmas cake. It was what came with those things. That proper uninterrupted time with the people she loved the most.

‘Well, maybe we should do that more,’ she suggested. ‘Meet up more regularly, just us, to catch up.’

‘I’d love that,’ Eleanor replied.

‘OK then.’ Kate bit the inside of her cheek. ‘I should have told you how I felt about Lance the day he proposed. I just panicked, and then it all spiralled out of control. The truth is, Lance and I want and value very different things. He’s a great guy, but we’re not right together. And I know you really want to see me find the right man to settle down with so I can give you grandchildren, but I need to be honest: that’s just not something I’m even thinking about. There are some other things I want to focus on right now.’

‘Oh, that’s OK,’ Eleanor said, surprisingly chirpily. ‘I don’t need grandchildren yet.’

Kate frowned. ‘Youdon’t?’ she queried. Eleanor had been openly lamenting her lack of grandchildren for quite some time, so this was a surprising response.

‘No. In fact, I don’t think I could have one in the house anyway, darling, for quite some time, so you hold on to those eggs,’ Eleanor told her.

Kate blinked. ‘Right. I’ll, er, I’ll do that.Have to ask’ – she squeezed her gaze – ‘why couldn’t you have one in the house?’

‘Because’ – Eleanor drew the word out excitedly – ‘your father has bought me apuppy!’ Her voice rose on each syllable until it reached an excitable squeak. ‘He’s a King Charles spanieland he’s absolutelygorgeous,Katherine. You’re going tolovehim. I’m calling him Mortimer. Morti for short. We’re off this afternoon to get all the things he needs, then we pick him up tomorrow morning!’

Kate’s jaw dropped in stunned amazement. ‘You…’ She put a hand over her mouth as she pieced together what her father had done for her. ‘Apuppy? As in a real baby dog?’

‘Well, I’m hardly talking about a seal pup, Katherine, am I?’ Eleanor replied.

‘Well, that’sgreat!’ Kate exclaimed. ‘I can’t wait to meet him.’

‘Right, I have to get off, darling, or Morti won’t have a bed to sleep in,’ Eleanor told her. ‘I’m here if you need me, OK?’

‘Thanks, Mum. Happy shopping!’

‘Thanks, darling. Ciao for now!’

The line went dead, and Kate quickly opened her messages.

You bought her a *puppy*??!

She pressed send and thought back to the last time they had a dog. Her dadhateddogs. He’d grudgingly agreed to the one dog they’d had when she was little because Eleanor had assured him he wouldn’t have to do a thing. He’d ended up doing nearly all the daily walks and scooping all the poo from the garden as Eleanor complained it wasn’t very ladylike for her to do it. He’d made it very clear that he would never,everhave another dog in the house again, after Pippi died. But now here he was, making the ultimate sacrifice to save Kate’s metaphorical bacon with her mother.

Yes. A puppy. A small, yappy, untrained one. You owe me. Big time.

Kate bit her lip and stifled a grin as the second message followed shortly behind.

BIG Xx

---