Page 3 of One Snowy Day
He ignored her request to leave, sliding back under the duvet and taking a sip of the froth on the top of his cappuccino. His hair was wet, so he must have jumped into the shower before she’d woken up and called her mum. Mother of God, it was like he’d never left.
‘Would that be so bad? I mean, Kayleigh getting her hopes up?’
Georgie’s eyes widened. ‘Yes! Of course it would. I only let you stay because she’d already crashed out and I know she won’t wake until noon.’
He tried to get cute, displaying an admirable ability to nuzzle her neck without spilling his coffee. ‘That’s the only reason?’
‘That and the fact that I have normal needs, and I haven’t got time to shave my legs so that I can have sex with anyone else.’
If he was pissed off by that, she didn’t wait around to find out. She’d loved this man and had wholeheartedly expected to stay with him forever, but then came the cataclysmic hurt and shock when he blew up their marriage. Somewhere along the line, like childbirth or chickenpox scars, the memory of that pain had subsided, and while there was still love, now she was fairly sure – when they weren’t naked – that it was of the nostalgic, loyal, companionable variety. In fact, much as it had been devastating at the time, and for a long time afterwards, now that there had been healing, space and a million grovelling apologies on his side, she could admit to herself that she was grateful in some ways that he’d called it quits. He’d seen the issues in their marriage before her, realised that they were coasting, going through the motions, that they’d outgrown each other. Although,hell would freeze over before she uttered that sentiment aloud and gave him any form of defence or justification for breaking their family apart.
He pushed himself up on one elbow. ‘Look, Georgie, I’m just putting this out there…’
If telepathy was a thing, he’d shut up right now, because she sensed what was coming and every cell in her body was willing him not to say it. Unfortunately, her silent communication was an epic fail, because he kept going.
‘…I want to try again. I want to move back in, and put our family back together.’
‘The family that you left for a long-term jolly to Thailand.’
‘It was a transcendental meditation retreat, and yes, I know what I did, but it wasn’t like I went off and shagged my secretary.’
‘You don’t have a secretary.’
‘I know but… God, you’re infuriating.’ He rolled his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up in that really adorable way that used to make her heart flip. In fact, if she didn’t count Daniel Craig in his Bond years, he was the only man who’d ever actually made her heart flip. And yes, there was something tempting about having that kind of attraction, companionship and hairy-legged sex on tap back in her life again. Maybe if she allowed herself to remove all the walls of defence that she’d put up when he’d done a runner, then she could consider what reuniting would feel like. But she couldn’t think about that right now. Not today. Not when she was on the verge of a mini-midlife crisis of her own.
‘Wouldn’t it just be easier if you did the normal middle-age-male-divorcé thing and went searching for twenty-five-year-olds on Tinder?’
He ran his fingers through his Hugh-Grant-in-the-Notting-Hill-era waves. ‘I don’t want anyone else. Why would I beinterested in someone else, when I know the right person for me is you? I just needed to go through the break to realise that. Anyway, think about it. Please. And much as I want to stay right here, I have to get moving or I’ll be late for work and the world of solar panels will crumble.’ He pulled the duvet back and reached down for his jeans, pulling them on as Georgie realised she couldn’t sit still and climbed out of her side of the bed.
‘I’m just going to go grab a shower. Don’t make any noise and let yourself out.’
Before she made it to the door of her en suite, the one that she’d redecorated to remove all traces of him when he’d left, he added, ‘Kayleigh reminded me that it’s Jessie’s birthday and retirement party tonight. And that she’s leaving tomorrow.’
‘It sure is.’ It ached even to say that out loud. ‘You know, she invited you to the party.’
The fact that her mum had ferociously supported her when Flynn deserted them, yet still remained amicable was a credit to her cool head and emotional intelligence. ‘He’s Kayleigh’s dad, love,’ her mum had said back then. ‘And the lass is upset enough without us fuelling the flames and making the rift wider. There’s a lot we could say now, but if things get better, we can’t un-say them.’
Of course, she was right. And now, with the benefit of time and mended fences, Georgie was relieved that she didn’t have to worry about a stand-off between her staunchest defender and the man who made a stupid mistake that he now, apparently, regretted.
‘I know, but I have a work thing. Give her my love though.’
‘I will. You have a good day. And thanks for not noticing that I’ve got legs like an Alpaca.’
‘I didn’t say that I hadn’t noticed…’ He joked, and ouch, there were the corners of his lips up again.
She locked the door behind her just to make sure she wasn’t tempted to go back out there and delay his departure, but this time she knew it would definitely be down to option 3 on the ‘excuses for having sex with the ex-husband’ list – taking her mind off a stressful situation.
Instead, she stood under a cold shower for several minutes, until her mind was blank, her lips were turning blue, and she was confident that her libido had gone back into hibernation.
When she eventually switched the water off, she used a thick, fluffy towel to dry her body and wrapped a turban around the wild mass of copper curls that came directly from her mother’s side of the gene pool. Back in the bedroom, she pulled on the pink fleecy dressing gown Kayleigh had bought her last Christmas, then slipped her feet into her white Ugg slippers. She picked up her cold coffee from the bedside table, took the mug downstairs, slotted it under the Nespresso machine she’d bought after being swayed by a George Clooney advert, and made herself a fresh cup. It had just finished pouring when Kayleigh wandered into the kitchen behind her.
Surprised, Georgie hugged her girl. ‘Ah, it’s so good to have you here again. I’ve missed your face in the mornings.’ The last four months of empty nesting since her daughter had gone off to the University of Edinburgh to study law had been excruciating. Lonely. Challenging. Nobody warns a parent that when the kids leave, for the first time since two blue lines appeared on a pregnancy stick, you begin to reassess and analyse what you really want out of life. Georgie had definitely asked herself the questions… and she still didn’t know the correct answers.
Kayleigh indulged her sentimental moment. ‘I’ve missed you too, Mum.’
Georgie gave her one more squeeze before reluctantly letting her go. ‘I didn’t expect you to wake this early.’
Kayleigh shrugged. ‘Dad made too much noise when he was sneaking out. Are you two still pretending that you’re not sleeping together?’ There was no missing the amusement in her daughter’s voice.
