Page 98 of The Twelve Dates of Christmas
Dinner was done and dusted and the house was a-twinkle with fairy lights. Laura was cajoling her children into their coats, ready for the drive home.
“I think I’ll push off too, love,” said Mac.
“You don’t have to, Dad,” said Kate. “It’s not even eight o’clock. Why don’t you stay for a glass of wine?”
Dad shrugged into his overcoat.
“Thanks, love,” he said. “But I said to Evelyn I’d drop in on my way home.”
Kate saw Laura smile from under her pile of children.
There was a ferocious bang on the front door and they all jumped.
“What the hell?” said Kate, and she rushed to open the door.
“HELL! HELL! HELL!” shouted Mina.
Kate pulled the door open to find her Christmas tree lying horizontally across the doorstep, blocking the entrance, and Matt yanking the gate shut behind him.
“Matt?” Kate called.
Matt didn’t answer. He carried on walking to his van. Kate jumped over the tree and padded up the path in her bed-socks.
“Matt!” she called again.
She yanked open the gate and followed him up the road.
“I don’t want to talk to you, Kate,” he said.
“Why not?” she asked. The snow was leaking through her socks and freezing her feet. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing I want to talk to you about,” he said.
“I don’t understand,” said Kate, although the terrible sick feeling in her stomach belied her statement.
“Just leave it alone, Kate,” said Matt. “I don’t want to say something I might regret.”
Matt reached his van, but so did Kate. She stood in front of his door.
“Get out of the way, Kate,” he said. “I’m angry and I’m not in the mood.”
“Clearly!” said Kate. “But you don’t get to start a fight and then walk off before it’s finished.”
“Fine!” said Matt. “Sarah’s just told me about your Dates with Mates night. About Oliver being there.”
“Shit,” said Kate.
“Yeah,” said Matt. “Shit. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“She asked me not to,” said Kate.
“And she takes precedence over me, does she? Your loyalties lie with Sarah, do they?” He ran his hand through his hair. “I asked you, Kate. I rang you and asked if anything had happened and you said no. You bare-faced lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie,” said Kate. “You asked me if I’d told her anything to put her off you and I said no. That was the truth!”
“You should have told me, Kate. You had no right to keep it from me.”
“I didn’t know what to do for the best,” said Kate. “I only kept it from you because I thought it would do more harm than good to tell you. I thought it would be okay.”
