Page 55 of A December to Remember
“Joe might have his own family to go to at Christmas,” said Patrick.
“Joe ismyfamily!” Verity protested.
“I am very happy that you feel that way, Verity,” said Joe sincerely.
“Until he leaves,” muttered Patrick. Maggie hoped Joe hadn’t heard, but the pink tips of his ears suggested he had. To his credit, he said nothing. She felt a familiar twist of discomfort.
She had never expected that Joe would become so much a part of their lives. She could keep telling herself that her relationship with him was purely physical, but Verity was right: he had become like one of the family. Quite without anyone meaning for it to happen, Joe had become a paternal figure in Verity’s life.
“You are going to be here for Christmas, aren’t you, Joe?”Verity was relentless when she got an idea into her head. Patrick’s comment had clearly upset her.
Maggie suddenly felt like all eyes were upon her.
“I hadn’t really given it too much thought, Verity,” said Joe. “My mum and sister live in France, and I haven’t seen them for a long time.”
It was an answer of perfect avoidance and she was grateful for it.
“But, Mama, Joehasto be here for Christmas,” Verity protested, as though it was entirely down to Maggie. What could she do?
“Joe is welcome to spend Christmas with us here. We’d love you to stay.” She looked at him.
It felt like everyone in the room was holding their breath. Patrick looked away.
“Are you sure?” Joe asked.
“Yes.” She smiled maniacally. “Yes. Absolutely.”
“Yahoo!” Verity screeched and busted out a victory dance.
Once the treeresembled a tinsel hairball and all the freezer biscuits had been demolished, Simone went back to the cottage to call Evette, and Star took Verity up to bed with the promise of two stories. Joe helped Maggie to clean up the sitting room while Patrick washed up the plates and cups. The whir of her mum’s old sewing machine was familiar, and it was good to hear the sound after all these years.
“Are you sure you want me to stay here for Christmas?” Joe asked as he swept biscuit crumbs into a dustpan.
“Of course. We’d love you to be here. So long as your sister doesn’t mind.”
“I feel like you were cornered into it.”
“I only didn’t ask before because I didn’t want you to feel like youhadto stay.”
“I want to be wherever you are, Maggie. I don’t know how many different ways I can say it.”
She needed to change the subject. “How long has your sister lived in France?”
He shook his head. He knew what she was doing, but he went along with it and she was thankful. “About ten years.”
“And your mum moved out to be with her?”
Joe paused. “It’s kind of complicated. A couple of years ago, our family suffered a pretty monumental bust-up. My granddad had left equal shares in his business to my mum and her brother when he died. Then three years ago my uncle told my mum that he needed to borrow her shares to make a big business deal that would change all their lives. Just borrow them and then when the deal was done, he’d sign them back over.”
“But he didn’t?”
“No.” Joe’s mouth was a tight line. “He did not. He left my mum with nothing, and it’s all legal and above board. Morally reprehensible but legally done.”
“God, your poor mum.”
“Moving to France made sense financially, since she wasn’t getting any money from the business anymore.”
“Were you close with your uncle? Before, I mean.”
