Page 81 of A December to Remember
Maggie peered out toward her shop through a hole in the condensation. The green matting that covered the display shelves outside was flapping in the wind, but she figured the wooden crates of fruit and veg were sufficiently heavy to hold it.
Verity was sitting in the reading corner of the café, her head bowed over a copy ofThe Nutcracker and the Mouse King. She’d woken up early and so had accompanied Maggie on her morning deliveries before they met the bleary-eyed aunts for coffee.It never ceased to amaze Maggie how she would have to practically drag her daughter out of bed each morning at half past seven on a school day, but she would be up with the birds on holidays.
“Verity asked me this morning if Joe could be her dad.” Maggie’s lips flattened into a thin line. Her daughter’s request had crushed her heart like a beer can. Verity had never made the slightest intimation that she wanted a dad. How long had she been secretly wishing for one?
“Whoa,” said Simone. “That’s heavy.”
“I think it’s lovely,” Star gushed.
“She’s putting it on her Christmas list.”
“At least you know you’ve got her blessing on your relationship,” Simone reasoned.
“It’s so much more complicated with kids. If it was only my heart I had to take into consideration it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“It sounds to me like Verity’s already given her heart away if she wants Joe to be her dad. It’s sweet. Did you tell Joe?”
“He was there.” Maggie covered her face with her hands. She’d watched him swallow down his emotions, knew he had wanted to swing Verity up into the air and then take them both in his arms and call them his family. He’d looked at her for permission but she’d stood frozen, the cruel gatekeeper to their joint happiness. It was one thing to tell Patrick there wassomethinggoing on but another to raise the hopes of a child.
“Oh my god!” Star squealed. “What did he say?”
“He said any man would be proud to call Verity his daughter.”
“That was diplomatic,” said Simone.
“Oh my god, could he be any lovelier?” Star threw her arms in the air. “For heaven’s sake, Mags, stop being so bloody cautious.”
She had a point. Was her incessant caution protecting them? Or was it ruiningalltheir futures?
“I know this sounds stupid, but it’s like, if I don’t make it too real, nothing can jinx it. While it’s casual, we’re safe.”
“What are you saying? You need to fly under the radar because fate is out to get you?” asked Simone.
“Something like that,” she admitted.
“Oh, Maggie!” Star took her hand. “You had some really shit luck, but that doesn’t mean you’re fated to always be disappointed. You need to have a little faith in the power of love.”
“She’s a goddamned hippie,” Simone said, nodding, “but she’s right.”
Maggie shook herself. “Okay. Enough of that. Back to business. You know what would be really nice?” she mused, spooning the froth off her cappuccino.
“A lie-in?” yawned Simone.
She ignored her. “If we open Dad’s garden for the duration of the winter solstice celebration.”
“What, like a public park?” Star asked.
“Kind of, yeah. I mean, it’s on the procession route anyway and we’ll be decorating the trees in the woods. It feels like a nice way to honor Dad’s memory. I thought we could leave the gate open and maybe put a sign outside so that people could just go in and have a wander around the woods when they fancy.”
Simone looked thoughtful. “I think Dad would like that. I’ve spent years carrying around this sort of low-level anger because I wanted more from him than he could give. I was so hooked up on his absenteeism that I’d blocked out all the wonderful things about him. Being back here—I don’t know, maybe it’s being with you two—it’s like I can suddenly remember them all.” She gave a small laugh. “And now I miss the old bugger more than ever.”
“I’ve felt closer to him in these last two weeks than I have for a long time.” Star picked at the skin on her fingers.
Maggie took her hand to still her nervous fingers. “I miss him too. He had his faults. He wasterribleat keeping in touch.” Her sisters smiled knowingly. “But in his own way, he loved us fiercely. I believe that more now than I ever did before. He was fascinating and infuriating, and we are lucky that he was ours. It’s easy to feel like we were short-changed, but I truly believe we got more of his consideration than anyone elseeverdid.”
Simone raised her coffee.
“To Dad. You really were one in a million.”
