Page 18 of You Had Me at Chateau
‘Yep,’ I reply.
‘But… but what about Christmas? It won’t be right if you’re not here,’ she says, her voice wobbling.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll be back for Christmas,’ I insist.
‘Yeah, we wouldn’t want to make things weird at Christmas,’ Tom quips.
‘It’s just there is a space on this writers’ retreat, and I can have it for free, so I’m going to the Alps for a week,’ I tell her. ‘But it will be fine, I’ll write my book, and then I can have Christmas off. It will be great.’
‘You sound like you’re protesting a little too much,’ Dad says.
I turn to look at him, to see him eating an entire wedge of brie, like it’s a slice of pizza.
‘I mean, I’d rather not go,’ I tell him. ‘I’d rather stay home and write a murder mystery, but what can you do?’
‘You’ve got a good job, don’t blow it,’ Dad insists through a mouthful of cheese. ‘Mark McDonald’s son is desperate to be published. He wrote a book, about these shagging aliens, and self-published it. Mark gave us all a copy. It was bloody awful.’
‘See, even Mark McDonald’s son is writing sexy stuff,’ Tom jokes.
‘Amber writes stories that make people smile,’ Mum says proudly.
‘It sounds like she wants to write stories that make them scared for their life,’ Auntie Kay adds with a laugh.
‘I still want to write comedy, and romance, just, you know, a romantic comedy with a murder here and there,’ I tell them.
‘Murder mysteries are all the rage at my book club,’ Amy adds.
‘Can you go to my publisher and tell my editor that, please?’ I reply.
‘I will, if I get touched up by Caleb Carney on the way in,’ Auntie Kay adds.
Everyone needs a randy, wine-loving auntie. It sure does make the family parties more entertaining.
‘That wine bottle is empty,’ Kay points out, right on cue.
‘I’ll grab another,’ Mum says.
‘I’ll help you,’ I reply, pulling myself to my feet.
I follow Mum into the kitchen where she grabs me and gives me a big squeeze.
‘Oh, Amber, thanks for coming tonight,’ she says. ‘Things are so uncomfortable here. You and your brother have really lightened the mood.’
‘Hey, what do people have kids for?’ I joke. ‘Mum, are you okay? This news, it’s a big shock, and it’s not like you.’
‘Let’s not talk about it now,’ she says, fighting back the tears. ‘All I know is that something needs to change and this is all I can think of. But tonight is about celebrating your dad’s birthday, so let’s not ruin it.’
I smile and give her another squeeze. You can tell she still loves him but, if she isn’t happy, I can’t force them to stay together, can I?Can I?
‘Okay then, let’s get back out there,’ I tell her. ‘Auntie Kay will start rioting, if she doesn’t get her Pinot Grigio.’
‘Honestly, if she drinks any more I’m going to have to open an eighteen-year-old bottle of Lambrini your dad found in his shed,’ she replies.
‘She’ll love it,’ I joke. ‘Especially if time has made it more potent.’
‘Come on, let’s join the others,’ she says. ‘Hurry home, won’t you, darling? I just want us to spend Christmas together, and be happy, one last time.’
‘Mum, we’ll have plenty of Christmases together in the future, no matter what our circumstances are, so don’t worry,’ I reassure her. ‘But I will hurry back – mostly because I don’t really want to be there.’
