Page 89 of Emma
Both relief and love coursed through Vanessa. She hadn’t expected to be the one who needed reassurance, but she was only human. “You sound so sure.”
“Iamsure.” Emma leaned in and kissed her. “And you’re already doing more than enough. You’re worried about the drinks, and the food, and whether she’ll feel at home here. That’s you caring, Vanessa. That’s you loving her before she’s even set foot through the door. How could that ever be wrong?”
For once, Vanessa didn’t argue. She let Emma’s words settle inside her, easing the knot that had been twisting tight in her stomach all evening. She tucked her face into the crook of Emma’s neck and breathed her in, that familiar scent of shampoo and skin calming her. “I just want her to feel welcome,” she said quietly. “I want her to feel as though she has a place here. That she can show up unannounced just because she feels like it.”
“She will.” Emma pressed a kiss to Vanessa’s hair. “Because she’ll have both of us here making sure of it.”
Vanessa’s body finally relaxed, her hand sliding up to rest over Emma’s heart. It was steady, strong, and unshakable in a way that always made her feel safe. And as Emma’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her even closer, Vanessa realised something important. She wasn’t just preparing for Freya to visit their house. She was preparing for Freya to step into their lives.
When Vanessa’s eyes finally closed, sleep now visible on the horizon, she knew that was the only thing that really mattered.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The last bellof the day had rung an hour ago, yet Vanessa found herself slowly checking drawers and cupboard doors, sliding her planner into her bag, and counting the number of iPads in their docking stations.This is ridiculous!She blew out a breath and scanned the room one final time. Since yesterday, Vanessa had found it hard to concentrate on anything other than Freya’s visit on Friday.
Okay. Stop now. Everything is fine.
Coat, scarf, keys, marking. If she forgot her marking, Emma would tease her endlessly, claiming it was her thing to forget and not Vanessa’s. She lifted her favourite mug, the one that was chipped on the handle and stained with lipstick, which she would return to the staffroom before she strolled to her car. Strolling was all she could manage this evening. She’d spent so much time in her head that she was now physically exhausted.
A soft knock on the doorframe pulled her from her relentless worrying.
“Come in,” she called out, although she already knew who it was. Most of the staff had their own knock, and Dani’s was distinctive.
The door opened fully, and as Vanessa had expected, Dani was standing out in the corridor. Immaculately dressed as usual, her lanyard crooked and a biro tucked behind her ear. “Finally. I swear you’ve been running out of here so I can’t catch you lately.”
“You barely caught me.” Vanessa hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. “If you’d been here thirty seconds earlier, I probably wouldn’t have noticed, so you may as well not have been here.”
Dani stepped inside, closing the door with her hip. “Hmm. Interesting. Mrs Hughes isneverin her own head. Not lately, anyway.”
Vanessa laughed. “What do you need?”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing to do with work. I come in peace.” Dani lifted both hands and smiled. “Question for you and Emma. Are you free this weekend for that double date I’ve threatened you with on more than one occasion now? Jessie has found a place that does small plates and cocktails in teacups. Friday? Maybe even Saturday if that works for you two…”
Vanessa groaned. They’d ducked out of the last two invitations with vague, honest-enough excuses—Emma’s personal stuff, term-time exhaustion…life. She hadn’t wanted to add more people to the circle of those who knew about Freya until there was something to say beyond fear and confusion.
She set her bag down on the desk and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I have to say it’s unlikely. I know that makes me a terrible friend, you’ve been there for Emma and I so much over the last year, but…things are going on at home that I need to be around for.”
Dani wandered closer, her hands shoved into the pockets of her high-waisted pants. “Everything okay? If you tell me you’re just busy once more, Iwillbe offended.”
Vanessa hesitated. She thought about lying again, but this time, she didn’t have to be evasive. For once, she could tell the truth—most of it, at least—and ask Dani to keep it where itbelonged. Here, between friends. “Actually,” Vanessa said as she cleared her throat. “There’s a reason. And if I tell you, youhaveto promise it stays with you.”
Dani straightened, the usual mischief in her eyes no longer present. “Of course. It doesn’t go any further than this room.”
Vanessa cast her gaze to her desk, willing herself to be upfront. Emma wouldn’t mind, and she knew Dani would respect their privacy, but saying it out loud changed everything. “You know Freya Fields? Year Eight.”
“Freya,” Dani repeated, sifting through her mental register. “Plays netball sometimes? The one with the big, inquisitive eyes?”
Vanessa nodded as she looked up at Dani. “Yes, that’s the one.”
“What about her?”
“She’s Emma’s sister.” As Vanessa said that, she realised the words were simple andimpossiblycomplicated all at once. “Full sister.”
Dani blinked repeatedly. “Wait! What?”
“It’s a long story.” Vanessa offered the short version, the one she suspected they’d have to learn to say in rooms and situations like this. “Freya’s under a Special Guardianship Order. She came to Emma and told her they were related. It’s been a lot, but it’s real. SheisEmma’s sister.”
Dani lifted a hand, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Bloody hell.”
