Page 66 of Merrily Ever After
I dried my eyes and stood up. ‘How do you know about the Santa thing. Did Freya tell you?’
‘Harley called me. He was worried about you. He cares about you, they both do.’
‘Harley? Bless him.’ The thought of him worrying about me even though he had his own issues melted my heart. I unlocked the door and looked sheepishly at Hester. ‘Sorry, I’m being an idiot.’
She pulled me into a hug. ‘Lydia and Cole wouldn’t get back together even if Freya really did want it to happen.’
I smiled ruefully. ‘You would say that. Lydia might feel differently.’
She shook her head. ‘Lydia feels terrible about what Freya said to you.’
I buried my face in my hands and groaned. ‘Oh my God, she knows too? And Cole?’
‘Freya told her mum. I think Harley was cross with her and Lydia intervened to find out what they were arguing about, and it all came out. I don’t think Cole knows.’
Did that mean Harley had confided in Lydia too about his own struggles? I hoped so.
‘Lydia was mortified apparently.’ Hester got her phone out of her bag. ‘Call her yourself. Then you can forget it ever happened.’
I blinked at her. ‘What now? From the ladies’ toilets? No, absolutely not!’
But before I knew what was happening, Hester had dialled Lydia’s number, thrust the phone at me and fled from the loos, leaving me to answer when she picked up.
‘Thank goodness you called,’ Lydia heaved a sigh after I’d announced myself. ‘If I’d thought for one second that you’d taken it seriously, then I’d have got in touch with you myself.’
‘But Freya was so convincing when she told Santa what she wanted,’ I blurted.
‘Oh, she’s always sure at the time,’ Lydia reassured me. ‘But last week she wanted to be an explorer and paddle down rivers in South America to discover new animals. And this week? A famous horse rider, purely, I might add, because she wants to plait horses’ manes. No doubt she’ll change her mind when she discovers what mucking out is.’
We both laughed, but I still wasn’t convinced.
‘Daydreaming about your career when you’re nine is one thing, but asking for something for Christmas when it’s nearly upon us is another. She sounded like she meant it.’
‘Maybe trying on a bridesmaid dress brought it home to her that Daddy really is marrying someone new,’ said Lydia. ‘But I promise you, she has never had anything but good things to say about you.’
I swallowed, feeling dangerously close to crying again. ‘That’s really generous of you to say.’
Lydia was silent for a moment, and I realised that this was probably as hard for her as it was for me. ‘What she really, really wants for Christmas is a kitten. She even burst into tears worried that she didn’t ask Santa for one when she had the chance.’
‘Bless her.’ I smiled down the phone. ‘And is she getting one?’
Lydia laughed. ‘She is. I’ve found a silver tabby kitten who’ll be ready to leave the litter by Christmas.’
‘Oh fantastic, she’ll be thrilled! I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out.’
‘She will. Hey, the kids are great,’ said Lydia, ‘but I’ve learned not to react to everything they come out with. I focus on the big stuff and the little stuff tends to sort itself out.’
‘It does,’ I agreed, thinking back to Harley’s request to live with his friend in Whistler. I needn’t have been worrying about either of them. Lydia had it under control. ‘But you and Cole … I mean … when you heard that Freya wanted you two to get back together. How does that make you feel?’
Lydia laughed softly. ‘I used to feel guilty that our marriage had broken down, but now I think differently. He’s a good man, Merry, and for what it’s worth, I think the two of you are a good match. I admit I was dreading Cole meeting someone else and my kids spending time with a woman I had no say over. But when I met you, I was relieved; it was obvious straight away that you make him happy, and he’d been unhappy for so long after I told him I wanted to end our marriage. You’re good for Cole and you’re good with the children too.’
I closed my eyes. Thank goodness. It genuinely felt like I had her blessing and the relief that gave me was liberating. ‘I guess he’s always had good taste in women.’
We both laughed at that.
‘Actually, can I let you into a secret?’ Lydia said, lowering her voice.
‘Of course.’
