Second Chance - Jane Green [102]
She no longer has to be Mrs Marcus Carter, wife of a successful lawyer, mother of two, sometime illustrator of greeting cards. She no longer has to walk in unfamiliar, uncomfortable shoes. Since around eleven forty-four this morning, Holly has remembered who she is.
Holly Mac.
No more, and no less.
‘Hello!’ Paul comes out of the house and tramps over the driveway to help them in. ‘Good God, Holly. Are you moving here permanently?’ He peers anxiously into the back, where the bags and possessions reach the roof.
Holly starts to laugh, and then finds herself suddenly, unexpectedly, sobbing.
‘I didn’t mean anything,’ Paul says nervously, hopping from one foot to the other and wishing he’d said nothing. ‘I’m really sorry.’
Olivia walks over to Holly and puts her arms around her, and Holly leans her head on her shoulder and lets the sobs come.
‘Mummy?’ A small voice from the back of the car. ‘Mummy? Are we there yet? Why are you crying?’ And Holly gently disengages and plants a bright smile on her face as she tries to think of an excuse to tell Oliver.
‘Wow… this place is… unfinished.’ Holly and Olivia stand in the living room and look around at the piles of paint in one corner, the dust sheets in another, the sawdust and the lack of furniture.
‘I thought I warned you we were redoing it.’ Paul grins.
‘I thought… well, I didn’t think you were building it,’ Olivia says. ‘Is this part of your evil plan?’
Anna walks in from the garden. ‘You mean, get you down here and get you working? Absolutely. Do you think we are idiots or something like that? What is that expression… there’s no such thing as a free lunch?’ And with a laugh she comes over and gives them both hugs.
‘So where is she?’ Holly says. ‘Where’s Saffron?’
‘She couldn’t get any reception on her mobile phone,’ Anna explains. ‘She went to the top of the driveway to try to make a call. Didn’t you pass her?’
‘You probably did,’ Paul says. ‘It’s pitch-black out there, though. Which reminds me, can we see if we can rig up some sort of outside light? Seriously, I think it’s a bit bloody dangerous.’
‘I’ll add it to the list.’ Anna rolls her eyes. ‘I have to warn you, the beds are a bit funky.’
‘Beds? I thought we were on the floor with sleeping bags.’
‘We were, but we’re starting to look at doing furniture on Fashionista, and we found this company that makes wild and wonderful blow-up beds in these seventies retro patterns, so we’ve brought a load down.’
‘Excellent – have to say I wasn’t particularly looking forward to a sleeping bag. Lots of fun approaching twenty, not so much approaching forty.’ Olivia laughs.
‘I’d say lots of fun approaching ten, myself,’ Holly says. ‘Not too much fun at any point after that.’
‘Does anyone realize it’s been around half an hour? Do you think we should check on Saffron?’
‘I’ll go,’ Paul says, jumping off the kitchen counter.
‘You should all go,’ Holly says. ‘I’ll stay here with the kids, but I’m jealous. I love smelling this clean country air at night.’
‘Wait until morning,’ Anna says. ‘The views are to die for. At least walk some of the way with us, sample what I’m talking about.’
‘Saff!’ they all chorus as they walk up the driveway, then more urgently as they reach the end. ‘Saff? Saff!’
‘Oh fuck,’ Paul says suddenly. ‘I know exactly where she is.’
‘I don’t suppose there’s a pub nearby, is there?’ Holly looks at Paul with eyebrow raised.
‘Funny you should mention it. I’ll go.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Anna says, concern written all over her face. ‘God, you don’t really think she’s drinking? She said this morning that this was it, she wouldn’t drink again.’
‘From what I read this morning online,’ Holly says, ‘those statements are pretty much par for the course.’
‘You mean they don’t mean anything?’
‘Coming from an alcoholic in relapse? I’d say not worth the paper they’re written on.’
‘Great,’ Anna groans as she makes her way gingerly back to the house to get the car keys. ‘Can you perhaps put the kettle on for coffee?’
Chapter Twenty-two