Baby It's Cold Outside. Kerry Barrett

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      Douglas looked slightly nervous again.

      ‘We run a funeral home,’ he said. ‘Me and my brother and my niece.’

      I was horrified.

      ‘Dead people,’ I said. ‘Do you do all the embalming and stuff?’ I looked at Mum wondering how she could let him touch her with hands that spent all day touching cold, clammy dead flesh.

      ‘Actually no,’ Douglas said, shifting in his seat. ‘I look after the business side of things – the finances – it’s my brother Cameron who deals with the deceased and my niece Kirsty oversees all the arrangements. It works well for us.’

      I wasn’t convinced.

      ‘So you’re an accountant for a funeral home,’ I pointed out, a bit too abruptly

      Jamie nudged me.

      ‘You’re being very rude,’ he hissed. ‘Be nice.’

      But I couldn’t. I knew I was being horrible but somehow I couldn’t help myself. Mum was mine. Unless you counted Suky – who was kind of mine too – I’d never shared Mum with anyone. Not my dad, who was lovely but had lived miles away my whole life, and not any siblings. It had just been me and her forever. And now she’d brought this man, this undertaker, into our relationship – just in time for my wedding? It was terrible.

      I sat in silence, unable to think of anything to say, while Douglas charmed Harry and Lou, chatted with Jamie about rugby and made Suky and Mum laugh. He tried to ask me about the wedding but my monosyllabic answers soon put him off.

      I stared out of the window at the snow, which was falling fast and watched a car crawl slowly up the hill towards our house, its lights bouncing off the snowflakes. It stopped outside our house.

      ‘Someone’s coming,’ I said. ‘Are we expecting anyone else?’

      I looked at Mum.

      ‘No more men you’ve invited?’

      ‘Stop it,’ said Jamie under his breath. ‘Just stop it.’

      Harry stood up and looked out the window.

      ‘It’s a woman and a wee boy,’ she said. ‘Must be going next door. That snow’s terrible – you might not get back down the hill tonight, Doug.’

      She winked at Douglas and I flinched, determined not to rise to her teasing.

      Then the doorbell rang. I looked at Mum who shrugged.

      ‘God, that poor woman must have come to the wrong house. In this weather,’ I said. ‘I’ll go and see.’

      I opened the front door. A woman stood there, wrapped in a beautiful coat, with a small sleepy boy in her arms.

      ‘Hi,’ she said. ‘I’m looking for Jamie Brodie. Is he here?’

       Chapter 2

      ‘Jamie Brodie,’ I repeated, stupidly. ‘Yes he’s here.’

      The woman looked relieved.

      ‘Oh thank god,’ she said, and for the first time I noticed she had an American accent. ‘I’m beat, and so is Parker,’ she tilted her head towards the little boy, whose head lolled on her shoulder. ‘And it’s freezing.’

      I suddenly realised the snow was whirling round us, and piling up on the doorstep.

      ‘Come in,’ I said. I wondered if she needed a doctor. ‘Jamie’s in the living room. Are you ill? Is it your little boy?’

      ‘Oh he’s just tired,’ she said, following me into the lounge. ‘It’s been a long day.’

      Everyone looked up as we came in.

      ‘Jamie,’ I said. ‘You’ve got a visitor.’

      Jamie stood up, his face pale.

      ‘Tansy,’ he said. ‘God, Tansy. What are you doing here?’

      The woman gave him a half-smile.

      ‘Hi,’ she said. She took a step towards him, awkwardly, her little boy’s feet banging against her knees.

      ‘Oh here,’ Mum stood up. ‘Put your wee one down – he’s dead on his feet.’

      The woman laid the little boy carefully on the couch, stroking his hair lovingly, then turned to Jamie again.

      ‘Hello,’ she said again.

      Jamie went towards her and they kissed on the cheek, uncomfortably.

      ‘Esme,’ he said. ‘This is Tansy.’

      ‘Tansy,’ I gasped, as I realised why the name rang a bell. ‘Your ex-fiancée?’

      Jamie swallowed.

      ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Tansy, this is Esme.’

      ‘His current fiancée,’ I said, frostily. I held out my hand for her to shake. She ignored it and instead pulled me into a hug. I went limp in her embrace. My perfect evening was turning into a bloody nightmare.

      ‘Shit,’ she said. ‘This is quite a welcoming committee.’

      She looked round at my family and they all stared back at her.

      ‘We’re getting married on Saturday,’ I blurted out. ‘That’s why everyone’s here.’

      ‘Shit,’ Tansy said again. ‘Oh shit. I knew it was soon but… this Saturday?’

      Mum sprang into action.

      ‘Take your coat off,’ she said. ‘Sit down – you must be exhausted. Can I get you a drink?’

      Tansy shrugged her gorgeous coat off and ran her fingers through her hair, which was damp from the snow. She smiled at Mum, but I got the impression she was actually close to bursting into tears.

      ‘I could really use a glass of wine,’ she said. ‘If there’s one going?’

      ‘Of course,’ Mum said. She turned away slightly and I watched as a glass of wine appeared in her hand. She handed it to Tansy, who took it without questioning how quickly it had arrived.

      She took a gulp, then another.

      Mum, Jamie and I were still standing up. Everyone else – Suky, Harry, Louise and Douglas, were all sitting down and we were all staring at Tansy in expectation. She realised we were all waiting for her to explain her presence and gave Jamie a weak smile.

      ‘Jamie,’ she said. ‘I am so sorry to just arrive like this.’ She rubbed her eyes and I realised how exhausted she looked. In spite of who she was, I felt sorry for her.

      ‘We’ve СКАЧАТЬ