Page 126 of A Merry Little Lie
“Enough!” Martin lifted his hands. “Is nothing private around here? I do have another gift for your mother, so maybe this is a good time to give it.” He handed her an envelope and they all waited while she opened it.
“I hope you’re not giving her money,” Rosie said, “because buying your own gift is seriously overrated. Why are you laughing, Jamie?”
“I’m not laughing. I’m just grateful not to be Declan. The thought of having to choose exactly the right gift for you for the next fifty years would put me in therapy.”
“That’s because you’re not as clever as Declan.”
“I always think there’s no point in worrying,” Phyllis said. “If something is going to happen it will happen.”
Ignoring them all, Jenny pulled out a small, stylish brochure. “What’s this?”
“It’s where we’re going for three nights in January. You always say the house feels empty after Christmas when everyone has left, so we’re going away. You won’t be in an empty house. Someone else will put food in front of you, which will be a nice change after all the cooking and entertaining.”
“That’s a good idea,” Jamie said. “Nice.”
“I take it all back, Dad,” Rosie said. “That’s a great gift.”
It was a great gift, because she knew that what he was really giving her was a sign that he was moving forward. That they were moving forward together. That they’d handle this change the way they handled everything else that came their way, by adjusting, however long that took. And her children would come and go and maybe have children of their own or maybe not, but whatever shape her family took, she knew she was lucky to have them.
But that was the future, and for now she intended to stay in the present and enjoy this one day when everyone was together and, for a moment at least, everything was perfect.
She gazed at the Christmas tree and then heard her father clear his throat.
“I don’t want to worry anyone,” he said, “but is everything fine in the kitchen? I think I can smell burning.”
Chapter29
Hayley
Jamie? Are you awake?” Hayley lay in the semidarkness, staring up at the ceiling. She’d insisted that they leave the Christmas tree lights on tonight, because she didn’t want Christmas to end.
Had it been perfect? Technically, no. Between them they’d forgotten to put the potatoes in the oven so lunch had been late, and Jamie’s grandfather had said that given the number of people in the house he didn’t see how at least one of them couldn’t have got the timing right. Percy had trodden on Rosie’s new boots and left a pawprint on the suede, which Declan spent an hour trying to remove, and Jamie accidently knocked Becky’s phone on the floor and broke the screen.
But they’d also laughed, swapped gifts, played games, shared anecdotes, eaten too much food, walked on the beach, had a snowball fight and then eaten more food. They’d been a family.
And that part really had been perfect.
“I’m awake.” Sleepy, he shifted onto his side so that he could look at her. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” She paused. She’d been wondering how andwhen to tell him her news. “Do you think your Granny enjoyed her Christmas?”
“Yes. And I hope she didn’t upset you with all her less-than-subtle mentions of babies. You just have to ignore her. That’s what we do. No one expects you to get pregnant, Hayley.”
“Right.” She looked at the lights twinkling on the Christmas tree and smiled. “About that...”
* * * * *
