Sarah laughed.“It went pretty good, I must say.”
“Pretty good?That’s all?Now you’re holding out on me.”
“Won’t say too much yet,” Sarah teased.“I’m not jinxing a thing.You’ll get the full report if he rings me again.”
Cat laughed properly this time.“Look at you, out living a life while I’m here refereeing tween warfare.”
“Ah, stop.The universe needs balance, doesn’t it?You with your chaos, me with my pint and a smile.”
“Good for you, Sarah.You deserve it.”
“Go on with you,” Sarah replied fondly.“Now put your feet up and get some rest before you break.”
They said their goodbyes a few minutes later, and when Cat hung up, she felt lighter, the weight on her shoulders eased.Sarah hadn’t changed anything, but hearing her voice, and laughing with a friend, reminded Cat that she was all right.Everything here was… fine.And for now, fine was enough.
*
It had beena productive day for Rhys, and he returned to the cottage feeling good.He’d worked longer than he intended, but it had been so long since he’d been able to really focus and write and edit that he stayed with it until the light began to fade.
Entering the cottage everything looked picture perfect—the pillows perfectly plumped on the sitting room couch, the wool plaid blanket folded and draped precisely on the back.Everything wasn’t just spotless, but quiet.Maybe too quiet.
Rhys hung up his coat and stepped into the kitchen.Olivia sat at the table with a coloring book, her tongue between her teeth as she shaded the outline of a reindeer.Jillian was reading, posture stiff, attention fixed on her book.Cat stood at the sink, drying a mug.
“Did I see a snowman out there?”he asked, approaching the table.
The girls’ heads lifted, perfectly neutral smiles met him.And in the still, careful kitchen atmosphere he knew something had gone very wrong today.But what?
“Cat and I made it,” Olivia said as Rhys drew out a chair at the table and sat down.
Her glance darted toward Jillian before dropping back to her coloring.
“And you, Jilly, love, what did you do?”he asked casually, aware that Cat was polishing the same mug once again.
“Nothing fun,” Jillian answered, refusing to look up from her book.
“You didn’t want to help build the snowman?”he asked.
Jillian made a scoffing sound.“It’s already melting and falling apart.”
“Well, Olivia and I did have fun, and we would have loved for Jillian to play with us, but she wanted to do her own thing,” Cat said, setting the mug down.Cat looked at Jilly and lifted an eyebrow.“Tell your dad what you did do.”
Jillian opened her mouth and closed it without making a sound.
Olivia suddenly slammed her crayon down.“She went off again on her own and scared us half to death.Again.”Olivia’s voice rose with every word.“And I’m sick of it.I’m sick of her ruining everything with her bad mood.”
Rhys turned his attention to Jillian who still hadn’t bothered to look at him since he returned home.“Is this true, Jillian?”he asked, voice pitched low.
She said nothing but her silence more than communicated what she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, admit.
He sighed, frustrated and close to losing his temper.“I was going to take you all out for a nice meal in Bakewell, but seeing as Jillian can’t act appropriately, she’ll stay here with Catriona and I’ll just be taking Livy to dinner.”He turned to his youngest.“What do you think?Do you want to have dinner with Dad tonight?Just the two of us?”
“Yes!”Olivia didn’t even hesitate.She was out of her chair dancing around.“When do we go?I’m starving.”
“As soon as you’re ready.”
In the hall, Rhys drew Cat aside.“Are you okay with Jillian here with you?”he asked, voice low.
“Of course.”
