‘Did you get hold of your grannie?’
I nod to all the questions, not knowing what to say. Bailey goes along with the general assumption that the weather is the reason we’re back.
‘The weather got worse farther north, so we decided to turn around. Better to be safe than sorry. And now Holly gets to spend Christmas with us, which I’m glad about,’ he says meaningfully. His serious tone makes me want to laugh. It almost sounds like he means it.
I notice Kirk’s eyes on us, so I slide my hand into Bailey’s like I suppose a real girlfriend would. He looks down in surprise but doesn’t flinch. He laces his fingers through mine, and my stomach hops.
‘I bet you are,’ says Jennifer, smiling fondly at us holding hands. Her eyes have that glazed look, as if she’s picturing me walking down the aisle in white tulle.
‘Me too. Now you can help us with the treeeee!’ Susie exclaims in a sing-song voice, and everyone laughs.
‘Well, we’d better take Holly’s bag back up to my room again,’ Bailey announces.
‘Yes, then come down and have some lunch,’ says Jennifer. ‘You must be starving. Allan’s made a big pot of leek and potato soup, and there’s some crusty bread to go with it.’
My stomach growls in anticipation. I’m so hungry I could eat the whole pot myself. Whatever happens with Bailey, I am so glad to be back in this house, where there’s food, warmth, and fun.
Crumpet is scooped up by Sarah, who seems to have taken a real shine to him. ‘You can leave this one here,’ she says, and I nod. He seems happy enough with her.
In his room, Bailey dumps my wheelie. ‘Well, that went smoothly,’ he says. ‘We didn’t actually even have to lie.’
‘Your brother Kirk is onto us. He keeps watching me, like he doesn’t believe we’re together,’ I reply sceptically.
‘Well, we’ll just have to be better actors.’
‘What does that entail?’
He shrugs. ‘Och, I dunno ... more cuddly? There’s usually some mistletoe around. Maybe we can stand under that?’
My cheeks heat, and my heart thumps. ‘I’m not going to kiss you in front of everyone!’ I splutter.
Bailey looks amused. ‘Calm down. I was only joking.’
‘Oh.’ So this is all just a big laugh to him ...?
‘Though it might look weird if we aren’t more touchy-feely,’ he muses. ‘It is supposed to be a new relationship after all, and that’s usually the period when people can’t keep their hands off each other.’
I swallow hard ... Or maybe not?
The gong sounds from the bowels of the house.
‘Time for lunch,’ says Bailey. He sees my anxious expression and smirks. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll try not to grope you in public.’
‘Grope me, and you die!’ I growl, and I hear him chuckling to himself behind me all the way down the stairs.
Lunch is in the dining room, a simple set-up of a large double-handled cast-iron pot with a dipping ladle, myriad mismatched bowls, and a sliced baguette on a breadboard along with curls of butter. It reminds me of being back in the children’s home, where I lived before I was fostered out. But there it was a case of too many hungry mouths and never any second helpings.
The adults sit around the table while the kids are banished to the lounge, where there’s a plastic tablecloth put on the floor for them. Hazel, Sarah, and Mirabelle volunteer to keep watch so there are no fights or spillages.
‘We love them dearly, but it’s nice to have some adult time too,’ says Jennifer with a sigh of relief.
As well as her and Allan at the table, there are Simon and Kate, and ... the black sheep, aka Kirk. Mid-thirties, dark-haired, lean, and intellectual, he’s not as outgoing as the other McAdams siblings. He seems to prefer hanging around in the background or observing from over the top of his phone. Bailey gave me a brief rundown of his brother’s relationship status on the drive back since I was curious (and wary about what his deal is). Apparently, he’s a single dad who looks after 10-year-old Amy and 12-year-old Michael. Their mother, Liana, decided that she wanted to be a bigger fish in a bigger pond and took off to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. Kirk was lumped with childcare when the kids were 6 and 4. But according to Bailey, he never complained about it and is a good dad to them.
‘What about Liana? Does she stay in touch?’
‘Occasionally. Last we heard, she’d made some actor friends and was doing the audition rounds. Who knows, we might see her pop up in a movie one day.’
‘Wow,’ I say, not offering any opinion on the matter. To be honest, my own experience with my biological mother isn’t dissimilar. Maybe Kirk and I have more in common than I first thought. But the shrewd look in his eyes always puts me on guard. My spidey senses tell me to be careful around him. I’m proven right to be cautious when, before I’ve barely taken a sip of leek and potato soup, the Kirk interrogation begins.
