‘They’re our friends, not yours. And they’re going to have a houseful anyway. You’ll get another chance to meet them before you go home. Besides, I have a feeling you could do with this.’
Her mother gave her the firm look she remembered from her teenage years, then exited with the tray before she could argue. Anna dithered for a second, but then caught a glance of the snowy garden and decided that maybe doing what she was told today wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
When her parents left the house for lunch with their friends, Anna snuggled down in the duvet and stared out the window, just letting her thoughts wander where they wanted to, until she needed to change position and turned to lie on her back, and then she pulled the duvet up over her head.
It was just as white and calm there as the snowy world outside,but it wasn’t like her duvet cocoon at home, she realized. Back there, she’d climbed into bed hoping she would cease to exist, but as she lay there – breathing, relaxing, simplybeing –she didn’t feel dead and numb. She felt alive.
She felt likeAnna.
When she finally had to leave the bed to head to the bathroom and grab a plate of leftovers for lunch, she decided that being alone and chilled out was good but having some company would be even better.
After checking the time, she worked out that it would be mid-afternoon back home. Her thoughts wandered to Brody. She picked up her phone and dialled his number, hoping fervently that he hadn’t been carted off to a buffet lunch with his parents’ friends as she almost had been, but, thankfully, he picked up.
‘Merry Christmas!’ Anna said brightly, not so much because she was overexcited about the festive season but because she was really pleased to hear his voice. Brody just grunted, which made Anna laugh.
‘How’s it going?’ she asked him. ‘Are you wearing the socks?’
That earned her another grunt. ‘I kind of had to put them on this morning…’ He paused and she stifled a laugh as she imagined him shaking his head in disgruntled disbelief. ‘This visit is about building bridges, after all, and it’s going okay, I suppose. A bit awkward, obviously, because I’ve kept them at arm’s length for so long. I can see they’re desperate to rush in, fill in the gap that’s been there all these years, but at the same time they’re wary, not wanting to push things.’
‘I’m sure you’ll find your way with each other.’
‘Yes. Yes, I think we will. Eventually…’
Anna smiled. ‘Even though I’m in a different house from the one that I grew up in – in a different country! – I still feel a bit like I’m regressing to my teenage self when I come to stay with my parents. Do you feel that way too?’
Brody laughed drily. ‘A little. I made the mistake of trying to start a conversation in the middle of the Queen’s speech and got a withering look from my father. I kind of liked it, because it was the one moment all day when I felt the years had melted away and we were just ourselves again.’
‘Better watch yourself,’ Anna said cheekily. ‘You don’t want your phone privileges taken away!’
‘No,’ Brody said with real warmth in his tone. ‘That wouldn’t do at all.’
She knew he was talking about this…them… and it made her heart feel as light as helium. ‘No, it really wouldn’t.’
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, and then Brody said, ‘I’m writing again.’
Anna nearly leaped out of bed in surprise. Instead she ended up on her knees, almost bouncing on the mattress. ‘Brody! That’s incredible! I’m so proud of you! What brought that on?’
He coughed. Anna could almost imagine him blushing. ‘I didn’t want to say anything at first, just in case it was a fluke, but that was a few weeks ago, and now I’ve started, I can hardly stop. It’s as if all the words that have been caught behind a dam for the last nine years are suddenly pouring forth at once.’
If Anna could have done a somersault right there on the mattress, she would have done. ‘What are you working on?’
‘Well, I don’t want to jinx it by saying too much at the moment,but you’ll be the first person to hear about it when I’m ready to share.’
Anna picked up a pillow and hugged it to herself. ‘Oh, Brody. I’m so pleased.’ She sighed. ‘I wish I could give you a big hug to say well done.’
There was a moment of silence. ‘Well, in five days, you can.’
Five days. She could hardly believe it. For so long, New Year’s Eve had seemed an eternity away, and now it was practically upon them.
‘You’re definitely going to be there?’ she said, feeling an unexpected swoop in her stomach, and another fluttery tickle, which she determinedly ignored. Brody had sometimes seemed a little tense when she’d mentioned their planned meeting.
‘I’m coming,’ he said firmly. ‘No matter what. I will be waiting for you up there, Anna. You can count on that.’
Chapter Fifty-Two
BRODY CLOSED THE hotel room door behind him and slumped against it. He’d made it. He was in London. A place that had once been his home, but now, compared to the craggy, misty moor he spent most of his time on, it seemed totally alien. He remained where he was, leaning against the door, overnight bag in hand, and took a moment to catch his breath.
Once he’d collected himself, he stood upright again and walked forwards, through a marble-tiled hallway with modern lines and high-end designer fittings. There were a couple of glass ornaments on a sleek console table that he didn’t even have a name for. Every object, every detail, oozed luxury.
