She gives me a knowing look. ‘Well, it did take him four years to propose, and he always had this air about him as if he had one foot half out the door.’
I put my teacup back down on the saucer and stare at her. ‘I was abroad more months of the year than I was at home while we were dating.That makes relationships … different. It takes longer to really get to know each other.’
Mum nods sagely. ‘I know … I know. And rushing in would have been worse. But you’ve always been such a romantic, Erin. I’m concerned that you see things the way you wish they were rather than how they really are sometimes, and I worried that because you wanted Simon to be Mr Perfect, that’s who he was to you.’
I’m dumbfounded. ‘I never knew you felt that way.’
She shrugs. ‘My mum always talked badly about your dad when we were together, and I hated that, so I promised myself I’d keep my nose out whenever you found who you wanted to be with.’
I suppose I should be grateful for that, but I still feel like I’m reeling. I don’t do well with adjusting to new information at the moment.
‘And nobody’s perfect, are they? There’s always going to be a learning curve in any relationship, adjustments to make.’ She reaches over and pats my hand. ‘Anyway, it’s a moot point about Simon now, isn’t it? Like you said, he’s been brilliant.’
I nod. He has. He’s stuck by my side like a loyal Labrador for the last two and a bit months.
Mum pushes her chair back and stands up. ‘Right. We ought to be getting back. I’ve got a Zoom meeting in fifteen minutes.’
Had she told me about this earlier? ‘A Zoom call? For work?’
She doesn’t look at me. ‘Sort of.’
‘Mum … What are you up to?’
For a second or two, I think she’s going to tell me she has no idea what I’m talking about, but then her face breaks into a huge grin. ‘It’s a surprise for you. You’re going to love it!’
My insides wilt. ‘Mum, I can tell you’re really excited about this … and I don’t want to be a party pooper or anything … but I’m not sure I’ve got the energy for surprises right now.’ Or mum’s talent for drama. She does love a big reveal. ‘Couldn’t you just, you know … tell me now? I promise I’ll still love it.’
She spends a few moments chewing the idea over and then sits down again. ‘Okay … If you’re sure?’
‘I’m sure.’
‘Well … I’m setting up a new charity.’
I smile because that’s what I’m expected to do. ‘A new charity?’ For the life of me, I can’t think why this is a) good news or b) has anything to do with me. How is she going to runtwocharities from her dining room office?
‘That’s what the Zoom is about. After the last couple of months, being in and out of the hospital with you, I’ve spotted gaps in the system, ways in which other people could really do with support.’
‘After the last couple of months?’ I echo. I know I should catch on quicker than I am, but I just can’t join the dots. ‘What sort of charity, Mum?’
‘For people like you and me,’ she says, looking slightly perplexed why this is not screamingly obvious. ‘Survivors of traumatic brain injuries and their families.’
It’s just as well she didn’t ask me to guess, because this would have been the three-millionth answer I would have come up with. ‘Um … I don’t know what to say.’
She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me briefly to her. ‘No need to thank me. It’s the very least I can do for my baby.’
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Five years ago
Hey, you …
Hey yourself.
She’s taking a break while the deck crew supervises their current guests using the water ‘toys’ – jet skis, wave runners, and various inflatables, including a giant nine-metre-tall slide that can catapult them into the ocean.
She knows they left their fledgling relationship status loose when she left, but since they discussed the party, they’ve been texting constantly, and she senses it’s deepened again, become something more. She’s almost certain he feels the same way, but she’s also scared that he doesn’t. Since they’ve been an item, he’s definitely blown hot and cold. She sends a second message, biting her lip as she presses send, hoping it’s not too much:
I wish I could come home for Christmas so I could see you.
