And though I never held you, I’m your mummy for all time.
This was the poem her mum had given to her the last time she’d seen her. She read it again, and there was no stopping the tears that fell from her eyes, thick and fast. Shit. This sort of thing always got her.
But then her blood chilled at a realisation.
Sniffing and rubbing her face urgently, Cherry flipped the photo over.
The first thing that hit her again was how much her mum was glowing – like in no other photos, except maybe the ones when Cherry was born. She had always thought Pam’s sadness in later pictures was because of the loss of her husband. But the maths didn’t compute. Her mum had been sad long before then.
I always wanted a big family. Some siblings for Cherry.That was what she’d said.
And slowly but surely, realisation dawned on Cherry.
This photo with the poem on the back wasn’t an accident. Her mum had put it there very much on purpose. To communicate the facts she couldn’t bring herself to say face to face.
The facts that hit Cherry like a juggernaut slamming into her whole body.
‘I know what you went through because I went through it myself.’
Chapter 28
Cherry
There was a tangible festival-like energy in the village because of the impending poker tournament – a lightness about the villagers. Even the girl serving in the coffee shop seemed overly excited about taking their order. Then again, that could be related to Cherry’s coffee buddy.
Scottish movie star and her ex-boyfriend, Campbell Duff, sat across the table in the pointless disguise of a baseball cap and sunglasses. Given that nobody in a small Scottish village dressed in such a way, especially indoors, all it did was draw attention.
‘You’d have been less conspicuous if you’d worn a tartan bunnet and a pair of plus fours.’ Cherry noted at least five people staring. ‘Given the impression of being an ancient golfer instead of a movie star.’
‘The stookie would spoil the ruse.’ Campbell indicated the fibreglass cast on his leg – a result of breaking his ankle on set. ‘I won’t be on the golf course for a while now. Luckily, we’d wrapped most of the filming.’
‘That does suck; I’m sorry, Cam. But you’ll make it tomorrow, right?’
‘I wouldn’t miss Scotland’s first-ever celebrity pro-am poker tourney. Good on you for organising it.’
‘Ah, it was my husband’s idea. He wants to raise money for MND charity. His father recently passed away from the disease.’
‘That’s noble, Cherry.’ Campbell fiddled with a sachet of sweetener. ‘I was surprised to hear you’d got married so quickly. You were always one to calculate odds and take your time over things.’
‘In poker, yes, but not in everything. I believe I told you to give acting in LA a chance. And I calculated the odds very fast when I met Sean.’
‘So, he’s the one then? It’s not a shotgun wedding?’
‘Um, yes, he is. And no, it isn’t.’ Why was Campbell questioning her marriage? The rebuttal was easy to give, but it was none of his business.
‘Ah, good.’ Campbell thanked the waitress as the coffees were placed on the table. ‘Since you guys are apparently solid, I have a proposal for you.’ He sipped his flat white and leaned forward conspiratorially. ‘How would you like to come to dinner with me at the Balmoral in exchange for £150k to the MND charity?’
Fuck! Who needed coffee when you had a shot like that to the heart?
‘Are you serious?’ Cherry wished he’d take his stupid sunglasses off so she could see his eyes. ‘£150k?’
‘Aye, serious as a broken ankle. Jamie and Alicia were talking about Jamie’s dad and the impact of the illness. It sounds horrendous, and I want to do something to help.’
This was incredibly kind of Campbell, but something about it didn’t sit right. It was a bit seedy.
‘So why not just make a donation?’
‘That’s a good point.’ He ran his finger round the rim of his cup. ‘I like to eat out, I know you’re fond of a spot of luxury, and it’s a chance to catch up with an old friend. Is that so wrong?’
