Jamie regarded his sister warmly. For all her nosiness, Cara was surprisingly insightful when it came to humanbehaviour. He guessed that was what made her such a good actress.
‘Well, I’ll wear this hat and look a bit more upbeat, shall I?’
‘Yes, and have another glass of red and tell your sister all about it.’ Cara topped up Jamie’s wine glass with a rich red merlot. The dinner table wasn’t the place, but he should talk to someone. Cara was a good listener, and she did know when to exercise discretion. Becoming more of a household name was teaching her that. But this was Christmas Day. Talking about his woes would only remind him of them.
‘Maybe later, Car. Now’s not the time.’
‘Well, in the meantime, I have some news for you.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘It’s about Katie.’
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it.’ Jamie jumped up, taking the opportunity to avoid the gossip. Whatever it was, he could bypass it. He made his way to the front door, wondering who could be visiting them on Christmas Day. The Butlers were well-known in Kinshore, but they rarely had unexpected guests on December 25th. Jamie opened the door, thinking how amazing it would be if Alicia were to appear
But it was Katie, wrapped in a winter coat, scarf and hat. On her feet were fur lined boots, but she was shivering and pale. And visibly pregnant.
‘Katie? What’s going on? Are you okay?’
Katie, mouth clamped shut, shook her head, before her voice as wobbly as the trifle Amanda Butler had prepared earlier burst out. ‘I’m… Not really. I’ve left Frank.’
‘You’ve what? Why?’ This had to be good news for Katie, and news which, one month ago, Jamie would have welcomed for himself. But now, it left him merely confused.And why was Katie coming here to tell him – on Christmas Day?
‘Something flipped in me this morning when he was trying to get me to not spend Christmas with my family.’ Katie choked up. ‘Could I come in for a moment? It’s freezing out here.’
‘Of course. Sorry.’ Jamie ushered Katie into the hall.
‘Nice hat,’ she said, and he realised he was still wearing the paper crown from Cara’s cracker. He yanked it from his head. ‘Not really my colour.’
‘On the contrary. I always thought red suited you.’
Jamie stalled. Why did it feel like Katie was flirting with him? Or at the very least, giving him a compliment in a way she hadn’t done in years. It made him uneasy.
‘So, what’s the story?’ He didn’t want to bring Katie any further into the house than necessary. Of course, he cared that she was okay and wouldn’t leave a pregnant woman out in the cold, but spending Christmas with the ex who cheated on him was not preferable to spending it with his own family.
‘He’s a piece of work,’ Katie blurted out.
‘No shit!’ Jamie hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but surely he was allowed a little bit of ‘I told you so’.
‘I know, I know. Everybody knows.’ Katie started to cry, and Jamie flailed around for a tissue. He shoved the paper crown in his pocket before he was tempted to offer it as the next best thing. ‘I’m scared, Jamie,’ Katie continued. ‘I’m scared about the future. I can’t afford to rent the new place on my own and there are people moving into the cottage in January. What am I meant to do? I don’t want to be homeless and pregnant, and Frank said I could forget about maintenance.’
A light flicked on in Jamie’s brain.Oh, so this is about the cottage. Of course it is.This could be his chance to get his own back. To tell Katie there was nothing he could do about it now. But revenge wasn’t the fuel that drove Jamie. It never had been and never would be.
‘Look, Katie,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry about the cottage. Just change the locks and stay there, for now.’
‘But it’s your cottage, Jamie. I mean… After everything.’
Jamie sighed. ‘It’s fine. If you’ve seen the light, then that’s enough for me. There’s a baby on the way, so concentrate on that. We can sort out long-term plans in the new year. Go and be with your family today.’
‘Really?’ Katie’s whole body softened. ‘Oh, Jamie, you’ve no idea how much of a relief that is to me. Thank you.’ Her face lost its deathly pallor and a weight lifted off Jamie. No matter what had passed, he had known Katie a long time, cared about her and didn’t want her to be upset, especially not as she was pregnant. And now facing motherhood alone.
‘You just worry about you and the baby.’ He reminded her again.
Katie nodded and glowed with gratitude through her tears, which were now tears of joy. As much as was possible in her situation. ‘I’ll leave you to get on with your Christmas Day,’ she said. ‘And I truly am sorry, J. I’m sorry about how much rubbish I let him talk about you. And about that evening at the bookshop.’
‘It’s okay. I’ll never understand what you saw in him but it’s not your place to apologise for his amateur dramatics at the bookshop.’
