Debra had caught her reflection earlier in the glass of a shopfront and barely recognised herself. Not because shelookeddifferent exactly, but because she carried herself differently when she wore it. The cut was perfect, and she felt as though she belonged in it. She didn’t shrink in it, and she didn’t soften herself to be palatable. No, these days, she took up space without apology.
Billie had done that. Billie was responsible for all the ways she was feeling lately.
“You look very smug.” Billie nudged her lightly with her shoulder.
“Mmhmm.” Debra smiled. “I feel smug.”
“You should. That suit was a labour of love.”
Debra glanced at her, her heart giving that well-known, inconvenient lurch. Billie was dressed as she always was in her dark suit, dark coat, and her hands tucked into her pockets, but she still moved like someone who knew exactly who she was. There was a different kind of confidence there now that hadn’t existed six months ago. It wasn’t defensive; it was simply who she was.
Billie’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, her brow creasing before she laughed.
“What?” Debra asked.
“Caleb.” Billie laughed again. “He’s just asked if I’ll make him a suit.”
Debra stopped walking. “H-he what?”
Billie turned the screen towards her.
Hey Billie. Random question. Would you ever make a suit for someone who spills coffee on themselves and owns one tie?
Debra stared at it, her eyes wide. “I can’t believe this.”
“I can. He’s been pretty vocal lately, don’t you think?”
Billie was right. Caleb was turning into an entirely different person. Debra had spoken with her ex-husband, asking whether he’d noticed it too, but Gerald claimed that Caleb was no different. That only left one explanation. Billie Brown had that effect on her son.
She watched with a deep sense of love sitting firmly in her chest as Billie responded to Caleb immediately. That love only strengthened when Billie showed Debra her response.
I can make space in my schedule the next time you’re back from uni. No coffee near the fabric, though. That’s non-negotiable.
Billie slipped her phone away and smiled to herself. “Done. I’ll sort him out. He knows that.”
“You know,” Debra said as they started walking again. “A few months ago, I would have panicked at that.”
“At Caleb asking me for a suit?”
“At…any of it.Allof it,” Debra admitted. “My kids. You.This.” She gestured between them, at the river, the city, this life unfolding without a script. “The last three weeks have felt like I’m living in the twilight zone. Charlotte calls and asks about you, Caleb is asking you to make him a suit, and me? Well, I’m just incredibly happy to have you in my life.”
“And your bed, right?”
Debra swatted at Billie’s arm, her cheeks heating. “Mind out of the gutter!”
“Fine.” Billie rolled her eyes playfully. “Idounderstand what you’re saying. I didn’t expect the kids to take to me so quickly either, but I’m not thinking about it. We get along, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
Debra looped an arm through Billie’s and pressed her temple to Billie’s shoulder. “I just don’t know what comes next. Everyone else seems to have it all worked out, but I’m just here…waking up each day with no idea what to do with myself.”
Billie slowed and pressed a kiss to the top of Debra’s head. “You don’thaveto know what comes next. You’ve spent years doing what you were supposed to do and what was expected of you, so maybe this part is about figuring out whatyouwant.”
Debra lifted her head and gazed back at Billie. “And if I don’t land on anything dramatic or impressive?”
“I’ll still love you the same.”
Debra wasn’t worried about matching Billie financially, she was far more than comfortable, but she did want to dosomethingwith her life. If only she could figure out what.
They reached the rail overlooking the Thames and stopped, the noise of the city blurring into something distant and unimportant. The water moved steadily below them as Debra turned to Billie, her hands coming to rest at Debra’s waist.
