I glance at her bracelet, which is still on show. I remember Alice talking about signs. ‘We should wait. Your bracelet is a sign.’
I climb into Nigella and watch my aunt through the rearview mirror. She’s staring up at Hilary’s house, and her cheeks are damp. The sight makes my heart ache. Silently I urge her to be patient.
‘Let’s go back to Tide-Leigh,’ she says. ‘Maybe I’ll contact her when I’m better.’
Oliver’s face flashes up inside my mind. ‘We need to give love a chance.’
45
His voice echoes inside my head.Give love a chance.
I glance in the rearview mirror at my aunt. She’s dabbing her eyes. I need to believe. Hilary – where are you? We need you. I need you and my dear Aunt Polly needs you.
A screech of wheels makes me look up. A white Golf races into the street and pulls up in the space opposite me. I stare at the driver taking off their dark shades.
‘Hilary.’
My aunt lets out a shocked yelp.
Hilary is staring at me through her windscreen.
Relief floods through me. I open the car door as she clambers out. ‘Nelly?’
Hilary still has her signature brown bobbed hair, and even though there are a few more laughter lines on her face, she looks the same as she did ten years ago.
I turn to the back of the car. ‘I have someone who wants to see you.’
Hilary lets out a gasp as Aunt Polly gets out. They both rush past me and towards each other. The sight of both hugging and crying on the pavement makes me emotional. The images of them both go blurry.
I wipe away tears as I can hear my aunt sobbing and Hilary saying how sorry she is for walking away and that she loves her so much.
To see their happy, emotional faces makes that wonderful warm feeling reappear and engulf my body.
Once we have calmed down, Hilary takes Aunt Polly’s hand and leads us inside.
Hilary’s hallway is adorned with photos of her and my aunt. For a few moments, I stare at the pictures from their holidays, their shopping trips to London, and their road trip. It’s as if I am back in Tide-Leigh, standing in my aunt’s hallway. Hilary smiles and points at the wall. ‘I couldn’t forget about you, Polly.’
My aunt rests her head on Hilary’s arm. ‘Nelly always asked me why your photos were up on my walls. I couldn’t forget about you either.’
We’re sitting in Hilary’s living room. I’m in an armchair while my aunt and Hilary are on the sofa, holding hands and gazing at each other. I hadn’t factored feeling like a third wheel into my plan.
When we first came in, Hilary made us all a cup of tea and some sandwiches, which mainly I polished off as I was starving. There were a lot of hushed whispers in the kitchen as Aunt Polly went to see if Hilary wanted any help. It took a while for my cup of tea to arrive, but I didn’t mind. I sensed they had a lot of catching up to do.
‘Thank you, Nelly,’ says Hilary. ‘I know I’ve said this a hundred times since you arrived, but I was starting to lose hope.’
Aunt Polly leans her head against Hilary’s shoulder. ‘I was going to wait until my hair grew back.’
Hilary laughs. ‘Polly, the rate your hair grows at, I would have been in my nursing home and getting ready to see the pearly gates by the time you would have called.’
Aunt Polly chuckles. ‘Nelly got bossy with me.’
Hilary smiles. ‘I’m glad she did, Polly.’
I survey the sitting room, the cream fabric sofa and chairs, the photos of all Hilary’s girls, and the ornaments on her pine dresser. On the wall beside me is a constellation of pictures of my aunt and Hilary. Like my aunt’s photo collection, Hilary has visually documented their holidays together, shopping trips, and there are even a few from when they were teenagers. When we came in earlier, Hilary pointed out the photos and said, ‘That’s my Polly wall.’ It made my aunt get tearful.
‘This is a nice house, Hilary.’ I admire the French windows at the far end of the room which lead out onto a patio garden filled with pots of colourful shrubs.
She nods. ‘It’s rented.’
