I squeeze her arm. ‘I know.’
‘Well done, Alice,’ Bobby adds. He’s wearing a suit, his grey hair brushed neatly. ‘He was a selfless sort. Glad we could play a small part in giving him something back.’
‘Thank you.’ I look across the room. ‘Who’s that?’ I ask Kate, nodding towards the woman with the blonde bob.
‘Oh! Well, back in the day, Mike did a painting on her bedroom wall. A sky wall, she called it, complete with Cheer Bear.’
‘Cheer Bear?’
‘One of the Care Bears.’ She laughs. ‘Wonder how he’d feel if we had that up next to all his gritty stuff.’
I think of Michael, how he even made a child’s bedroom somehow magical. How cruel it was that he was taken away from them all.
My eyes scan the room. ‘Is Carl here?’ I ask, just before I spot him pulling at the neck of his shirt, looking uncomfortable without a stretch of mahogany between him and Josie.
‘Right good turn out,’ he says, joining us, offering Spence a hand. Spence reaches forward, my hand cold at the loss of him, before he slides it back into my palm.
Georgia checks over her shoulder, her arm linked with Ruby’s. Heather is beside them as they walk around the room. They pause every now and then, before falling into a fit of giggles. Josie joins them, her red hair piled on top of her head. She leans in, saying something into Georgia’s ears that has her laughing even harder.
‘Jesus.’ Kate’s voice brings my attention back. Her eyes fixed on the door. She reaches for a glass of wine and drains half of it. My throat catches as Alice Winters walks into the room. She’s breathtaking, slightly overdressed, but somehow owning the space around her. ‘Still got legs up to her armpits…’ Kate mumbles.
‘Alice, it’s so lovely of you to come,’ I say genuinely.
‘Wow…’ Her voice trails off as she looks around the room. ‘He really was an artist, wasn’t he?’
Kate drains the rest of her glass. ‘Aye.’
‘Alice, can I introduce Kate?’
‘Kate! It’s so wonderful to meet you, I’ve heard and read—’ she smiles at me ‘—so much about you.’
Alice reaches into her handbag. My heart pounds as I take in the piece of ripped paper she unfolds in her hands, passing it to me. ‘It was in an old box I found in storage.’
My eyes fill as I look at the drawing in blue. The image is faded, the creases whitening the once strong lines of Alice’s face.The corner is ripped away. My thumb brushes over the bumps and dips.
‘I’m sorry I’ve only just found it. It should be on the wall…’ She trails off, looking around her.
‘Thank you. I’ll…’ I swallow, smiling through the tears. ‘I’ll make sure it gets seen.’
‘Ah, here she is…’ Carl says interrupting the moment. He makes his way to the door where an elderly woman in a wheelchair is being brought into the room. He bends down, saying something softly and bringing her over.
‘Mam, this is Alice, the woman who found Mike’s letters.’
Her eyes are cornflower blue, watery as she looks up at the photo of Mike by the door.
‘My boy…’ she says, looking up.
‘Mam?’ Carl prompts.
‘Sorry. Yes, Alice?’ She looks up at Kate. ‘He was right obsessed with you. Always drawing your face…’
‘Hi, Mrs Jones, it’s Kate.’
‘Kate.’ She repeats, but her eyes are cast back over the room. ‘Is Mike here?’
My throat tightens as Carl interrupts. ‘In a way… Come on, take a look at these.’
Carl glances over his shoulder with a sad smile.
