Page 23 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

Tara stopped walking and turned to face her mum. ‘I am happy. I’m tired and feeling a bit wobbly about the shop because I want it to work so badly. But apart from that, yes, I’m happy.’

Her mum’s green eyes scanned her face. Her mum knew her perhaps better than anyone else and Tara knew there was no hiding anything from her.

‘Every morning when I wake up, I can’t wait to get down to the shop and start a brand-new day,’ Tara said.

‘That’s music to my ears,’ her mum said with a smile. ‘It’s been a while since you talked about anything like that.’

Tara took a deep breath, and when she exhaled, it drifted away like smoke on the cold air.

‘Yes, well… Life has been a bit bumpy along the way.’

‘It has indeed, my sweet girl.’ Her mum touched her cheek. ‘I love you so much and just want you to be happy.’

‘Oh Mum, please don’t worry.’

They started walking again, naturally following the route that led to the boating lake.

‘When you ended things with Paul, I was worried. Not because I thought you’d made a mistake but because you’d seemed to have reached a point where you didn’t know what came next. You seemed lost, emotionally and in terms of your career, and while I wanted you to know I was there for you, I didn’t want you to feel under any pressure. You should always know that Dad and I have got your back but that we respect you as an adult in charge of your own life. Your decisions, good or bad, are yours to make.’

‘Thanks, Mum.’ Tara cleared her throat. ‘There wasn’t anything wrong with Paul. You know that, right?’

‘I know. He was a nice young man. He certainly seemed to think very highly of you.’

‘And I did of him.’ Tara rubbed her arms. ‘There were times when I thought that would have made it easier to be with him. I wasn’t madly in love with Paul and knew that he could never really hurt me because of that, but I also knew that if I stayed with him, it wouldn’t be fair on either of us. Our life would have been good. It would have been calm, peaceful and happy enough, I guess, but there was just⁠—’

‘Something missing?’ her mum asked.

‘Yes.’ Tara sighed. ‘And I wanted more. But there have been times when I’ve felt guilty about that.’

‘You must never feel guilty about wanting more from life, darling. It’s so short. We’re here for a brief time and there’s no point wasting a second being unhappy. Or less than happy. So never feel that you must justify wanting more from your life.’

‘It would be great to be like you and Dad and have the lightning bolt.’ Tara gestured at a table when they reached the clearing in the woods. ‘I’ll go and get us some drinks.’

‘Wait a moment,’ her mum said as she sat down, patting the table gently. ‘Let me tell you something before I lose my nerve.’

Concern gripped Tara’s chest. This sounded serious. She hoped her mum was OK and that she wasn’t ill or something.

She sat down slowly and gripped the edge of the bench to steady herself.

‘Don’t look so worried,’ her mum said with a small laugh. ‘It’s nothing bad, just something about me that I wanted to share.’

‘OK.’ Tara let go of the bench and folded her hands in her lap. Something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she turned to see a robin underneath a nearby table. It was picking up crumbs and dropping them again, clearly spoilt for choice.

‘I was with someone before I met your dad.’

‘Oh…’ Tara sat up a bit straighter, surprised by the news.

‘I’ve never told you this before because, well… you haven’t needed to know. And your dad doesn’t like to think about it, even now. He accepts that we both had lives before we got together. I know he had girlfriends, but even after all these years, I think he still feels insecure.’

‘But why?’ Tara asked.

‘The man I was with went on to make a lot of money in IT.’

‘But you’ve had a comfortable life together, right?’

‘It’s true, darling. But the man I was with… he’s a millionaire now. He lives in Los Angeles with his…’ She frowned. ‘Third or fourth wife. He has a mansion in the hills and a mansion in Italy. Your dad is a good man who wants to provide for us all and to be there for us all, and he’s also quite romantic. So, he has, from time to time, worried that I might have regrets.’

‘In what way?’