Page 78

‘Oh, no. It’s not awful at all. It’s nice. Kind of an extra Christmas present.’

Eyeing Katie with trepidation, Wanda sat in the armchair next to her. ‘Go on then. What is it?’

‘I’ve, erm, called Erin. She’s picking you up tomorrow morning from the jetty to go wild swimming.’

Wanda squealed. ‘What? No. You haven’t.’ Wanda covered her face with her hands. ‘I – I can’t. I don’t even have a swimsuit.’

‘I can solve that,’ Katie said and took a gift-wrapped parcel from her tote bag. ‘I was going to give you this on Christmas Day but I didn’t want to put you under pressure.’

Wanda took the parcel.

Katie chuckled. ‘It won’t bite.’

Wanda sat down at the table and slid her finger under the tape, opening it with surgical care. ‘It’s such lovely paper. I don’t want to damage it. Maybe I can reuse it.’

Katie didn’t say anything, holding her breath metaphorically in case her aunt was offended.

Wanda extracted the swimsuit from the tissue and stared at it as if it were a winning lottery ticket. ‘Oh. Oh, my. This is beautiful. But the brand! It must have cost a fortune. I couldn’t.’

The swimsuit seemed such a small thing to Katie in her fortunate world yet it had reduced her aunt to tears. ‘If you don’t like it, I can return it. Erin owns the shop and she won’t mind. And also she’s bringing a tri suit for you so you can be warmer.’

‘I – Oh, Katie. I want to do this so much but my stomach is in knots. I’m not afraid of swimming or even of the cold but – the leap into the unknown. Taking off my clothes with strangers, making a fool of myself. I might scream or run out again.’

‘Well, I’d definitely scream if I had to go in the lake. You are way way braver than me. Please, take the swimsuit, meet up with Erin – she said that even if all you do is dip your toe in, then that’s fine. It’s all fine. Baby steps. Please give it a try.’

Wanda hugged the swimsuit like a precious child. ‘I – I think I might try. I will meet them even for a toe-dip.’ Tears sprang to Wanda’s eyes. ‘Let me hug you.’

Katie embraced her, flooded with relief and happiness. This aspect of her Christmas, at least, had gone well.

‘I owe you so much, Auntie Wanda,’ she said.

Wanda leaned back. ‘You don’t owe me a thing. Or anyone. And I know that you invited me hoping to help me take these “baby steps” forward, as you call them. But, Katie, love, isn’t it time you started taking some steps of your own? And I’m afraid that some of them might need to be big leaps.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

‘I hope you don’t mind me saying this but I think we all need to get out and about on our own today,’ Athene said the following morning. ‘I detect a touch of cabin fever setting in.’

After the turmoil of emotions of the previous day, Katie agreed, but she also knew that Athene rarely made statements like that without an intent behind them. ‘Good thinking. Did you have somewhere in mind?’

‘Well, don’t laugh but Greg asked me if I wanted to see his farm.’

Katie burst out laughing.

Athene groaned. ‘I said don’t laugh.’

‘I’m sorry but it’s the idea of you on a sheep farm. Or any farm.’

Athene raised her eyebrows. ‘I went out with a farmer once. Not that he ever did any actual farming. He left that to his squillions of staff on his zillion acres of Dorset. Anyway, Greg and I were chatting yesterday …’

‘I noticed,’ Katie said, rearranging her face into mock solemnity.

‘And it turns out he’s writing some kind of memoir about the healing power of sheep.’

‘You are joking!’

‘No.’

‘I thought you’re always telling me the market’s saturated with countryside memoirs.’