Keeping Sam (24 page)
Authors: Joanne Phillips
She rested her head against Patrick’s shoulder and allowed the feeling of contentment to flow through her body. How long had it been since she’d felt like this, free from guilt and pain and regret? Too long, she decided. There was no point hoping for any more miracles. Getting Sam back had been enough of a miracle. That things might improve with her mother would certainly be a miracle too far.
‘You look chilly,’ Patrick said. ‘I’ll get you another hot chocolate.’
‘It was coffee,’ Kate called after him, but he was already striding away up the beach. She pulled a face, and turned back towards the sea, tugging her coat more tightly around her. There, standing close enough to touch, was her mother.
‘Mum!’ Kate was so surprised she couldn’t speak for what felt like a full minute. Her mother didn’t seem to know what to say either. She shifted from foot to foot and folded her arms across her body, then dropped them to her side.
‘Kate.’
Barbara took a deep breath, and Kate noticed that her hands were trembling. ‘I’ve come to …’ She halted, took another steadying breath, then finally seemed to pull herself together. ‘Kate, I’m here so that I can …’ Her mouth clamped shut again and she looked away, but not before Kate had noticed tears swelling in her eyes.
‘It’s okay, Mum,’ said Kate wearily. ‘I understand. You want to see Sam enjoying the fireworks. We don’t have to stick to our days so rigidly. And you can talk to me when I come to pick him up, you know. You don’t have to be so formal about it.’
‘No, it’s not that.’ Barbara reached inside her handbag and pulled out a stick. It was gnarled with flaking bark, the kind Kate might have picked up from the ground in Patrick’s wood. ‘Of course I’d love to see Samuel,’ Barbara said, ‘but what I really came for was to give you this.’
Kate stared at the twig, puzzled. ‘You came here to give me that?’
Barbara nodded, her face twisted in embarrassment. ‘It seemed a good idea at the time.’ She tried to laugh, but her laughter faded into nothing. ‘It was supposed to be an olive branch.’
‘An olive branch?’ Kate looked again at the stick her mother clutched in her pale fingers. An olive branch. ‘So what is it, really?’
Her mother pulled a wry face. ‘It’s actually a piece of your father’s hedge.’
At the mention of her father Kate stiffened. But her mother only smiled sadly and held out her hand. ‘Will you take it?’ she said in a small voice. ‘I’ve been so stupid, Kate. I’m a stupid old lady, and I was proud and stubborn and afraid. I thought I would be lonely without Samuel.’ She corrected herself, keeping her watery eyes trained on Kate’s face. ‘I mean without Sam. And that was true. But the person I was missing all along was my own daughter, the daughter I’d let down so badly. And I’m so sorry. So very, very sorry.’
There were more words, but Kate didn’t hear them. She pulled her mother close, noticing how frail and brittle she felt, how small she seemed.
After a while, Barbara stepped out of Kate’s embrace and held her daughter at arm’s length.
‘You did nothing wrong, Kate,’ she said. ‘Your father and I, we didn’t give you the best start in life. All that happened to you, it was not your fault.’ She smiled then, the smile turning her into the woman whose love Kate had craved for so long.
‘Nana!’
Sam bowled into them, one chubby fist clutching a half-eaten hot dog, his face smeared with tomato ketchup.
‘Oh, my goodness,’ Kate exclaimed.
‘Someone’s having a good time,’ Barbara laughed.
‘There’s sparklers, Nana, come see. Come see!’
‘Do you mind?’
Kate smiled and shook her head. ‘Have fun,’ she told them. ‘Sam, take care of your nana. Make sure she doesn’t get lost.’
She turned around to find Patrick eyes upon her.
‘I got your coffee,’ he said softly.
‘Did you know she was coming tonight?’ Kate asked, still watching her son and her mother as they weaved their way down to the shore.
Patrick didn’t answer her at once. He moved to her side and pulled her against him. It was, she decided, one of her favourite places to be.
‘It’s like foresting,’ he said. ‘Sometimes, it’s a good idea to let nature take its course. But sometimes, you need to step in and lend a helping hand.’
Kate narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you always this wise?’
‘Oh, yes. And later, I’ll be expecting you to show me just how grateful you are.’
‘I might just do that,’ she said, waving at Sam, who was tipping wet sand all over her mother’s shoes. ‘But first we’ve got a fireworks display to watch.’
‘Oh, fireworks,’ Patrick said blithely. ‘Well, if it’s fireworks you’re after, you’ve certainly come to the right place.’
THE END
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About the author
Joanne Phillips lives in rural Shropshire with her husband and young daughter. She’s the author of contemporary women’s fiction
Can’t Live Without
,
The Family Trap, Keeping Sam
and
Cupid’s Way
, and the Flora Lively series of contemporary mysteries. Joanne has a Masters degree in creative writing and her books regularly appear on bestseller lists. Before becoming a writer, Joanne had jobs as diverse as hairdresser, air hostess and librarian, but now divides her time between writing and finding creative ways to avoid housework.
Books by Joanne Phillips
Flora Lively Investigates:
Acknowledgements
There are so many people who helped with the development and writing of this book, it’s hard to know where to start. First of all my thanks go, as always, to my husband, who is endlessly supportive and positive, even when writing takes me away from the family and makes me grouchy. To my beta readers, Pauline, Emma D, Emma H, Mandy, Poppy, and Rachel, thank you so much for your feedback and comments. A special thank you to the RNA reader who gave such a thorough and bracing edit - this book wouldn’t be what it is without your input! My thanks go to Kristy for her expert advice, and to the wonderful Internet for such a wealth of research resources. Information about the court system was correct at the time of writing and any errors are mine alone. Thanks as well to Jude White for her most excellent proofreading services. And finally, thank you to my readers for inspiring me to keep going and keep on writing!