task.
Jess wrinkled her nose, and glowered at no one in particular, while Hannah gave her an apologetic smile. She would probably have said yes, but then she wasn’t Jess’s mother and that always made things different, didn’t it? She had often found herself wondering what kind of mother she’d be, but as the years clocked on and the right father never seemed to present himself, she was beginning to think she’d never find out. She wasn’t bitter about it, but faced the fact with a quiet acceptance and a vow to fill her life with other things instead.
Tom returned just as Gina was refilling George’s shot glass. She raised her eyes as Tom made his way to the table. ‘Did you find what you needed?’
‘I think so,’ Tom said. He now sported a pair of fashionably faded jeans and a navy brushed cotton shirt. He looked just as good in these as he had done in the green sweater of earlier, and the sight elicited such conflicting emotions in her that Hannah almost felt she couldn’t bear to look. Instead, she took a gulp of her brandy and winced as it hit the back of her throat.
‘I bet the dinner will be ruined now,’ Jess announced in an accusing voice, as if everyone in the room was to blame. ‘Mum made me turn everything off before we came outside to look for you so it’ll be cold mush.’
‘Oh, we can salvage it,’ Gina said brightly. ‘What do you think, Han? Are you up to eating just yet?’
Hannah couldn’t really say that she was. Up until the argument with George’s car, she had been ravenous, but not anymore. However, she didn’t want to completely ruin what was already hurtling towards a disaster of a Christmas, and she thought refusing dinner might just do that.
‘I could eat a little,’ she said.
Gina seemed satisfied by her answer. She turned to George. ‘How about you? We have tons to spare.’
George looked doubtful. ‘I don’t know… Trixie will be dancing by the back door if I don’t get home soon…’
‘His dog,’ Hannah said to help clarify the situation for Jess and Gina, who both looked confused. ‘She is a gorgeous little thing, isn’t she, your little Yorkie?’ Hannah added.
George suddenly seemed to fill with an aura of immense pride. ‘Oh, she is! Sharp as a tack too! Hilda, God rest her soul, picked her out from the litter and she said straight away she’d be the cleverest of the lot and she is… it was just before my Hilda passed on…’ Then his face dropped, and he seemed to deflate like someone had sucked all the life out of him. Hannahsensed the mood of the room shift, and as she tried to find something to say that would lighten things, Gina anticipated it and came to her rescue with perfect timing.
‘How far away is your house, George?’
The old man looked as though someone had just asked him the meaning of life. He scratched his whiskered chin as he screwed up his face in concentration. ‘About fifteen minutes on foot. Perhaps more in this weather.’
‘So if we eat now, you could be home in an hour or so. Why don’t you join us? I’m sure Trixie will be fine for a little while longer and then Jess and I can walk you home.’
George shook his head. ‘I can’t leave her. She’s been alone for hours as it is.’
‘I’ll take George home and you can all eat,’ Tom said.
‘You can’t go,’ Jess replied. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be here when the ambulance arrives, as it’s you they’re coming for?’
‘I’ll go,’ Hannah said.
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ Gina cut in, frowning at Hannah. ‘You’re going to sit right there and pull yourself together. And George, I can’t let you go alone. Nobody should be walking alone in this weather.’
‘I don’t need fussing over,’ Hannah said, taking another glug of her brandy and proving her sister’s point. ‘But I do agree that no one should go out alone in this awful weather.’ She seemed to have conveniently forgotten that she had done just that herself, and that
Jess wrinkled her nose, and glowered at no one in particular, while Hannah gave her an apologetic smile. She would probably have said yes, but then she wasn’t Jess’s mother and that always made things different, didn’t it? She had often found herself wondering what kind of mother she’d be, but as the years clocked on and the right father never seemed to present himself, she was beginning to think she’d never find out. She wasn’t bitter about it, but faced the fact with a quiet acceptance and a vow to fill her life with other things instead.
Tom returned just as Gina was refilling George’s shot glass. She raised her eyes as Tom made his way to the table. ‘Did you find what you needed?’
‘I think so,’ Tom said. He now sported a pair of fashionably faded jeans and a navy brushed cotton shirt. He looked just as good in these as he had done in the green sweater of earlier, and the sight elicited such conflicting emotions in her that Hannah almost felt she couldn’t bear to look. Instead, she took a gulp of her brandy and winced as it hit the back of her throat.
‘I bet the dinner will be ruined now,’ Jess announced in an accusing voice, as if everyone in the room was to blame. ‘Mum made me turn everything off before we came outside to look for you so it’ll be cold mush.’
‘Oh, we can salvage it,’ Gina said brightly. ‘What do you think, Han? Are you up to eating just yet?’
Hannah couldn’t really say that she was. Up until the argument with George’s car, she had been ravenous, but not anymore. However, she didn’t want to completely ruin what was already hurtling towards a disaster of a Christmas, and she thought refusing dinner might just do that.
‘I could eat a little,’ she said.
Gina seemed satisfied by her answer. She turned to George. ‘How about you? We have tons to spare.’
George looked doubtful. ‘I don’t know… Trixie will be dancing by the back door if I don’t get home soon…’
‘His dog,’ Hannah said to help clarify the situation for Jess and Gina, who both looked confused. ‘She is a gorgeous little thing, isn’t she, your little Yorkie?’ Hannah added.
George suddenly seemed to fill with an aura of immense pride. ‘Oh, she is! Sharp as a tack too! Hilda, God rest her soul, picked her out from the litter and she said straight away she’d be the cleverest of the lot and she is… it was just before my Hilda passed on…’ Then his face dropped, and he seemed to deflate like someone had sucked all the life out of him. Hannahsensed the mood of the room shift, and as she tried to find something to say that would lighten things, Gina anticipated it and came to her rescue with perfect timing.
‘How far away is your house, George?’
The old man looked as though someone had just asked him the meaning of life. He scratched his whiskered chin as he screwed up his face in concentration. ‘About fifteen minutes on foot. Perhaps more in this weather.’
‘So if we eat now, you could be home in an hour or so. Why don’t you join us? I’m sure Trixie will be fine for a little while longer and then Jess and I can walk you home.’
George shook his head. ‘I can’t leave her. She’s been alone for hours as it is.’
‘I’ll take George home and you can all eat,’ Tom said.
‘You can’t go,’ Jess replied. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be here when the ambulance arrives, as it’s you they’re coming for?’
‘I’ll go,’ Hannah said.
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ Gina cut in, frowning at Hannah. ‘You’re going to sit right there and pull yourself together. And George, I can’t let you go alone. Nobody should be walking alone in this weather.’
‘I don’t need fussing over,’ Hannah said, taking another glug of her brandy and proving her sister’s point. ‘But I do agree that no one should go out alone in this awful weather.’ She seemed to have conveniently forgotten that she had done just that herself, and that
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