‘No, he took offence when I said it was too soon for me to meet his family, so we’re on a break,’ her friend divulged.
‘You’ve been seeing him for months now,’ Lara remarked carefully.
‘I’ve done the “getting serious” thing once and I’m not interested in doing it again,’ her friend told her squarely.
Lara bit her tongue because she knew her friend would get annoyed if she tried to persuade her otherwise. Alice had been engaged and Iris had been a toddler when her fiancé had died in a motorbike crash. Devastated by that loss, Alice had sworn off risking her heart again.
‘Well, it suits me if you’re staying in because I’ve got to go out tonight. Freddy’s father came to speak to me in the park,’ Lara confided.
Alice stared at her in surprise. ‘Where did he come from? I thought he wasn’t local.’
‘He’s not but obviously he’s tracked me down and he wants a divorce. I’ve agreed to meet up with him this evening.’
‘What about Freddy?’
Lara winced. ‘We’ll see.’
‘You should’ve told the guy about his son ages ago.’ Alice sighed. ‘Some financial support would have made your life a lot easier.’
‘It can’t be a coincidence that he appeared in the park I visit every weekend,’ Lara fielded ruefully. ‘To find me he probably had to use a detective agency, so I’m pretty sure he would’ve found out about Freddy at the same time. And? He didn’t evenlookin Freddy’s direction...not once!’
‘I wish you’d tell me more than the bare bones of what happened between you.’
‘He got his memory back, Alice, and he didn’t want me or what I thought we had any more,’ Lara pronounced curtly. ‘That’s all you need to know.’
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Alice, only that the finer details of her involvement with Gaetano and his precise status were just a little too sensational to share. Alice would not deliberately reveal Lara’s secrets to anyone, but nobody liked to gossip more than Alice once she had had a couple of drinks. It had been less risky simply to leave her best friend partially in the dark and stick to sharing only the necessary facts.
The unembellished facts, Lara reminded herself, recollection tugging her back more than two years in time.
Two years ago she had been working as a waitress in a York café and living in the bedsit above until her boss had decided to retire and sell the building. In dismay at losing both employment and home together, Lara had discussed possible future plans with her closest friend at the time, Cathy, the older woman who’d managed the craft shop next door.
Realising that Lara was at a loose end, Cathy had then asked her if she would look after her house and her pets for several weeks over Christmas while she and her husband flew out to Australia to visit their daughter and their grandchildren. Having looked after Cathy’s pets before at her remote farmhouse, Lara had been pleased to accept the invitation. It would give her a comfortable breathing space in which to decide what she wanted to do next with her life and allow her to enjoy Christmas in peace and tranquillity.
The day Gaetano arrived it was snowing heavily. Lara had spent a lazy day watching festive movies with the dogs and the cats. There were no close neighbours and no passing traffic because the single-track road to the farmhouse ended at its gates. In snow the steep road was virtually impassable, and she was relieved that she had shopped for fresh food only the day before.
Behind the house, a hilly outcrop of rock ran down to the edge of the garden. She was cleaning the kitchen when she heard the shout, and the dogs began barking. The sudden noise spooked her. When she looked out of the window, she saw a man lying in the snow near the tree that Cathy always had draped in outdoor lights for the festive season. By the deep tracks in the snow, she guessed that he had tripped over the low border of shrubs that marked the garden boundary and had fallen there.
In dismay she pulled on her friend’s outdoor boots and jacket, pausing only to grab up the walking stick by the door because she knew she would struggle to get an injured man into the house without help. How long would it take for the emergency services to arrive in such weather? Where had he come from? He was dressed like a walker, but it was the hardly the season for hill walking.
In the act of trying to raise himself the man slumped down again, relieving her of the fear that he was unconscious.
‘You’ll freeze if you stay out in this.’ Shivering, Lara shook his shoulder. ‘Up!’ she instructed in desperation. ‘It’ll take ages for anyone to come here and help and by then you might be dead from exposure.’
‘You’re a cheerful little soul,’ her accident victim mumbled.
Relieved that he was at least well enough to be sarcastic, Lara grabbed a handful of the back of his jacket and tried to pull him, but he weighed a ton. ‘Come on!’ she urged.
‘I hit my head...everything’s spinning,’ he framed.
‘You can have the pity party indoors where it’s warm.’ Lara brushed away black tousled hair to whisper in his ear. ‘Lovely fire, nice hot drink. Come on, I can’t do this without your help.’
He groaned and started to raise himself again.
‘Lean on me,’ she told him, bending down and dragging his arm to her shoulder. ‘Now...move!’
He moved, indeed got as far as his knees beforeshewas driven face down into the snow by his weight.
Shaking herself free of snow, she rolled upright. ‘Good, we’re getting somewhere...you’re halfway there.’