Page 66 of A Merry Little Christmas

If her husband had heard what she thought he had, she was going to have a lot of difficult questions to answer today. But maybe, maybe, he hadn’t heard a word of their discussion. There was a chance that he’d come in as far as the bottom of the stairs, heard her having a good time and decided to leave her to it.

Wishful thinking, she thought as she dragged herself through to the kitchen. He’d never have slammed the door if that had been the case. No, there had been anger in that slam.

Nell put the kettle on, even though the thought of tea made her feel sick. She sank down at the kitchen table and dropped her head in her hands.

What a bloody mess.

A loud, shrill sound jolted her head from the table. She rubbed her eyes awake and wiped the drool from her chin; she must have fallen asleep. Damn. She had loads to do this morning: track down her phone, speak to Olek, check on Merry … She forced herself to focus on the noise. It was the phone in the hall. No one ever rang the landline except dodgy salespeople and her mother. She wasn’t in the mood for either and decided to let the answerphone deal with it. But as soon as the caller began to leave a message, she jumped to her feet and ran to the hall.

‘Hey, Dad and Nell. This is Max. Has something happened to your phones? I can’t get through to either of you. Dad, can you call me please, it’s about football practice tonight. I’ve texted you, but it doesn’t look like you’ve read it. I’m really sorry, but I need a lift to Derby. Hope that’s OK. You’re the best. I’ll try you—’

‘Max!’ Nell grabbed the phone quickly before he hung up and sat on the bottom step of the staircase, dizzy with the sudden movement. ‘Sorry, I was …’ She stopped short of telling him she’d been asleep, slumped at the table. ‘Outside.’

‘No worries. Is Dad there?’

‘He’s at work, love.’ She supposed. ‘But I’m sure he won’t mind giving you a lift later. He’s probably on an emergency job and can’t answer the phone.’

‘Hmm.’ Max sounded sceptical. ‘I left him a message late last night too, after you dropped me off, and he hasn’t responded to that either.’

‘Oh dear.’ Nell felt a dart of fear. It was unheard of for Olek not to return his calls, especially one from Max.

Was he out at work? Could he have had an accident or … She shuddered at the thought and then chastised herself for being dramatic, it was her hangover making her paranoid. Olek would have a perfectly sensible explanation.

‘Nell?’ Max’s worried voice broke into her thoughts. ‘Is everything OK?’

She straightened up and forced some lightness into her voice. Max wasn’t stupid, he’d quickly pick up on an atmosphere. ‘Everything’s fine. Just busy.’

‘OK, well …’ he hesitated, obviously not totally convinced.

‘Look, if all else fails, I can give you a lift tonight, how about that? I know it’s not as good as Dad, but at least you can stop worrying about how you’ll get there.’

He let out a sigh of relief. ‘Phew. It’s just Viktor and Mum have decided to go to the cinema now and they were going to drop me off.’

Nell managed not to tut with disapproval. ‘Never mind, you can rely on us.’

‘Yeah, what would I do without you and Dad in my life, eh?’ he said with a smile in his voice.

She felt her chest contract with love; he’d always been a sweet boy and he was turning into a lovely young man. Olek had had a part in that, regardless of whether they were related by blood or not. ‘That’s something you’ll never need to worry about, love.’

‘Thanks, see you later, then. Oh, how’s Merry’s dad, have you heard?’

Her face flushed with embarrassment; what a terrible person she was for not finding out. Even Max had enquired before she had. ‘I’m waiting to hear; I’ll keep you posted.’

She ended the call and replaced the phone in its cradle. Next to it was a folded piece of paper. She picked it up and found her mobile hiding underneath. Thank goodness, mystery solved. She unfolded the page and registered Olek’s handwriting. As her brain absorbed the words, her hands started to tremble.

‘No! I don’t believe it.’ She pressed a hand to her mouth and sank to the floor. ‘He’s left. Olek has left me.’

Chapter 25

Nell

Nell,

I’m just letting you know that I’m going to stay somewhere else for a while. I need some space to get my thoughts in order and I can’t be around you while I do that. My head is in a mess, and I don’t know what to think. I found out tonight that you’ve been lying to me. And also learned that you don’t think that Max is my son. I don’t think it is possible for me to be any more hurt and confused right now.

I’m leaving your phone by this note. You dropped it on Yvonna’s driveway, so I went to collect it once I’d finished on that emergency job where the house had been broken into. All five of them in the family, the parents and three kids, stood in the door to wave me off. I had been feeling so sorry for them, all their valuables stolen, all their Christmas presents taken from beneath the tree. But now I think they are the lucky ones. They have each other to lean on, the rock-solid support of the family unit. Possessions are nothing compared to the riches of family. Families come in all sorts of forms, Nell. You, me and Max are a family. I thought that was an unshakeable fact.

After I left Yvonna’s, I drove to Merry and Bright to deliver your phone to you, I knew you’d be lost without it and worried about where it was. I wish I hadn’t. My life would be so much less complicated and depressing than it is now.