Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,13

and hope for the best.’

He got to his feet and looked her directly in the eye. He was close enough for her to smell his aftershave and she breathed it in. A mixture of sandalwood and pine. Or maybe the pine was from the tree.

‘If I tell you something, Molly, will you promise me that you’ll keep it a secret? That you won’t tell anyone else. Not even Terry or Sarah.’

She held his gaze and hesitated. There was a deep sadness in his eyes and he was clearly hurting.

‘Yes. Of course. What’s wrong, Chance?’

Instinctively, she reached out and touched his hand.

The bolt of electricity she felt was unexpected and from the sudden lift of his head and the surprise in his eyes, he felt it too.

It must’ve been caused by static or something. Except they were standing on a tiled floor.

She pulled her hand away and waited for him to speak.

‘Er. I…’

He coughed, and coughed again, as if something had caught in his throat and his eyes scanned hers as though he were searching for something deep inside her.

‘You can trust me, Chance,’ she managed.

His gaze intensified.

‘I know I can, Molly. It’s just that…’ He coughed again. ‘Okay. Mum has been having tests recently and it wasn’t looking good. That’s why I’ve come home. The day before I bought this place, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.’

‘Oh, Chance. I’m so, so sorry.’ She wanted to reach out to him again but she stopped herself. ‘It’s not too late though, is it? I mean they have said they can operate, haven’t they?’

He nodded. ‘At first they thought it was just a small lump in one breast but the scans have shown another slightly larger lump in the other one. She’s having a double mastectomy in the first week of January. That’s the earliest they can do it.’

‘That’s just a few weeks away. And she’ll be fine, I’m sure. Lots of women have breast cancer, and the majority survive if it’s found in time. It might not seem like it but the operation is a good thing, Chance.’

He nodded. ‘I know it is. And I know she’ll get through it. But sometimes a tiny flicker of doubt creeps in. When she finally told me how bad it was, after dismissing it for days, I told her I was coming home to live with her. She said I had a life to live and not to worry about her. That the last thing she needed was me getting under her feet on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. She tried to make light of it. That’s why I bought the cottage. She couldn’t argue with that. Although at first she did.’ He gave a half-laugh. ‘But the thing with Mum is that she doesn’t have a lot of luck. She’s partly convinced herself that this is it. That this Christmas will be her last. And I can’t help wondering if she’s keeping something from me. That she hasn’t been completely truthful about what the consultant has said. Sorry to be so morbid, but I thought, as you’re staying with us, perhaps you should know the score.’

‘I’m glad you’ve told me. And I’ll keep it to myself. Not even Vicky will know that I know. But she’s wrong, Chance. This won’t be her last Christmas. It won’t. She’ll have loads more after this one. We just need to convince her of that.’

He let out a long, slow sigh. ‘You don’t know what a relief it is to have told you. I was struggling with it on my own. I promise I won’t burden you with my worries, but it is good to know that I’m not totally alone.’

‘Of course you’re not. And you won’t be burdening me. Feel free to share your worries, doubts and fears whenever you need to. That’s what friends are for. It must be difficult being so far away from your girlfriend. You must miss her comfort and support.’

‘Er. Jolene doesn’t know. I haven’t told her yet. You’re the first person I’ve told. Jolene just knows that Mum has been unwell and that I want to spend some time with her.’

Molly was gobsmacked to say the least.

He hadn’t seen her for years and yet he’d chosen to tell her and not his girlfriend about his mum. That was a bit weird, wasn’t it? But perhaps he’d only told her because, as he’d said, she was staying with them.

Or maybe it helped to talk to someone who wasn’t quite so close, so