Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,54

wasn’t and by the expression on his face, Molly knew that it was Jolene. He hesitated for a second, his hand hovering over the screen.

‘I’ll walk on ahead. You catch up when you’ve finished.’

Without waiting, she marched off as best she could. She was both surprised and disappointed to find he wasn’t walking behind her. When she glanced round to see where he was, he was leaning against a lamppost, his head drooping slightly, his phone looking as if it was stuck to his ear.

She reached Vicky’s front door and there was still no sign of him behind her. Had something happened? Should she go back? Perhaps she should’ve waited.

She was about to turn back and go and look for him when he appeared at the end of the road. He was trudging through the snow as if he was having trouble walking. His head was bowed, his shoulders hunched and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. If ever a body had said, ‘Don’t come anywhere near me,’ Chance’s body did right now.

‘Is everything all right?’

Her voice clearly surprised him. It was as if he hadn’t expected her to be there. His eyes met hers, looked away, looked up to the mistletoe and down at the ground and when he spoke, the words were muffled by his coat and scarf.

‘No. And it probably never will be again.’ He gave a strange snort of laughter. As though it hurt him. ‘Although I suppose I should be happy. I know Mum will be.’

‘Chance? You’re not making any sense. What’s happened? Please tell me. I’m getting a little worried.’

He sucked in the deepest, longest breath she’d ever seen and his shoulders rose as did his head. He let out the breath in an even longer sigh.

‘I’ve just been given the greatest gift ever, I suppose. And yet it doesn’t feel like it.’ He coughed loudly and ran a hand through his hair before he met her eyes. ‘Jolene has … has just informed me … I’m going to be a dad.’

Twenty-Seven

Molly couldn’t remember much about what had happened after Chance had broken his devastating news.

She could remember that she’d tried to run indoors but she couldn’t get the door open. Chance had come to her aid and had whispered her name in a way that made her think his heart was breaking as much as hers was.

‘Molly I...’ he’d said. And then nothing. It was as if he’d been struck dumb.

Vicky must’ve heard the door rattling as Molly had tried to open it and she was in the hall as Molly had rushed past and fled upstairs. That was all she remembered, apart from phoning Sarah and crying her eyes out to Sarah and Terry.

Chance hadn’t come to try to talk to her, and surprisingly, nor had Vicky, but Miracle had managed to open the door with his paws and had jumped onto her bed. For one brief moment she had hoped that it was Chance who was trying to open her bedroom door, but no such luck.

This morning, Vicky tapped on the door and came in before Molly had told her she could.

‘Good morning, sweetheart. How are you today?’

Was she for real? She was behaving as though last night hadn’t happened.

Perhaps it hadn’t! Could that awful end simply have been a dream?

More like a nightmare!

Molly sat upright against the headboard and took the mug of coffee Vicky had brought her.

‘Thanks for this.’ She took a sip of the refreshing beverage. ‘I’m not sure. How … how are you?’

Vicky dropped onto the bed and sighed, taking Molly’s free hand in hers.

‘Surprised. Shocked. Thrilled and yet not. Happy and yet equally sad. Confused. Bewildered. Cross. I think that about sums it up.’

So it was true. It hadn’t been a dream.

‘For me too, I think.’

‘And for Chance.’

‘I … I thought you’d be ecstatic. And so would he.’

‘Perhaps if this had happened a week or two ago, I would’ve been. And so would he. But now…’ She shrugged. ‘I know I should be thrilled – and he knows he should be too, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so torn up. Well, not since his father announced he was in love with someone else, and he and I broke up. Chance had to choose who to live with. That almost tore him apart.’

‘I was always a little surprised by that.’ Molly had no idea why she was saying this now. But then she wasn’t really sure what she was saying, or feeling, or