A Kiss in the Snow - Rosie Green Page 0,51

smiling through her tears. ‘He packed his suitcase and left. About two weeks ago. Good riddance to bad rubbish. That’s what my grandma always says.’

‘I bet you were so relieved,’ I murmur.

She nods. ‘I think Mum was as well. But she still won’t make friends with Grandma Reenie.’

‘Is she okay? Your mum.’

‘Not really. She doesn’t talk to me much. We used to talk about everything before Harvey, but she stays in her room a lot now. And she gets really mad if I talk about Grandma Reenie.’ She pulls out her phone. ‘I need to get back before Mum does. She’d hit the roof if she knew I was coming here.’

‘We’ll come with you. Walk you home.’ I glance over at Ronan, knowing he’ll agree.

She looks at me, horrified. ‘No. You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine. I’m sixteen, you know.’

I smile. ‘I know. Becca, the people in the village thought your Grandma Reenie had gone to stay with her sister. But you realised she hadn’t. How did you know?’

‘Oh, that’s easy. When Mum said she’d gone, I decided to take some seeds over to put on the bird table, but when I got here, someone had already done that. And the same thing happened the next day. And that’s when I knew that she hadn’t gone at all. I ring the bell and shout through the letterbox, but she won’t talk to me. I know she’s in there, though. And I keep putting seeds on the bird table for her.’

My heart squeezes. I want to hug Becca tightly.

Something occurs to me. ‘Did you leave a magazine and some toffees on her doorstep the other day?’

She nods. ‘I leave her little things like that. They’re her favourite sweets. I just want her to know that I love her.’

I nod, too choked up now to reply.

‘I have to go,’ she says suddenly, slipping off the coat and giving it back to me. ‘Thanks, Carrie. See you!’ She darts away, crossing the road over to the green, turning back just once to call, ‘And Carrie, please don’t tell Mum!’

I watch Ronan bending to examine the base of the bird table.

By all accounts, Reenie herself had suffered during her marriage at the hands of a bully. How would it feel to know your daughter was trapped in a similarly abusive relationship, unable to see what was happening to her? Might it be enough to tip you over the edge, feeling that you were totally powerless to protect your loved ones?

Faced with such a heart-breaking scenario, and having fallen out with her daughter, was it any wonder Reenie felt the only thing she could do was go to ground and shut out the world?

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next morning, I wake up worrying about the whole situation with Reenie, Becca and Maggie. It’s such a sad state of affairs anyway, but the fact that it’ll soon be Christmas makes the family rift seem even more heart-breaking.

Ronan is in his room tackling his financial accounts, so after a quick breakfast, I walk down to the store. Thankfully, I find Anita alone in the shop. Part of me feels bad about betraying Becca’s confidence, but I know that if I’m going to help her and Reenie, I can’t do it myself. I need Anita’s advice. And I know she’ll keep what I tell her strictly between the two of us.

She looks stunned. ‘I’d no idea Becca’s been visiting her grandma at the cottage and leaving her little gifts. Oh, bless her. She must really miss Reenie.’ Tears fill her eyes when I tell her about Maggie and her bully of an ex, Harvey, and how Becca has been caught right in the middle of it all. She promises she won’t breathe a word to anyone, not even to her mum.

‘I had to tell you because I’m at a loss to know how to help them,’ I confess, shrugging sadly. ‘I was hoping you’d have some ideas.’

She nods, thinking. ‘It’s probably important to let Reenie know you understand, and that you’re there to support her. And she needs to know how upset Becca is that she won’t talk to her.’

‘So what do you suggest? That I try and talk to her through the letter-box?’

We exchange a bemused look.

I shrug. ‘I suppose I could if that’s the only way. You’re right that we need to get some sort of communication going.’

Later, when I’m back at the cottage, heating some soup for lunch, I suddenly wonder if it might