He tipped his head to one side. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Nope. I can’t get anyone to do anything I want these days.’ She saw an odd look in his eyes and changed the subject slightly. ‘I still miss Mum and Dad. We both do. Mum always made Christmas magical.’
‘She did.’ Chance’s voice held a note of tenderness. ‘I truly loved your parents and I envied you and Terry. I don’t know if I ever told you that after your parents died.’
Molly shook her head. ‘No. But I knew you were almost as upset as we were. The first few years were the worst, of course, but time’s a great healer and they’ve been gone for more than half my life. Now when I think of them, it’s with happy thoughts and only the occasional tear. I know your parents made your life difficult when you were young, but you’re lucky to have them both.’ She gave a cough. ‘But back to the point in question. If there isn’t any furniture but you’re not going to ask me to sleep on the floor, where, exactly, will I be sleeping?’
Chance was giving her another very strange look. This time as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should.
‘Didn’t I say? I thought I had. At Mum’s. Don’t look so worried. I know I should’ve checked with her before I made the offer, but I did call and ask her while you went upstairs to get your things, and she was more than happy about it. She’s always liked you. And you like her, don’t you?’
‘Of course! Your mum’s great now. I mean. Er. She always was.’
‘There’s no need to pretend, Molly. We both know she was a nightmare when we were young. But she’s changed a lot over the years and she often tells me that you stop and chat for ages whenever you bump into her. I know you even helped her buy a birthday present for me the first year after Dad and I left for the States. It was a navy-blue sweater and a Star Wars book.’
‘Did she tell you I helped?’
Vicky must have told him. How else would he have known? But boy, did he have a good memory. Suddenly, she wondered if she’d ever done anything she would rather he had forgotten.
‘Yep. And I still have them both, as it happens. Although the sweater doesn’t fit. I’ve bulked out a bit since my teens. Navy blue was my favourite colour. It still is.’
‘I know. Well, I knew it was then. And I knew how mad you were about the whole Star Wars thing.’
He frowned. ‘Excuse me? “Star Wars thing”? How dare you!’ She could see he was trying not to laugh. ‘It’s not a thing. It’s a religion.’
‘Yeah, right. Whatever floats your boat. Or should that be, whatever flies your star ship?’
They both laughed until Molly heard a crash and they met each other’s eyes.
‘What was that?’ she asked.
‘No idea. Where’s Miracle?’
Without another word they both darted in the direction of the noise.
Six
‘Are you beginning to regret your offer?’
Molly held Miracle’s lead tightly while Chance got on his hands and knees and cleared up the mess.
‘Perhaps a little.’
But he said it with a smile, albeit a somewhat wan one.
‘I’ll pay for the damage,’ Molly offered.
‘No need. I shouldn’t have put a Christmas tree up anyway. The place is empty, after all. I just wanted a bit of festive sparkle while I worked. No harm done. Thank God I put it up in the kitchen. And that I laid the tiled floor. Pee is easier to clean off tiles than it is from polished wood floors.’
‘I’m not going to ask you how you know that. But it’s probably a good thing that the tiles have that mottled effect. If they were a plain grey, you might still notice the pee stain. And I think we can – and must, assume that Miracle has a thing about Christmas trees.’
‘Oh yeah. I’d better warn Mum. She’s got three at home.’
‘Three trees? Wow! And I thought I was a Christmas nutter. Oh God. I didn’t mean … Er. I seem to be saying all the wrong things tonight, don’t I?’ She grinned sheepishly.
‘Mum won’t mind being called a Christmas nutter. In fact, she’d be the first to admit it, so don’t worry about that. You don’t need to feel you’re treading on eggshells where Mum and I are concerned, Molly. You’ve known us far too long for that.’
She let out a sigh. ‘That’s a relief. I must admit I’m a bit nervous about staying at your mum’s. If I’d known that, I might not have said yes so fast. Not that there’s anything wrong … Okay. I think I’ll just shut up now.’
He glanced up at her from the floor and grinned.
‘I think that would probably be a first, wouldn’t it? You always liked to talk. But there’s no reason to be nervous. Mum’s happy about it. Honestly.’
‘It’s silly, I know, but I’m never good with my boyfriend’s mums. Oh! Not that I’m saying you’re my boyfriend. Because you’re not. Obviously. And you’ve got a girlfriend anyway. Oh hell. Here I go again. Er. Did you tell your mum about Miracle?’
He was giving her a very odd look, but he rolled his eyes and laughed at that.
I mentioned that you’d got a dog. Temporarily. And how you got him. But I didn’t mention the tree. Now I’ll have to. I don’t think she’ll mind. She’s pretty easy going these days. She often says …’
His voice trailed off.
‘She often says what?’ Molly coaxed.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed loudly as if he carried a heavy load.
‘That life is for living and for having fun and who cares if you cause a bit of havoc now and then?’
‘Hmm. She hasn’t met Miracle yet. But then again, we could all do with a miracle in our lives. Sometimes we have to run with what we’re given 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.’