“I promise to eat nothing but broccoli.” Kathleen reached for her bag and checked her passport again. She felt a little nervous, but there was no way she was going to admit that to her daughter. She could just about handle a conversation about emotions providing they weren’t her own. “It’s been so long since I traveled properly, I’ve forgotten my routine. I keep having to check my passport and credit card are there, even though I’ve already checked twice.”
“You’re going to be fine.” Liza took the turnoff to the airport. “You have a phone. Martha has my number. If you need anything at all, or get into any sort of trouble, call me.”
“I hope I do get into trouble.” Kathleen patted her daughter’s leg. “That’s why I’m going.”
Liza pulled in at Departures. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I know. Please do check Popeye for me.”
“I’ll check Popeye.” Liza opened the car door and walked around to help Kathleen with her bags. “I should have parked. Then I could have come in with you.”
“I hate prolonged goodbyes.” They exchanged a look, both of them remembering all the stressful partings when Liza was a child. Emotions had tentacles, Kathleen thought. They wrapped themselves around you and pulled you down. They dug themselves into your heart and caused pain. She gave Liza’s shoulder an awkward pat. “Thank you. Enjoy France.”
A strange pressure built in her chest.
She should walk away right now, but for some reason her legs wouldn’t move.
Liza stepped forward and hugged her. “Have fun. I love you.”
The pressure grew until it felt as if someone had inflated a balloon in her chest.
She licked her lips and tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come. How was it possible to feel so much and yet say so little? And yet that was her world. She kept feelings inside that balloon and hoped that one day it wouldn’t burst.
Liza stepped back, gave an awkward smile and turned back to the car.
Kathleen gave a wave, unsettled by the sense of loss she felt.
She stood still as Liza eased into the never-ending flow of traffic, and it didn’t just feel like goodbye. It felt like a moment gone forever. An opportunity lost.
I love you too. You do know that, don’t you?
She turned, battling that feeling of disappointment that comes when you’ve failed an exam, or missed a goal. That feeling that came when you knew you should have done better.
The moment she entered the terminal building, the bustle and the echoing noise closed around her and her mood lifted. The present could always drown out the past if you made your present loud enough.
The feeling lasted until a young man almost knocked her flying with a Look where you’re going, Grandma.
Up on the departures board were all the destinations, reminding her of how big the world was, and how small she’d allowed hers to become.
She spotted Martha standing by the automatic check-in, looking lost.
Kathleen waved and trailed her suitcase along the gleaming floor, weaving her way through the passengers as Martha approached with the excitement and enthusiasm of a Labrador.
“Kathleen!” Martha enveloped her in a big hug. “Our flight is on time, I checked. Chicago, here we come.” Some of her vibrant energy flowed into Kathleen, and the pressure in her chest eased. Those uncomfortable emotions slid back deep inside her where they belonged.
For the next month she had no need to think about them.
What a perfect pair she and Martha would make. Her wisdom and experience, combined with Martha’s youth and energy.
Her new companion would compensate for all those parts of her that no longer seemed to work properly.
Three time zones, eight states, one incredible adventure.
It was going to be perfect.
7
MARTHA
Forty-eight hours later, Martha stared at the sleek high-performance car in front of her and gave a silent apology for what she was about to do to it. Why, oh why, hadn’t she been honest about the fact she hated driving?
Her mother was right. She always made bad decisions.
It was all very well faking confidence—Yes, I love driving—but sooner or later you had to face your own lies and she was facing hers now. The thought of climbing behind the wheel of that sports car made her feel nauseated. It was like riding a racehorse when you’d only ever been on a fairground horse.
Oh Martha, Martha.
This was not going to end well. By the time she’d driven to the end of the street they’d either be dead or she’d be fired. It would be the shortest employment in history, which was a shame because she was starting to love Kathleen and so far this trip had been more exciting than she could possibly have imagined. She’d never had the chance to travel and she had to stop herself from pointing at everything and saying, Look at that!
She was trying to appear like a sophisticated woman of the world, which wasn’t easy.
And now they’d reached the moment of reckoning.
“Ford Mustang, right?” The tall, lanky guy with bad skin who had introduced himself as Cade handed her the keys. “You’re lucky. They’re in demand and we don’t always have one. You’re sure this is what you want? You could have had a Corvette or a Camaro. Or an SUV. You’d have more room.”
What I want, Martha thought, is something older and slower.
But Kathleen shook her head. “One of the advantages of being challenged in the height department, is that we don’t need legroom. I want the Mustang.”
Two days in Kathleen’s company had taught Martha that what Kathleen wanted Kathleen got.
She thought back over the whirlwind of the past forty-eight hours.
After they’d landed in Chicago, they’d checked in to a smart hotel, where Kathleen had reserved a suite with two bedrooms. Martha’s bathroom had been bigger than her bedroom back home.
Kathleen had flung open the doors to the balcony and breathed deeply, as if she was inhaling oxygen for the first time in years. She’d stood there, gazing at the view of Chicago and then said yes, in a voice that suggested she was more than satisfied.
The whole trip was getting a big yes from Martha too.
Apart from the driving part, she was living the dream. Luxury! A room big enough to dance in without the risk of smacking your limbs on the walls. No family pointing out all her faults. Best of all, no chance of Steven turning up on the doorstep.
The suite was incredible, but how on earth could Kathleen afford it? Had she robbed a bank in her youth? The wicked twinkle in her eye made Martha think that anything was possible.