Her Mistletoe Wish (12 page)

‘He’ll hire caterers, hold a huge, lavish affair at his house with lots of people he doesn’t know, as well as all the people who work in his companies. They’ll all get drunk, make mistakes by sleeping with the person they like least and wake up the day after with a multitude of regrets.’

‘Sounds like a riot,’ she remarked blandly, rubbing her fingertips over the frown lines on his forehead, wanting to do whatever she could to ease them. ‘Do you want to see your father?’

‘No.’ The answer was immediate. ‘I’ve tried in the past to make contact with him and he hasn’t appreciated it one little bit. As far as he’s concerned, he has no son.’

‘Oh, Flynn.’

He swallowed and she knew if she pressed him on the issue he might clam up. She knew what it was like to be disowned by people who were supposed to love you. The wealthy really did have their own set of rules. It was sad that they lived by them. ‘So this year,’ he said after a moment, ‘I am definitely looking forward to starting a new Christmas tradition.’

‘Really?’

‘With you.’

‘Yes.’ She kissed him.

‘And no doubt the cul-de-sac crew have their big parties and present-giving? Mackenzie and Bergan are
already swamped with family. I met Richard’s parents yesterday.’

And so they discussed plans for Christmas Day, Reggie more than pleased that it appeared he wanted to spend the day with her. She wanted to ask about Violet. About whether he’d wanted to see her, but she didn’t. And now, looking at the festive ballroom, looking perfect for the hospital’s Christmas party, she wanted to push aside that one niggling fear of doubt that kept telling her that things seemed too perfect.

‘Good things don’t happen to me,’ she whispered to herself as she headed out into the late-afternoon sunshine. It was such an odd feeling. She had good friends around her. She had a place to stay while all the insurance claims on her apartment were settled. Her neighbours were more than comfortable in the temporary housing Flynn had been generous enough to not only find for them but pay for them. He’d also insisted on remaining anonymous, telling Reggie he didn’t need people to be beholden to him.

And above all, she had Flynn back in her life, back wanting to be with her, back wanting a future with her? Hopefully that was the case. Why else would he be insisting they take things slowly? Why else would he be insisting they start their own traditions together?

As she headed down the street towards the hospital, which was only two blocks away, Reggie wondered whether she should tell Flynn that she loved him. Would her declaration change things? Was it what he was waiting to hear before they took their relationship to the next level?

‘Oh, why aren’t these things as easy as a hernia repair?’ she mumbled, as she stopped at the pedestrian
lights and pressed the button. She looked down the side street, seeing a family—a mother, a father and little boy—chatting together. A family. A normal family. It was something she’d longed for all her life. The man had his back to her but the woman, with her long blonde hair falling slightly over her face, was folding the stroller and putting it into the boot of her fancy car. The boy was clinging to his father, clearly a little sleepy and more than content to relax in the big, trusty arms that held him.

Reggie sighed, instinctively knowing that Flynn would make a wonderful father. Wouldn’t it be nice if that were them? Having spent a lovely day out together, looking forward to heading home and relaxing. Normal people. Normal lives.

The woman closed the boot then held her hands out for the boy. As the man turned to hand the child over, Reggie saw his face. His smiling face—the face smiling at the blonde-haired woman.

‘Flynn.’ The whispered word left her lips in utter disbelief. The pedestrian lights turned green. Reggie didn’t move. Couldn’t move as she watched the woman say something to Flynn, both of them laughing brightly. Flynn kissed the little boy and the boy kissed him back, both of them clearly comfortable with each other.

Part of Reggie’s mind was racing, panicking, trying to figure out what it was she was seeing, while the other part of her mind was stuck, standing still in stunned shock. Who was the woman? Who was she? Reggie thought back to all those years ago, of the times when she’d read the glossy society mags…and then she remembered where she’d seen that blonde woman. She’d
seen her dressed as a bride, she’d seen her looking lovingly up at Flynn as he’d stood beside her—the groom.

The woman was Violet. His ex-wife. After Violet had put the little boy into the car, she’d turned, hugged Flynn close and then pressed a warm kiss to his lips.

Reggie’s heart was breaking. It was breaking again.
Flynn
was breaking her heart all over again…and yet it was impossible for her to move. Misery and despair flooded her as the pedestrian lights turned red. Stop. Don’t walk. Don’t move. Your life is over.

She waited, knowing the inevitable was about to happen, and her heart started pounding out a scared tattooed rhythm against her chest as he began to turn in her direction. In another moment he would see her standing there…watching him.

She shook her head. She didn’t want to see him. Didn’t want him to see her. Run and hide.
Flee!
Her mind was starting to scream commands at her body but her legs didn’t seem able to follow their lead as she remained exactly where she was.

He waved goodbye to the boy in the car, the boy who looked just like him, the boy who was definitely old enough to be his son. If Flynn had a son, why on earth hadn’t he told her about him? Was it a condition of his freedom from his father? To hand over access to his son? Was Violet supposed to be in contact with him?

She knew her mind was going into overdrive, clutching at straws to try and make some sort of sense from what she was seeing. The traffic around her was starting to slow again and she became peripherally aware of other people joining her at the pedestrian lights, pressing the button and waiting beside her.

Could they hear the wild pounding of her heart?
Could they feel her pain? Her terror? The one man she’d loved with all her heart had hurt her, not once but twice!

He was turning in her direction, taking a few steps up the street as he continued to wave to the car as Violet indicated and pulled out from the kerb. Reggie couldn’t breathe. It was impossible to drag air into her lungs because within a split second he would see her…standing there…watching him betray her.

The moment their gazes met, it was as though the world seemed to stop spinning. Flynn looked confused, then shocked, his eyes widening. His step faltered for a split second, as though he was deciding what it was he should do. He’d just been caught kissing his ex-wife! What would he do?

The next instant he increased his speed, walking with purpose, a determined look in his eyes.

Reggie shook her head and took a step back, even though he was still quite a way away from her. The traffic around her slowed and then the pedestrian lights turned green. The people around her started walking across the street. She looked from the lights back to Flynn and shook her head. Now that she’d actually moved, her body seemed capable of more reaction. Her eyes immediately flooded with tears and her lower lip began to quiver.

‘Reggie!’

She shook her head, panic rising within her. She couldn’t face him. She didn’t want to hear his reasoning, his excuses. All her life people had reasoned with her, provided excuses for the terrible things that had happened to her, and now the one man in the world she’d started to trust, the one man who had captured her heart, was going to break it once again.

‘Reg! Wait. I can explain!’ His words reached her ears but she brought her hands up, covering them, blocking out his words as she turned and raced across the road just in time. In another instant the traffic started up again, leaving Flynn on one side of the road and Reggie on the other.

Worlds apart, or so it seemed. Flynn had told her she could trust him, that he was different from all the others, but it appeared he’d been lying to her.

Brushing the tears from her eyes so she didn’t trip over, Reggie made her way down the street, almost running towards the hospital as though it was her one and only lifeline. The instant she rounded the door, she headed down the stairs, needing to hide herself away, needing to find a place where she could expel the pain from her heart, where she could drag in a cleansing breath, where she could start to make a plan to regroup.

Could she recover from a broken heart yet again? She didn’t think so.

‘R
EGGIE
?’ B
ERGAN
’
S VOICE
came over the phone when Reggie had answered the call. ‘Where are you?’ She’d already rejected several calls from Flynn’s cellphone. He was the last person she felt like talking to. How could he? How could he do this to her? She’d opened up her heart, her soul. She’d bared her pain, her horror to him and this was how he thought it was OK to behave? To betray her? No. No. No. The pain in her heart intensified and she choked on another sob.

‘Reggie?’ Bergan spoke again and it was only the evident concern in her friend’s voice that prompted Reggie to answer.

‘What?’ There was no disguising the tears and pain in her voice as she sniffed and snuffled.

‘Where are you? What’s happened?’ Bergan’s tone was insistent and filled with that protective love Reggie had relied on more than once throughout the course of their friendship.

‘I…Flynn…’ Reggie tried to get the words out but it appeared it was impossible. She’d only just managed to calm herself down, thinking she might be ready to call one of her friends to come and get her, but now that she actually had to put into words what she’d seen,
Reggie found the wave of anguish was washing over her once more.

‘He was here in A and E, looking for you, and was quite frankly beside himself with worry. What’s happened?’

‘Is…is he still th—?’ She couldn’t finish the sentence, the panic that he might be listening in to this conversation making Reggie skittish again.

‘No. I sent him away.’

‘Good.’ She sighed with relief. ‘Good.’

‘Where are you?’ There was more insistence, more concern in Bergan’s words than before.

‘When things go belly up, go down, down, down and get as far away as possible.’

‘Ah…taking a leaf out of Sunainah’s book, eh? Hiding in the basement beneath the stairs. It’s a good place, I have to admit. OK. Stay put. I’ll be there soon.’

‘Don’t tell him.’ The words were out before she could stop them. ‘I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to speak to him.
Ever.’

‘Relax, Reggie. I’ve got your back.’ With that Bergan disconnected the call and Reggie sat beneath the stairwell in the hospital basement, hugging her knees to her chest.

It was the same place she’d found Sunainah, so long ago now, when Sunainah’s life had looked as though there was no possibility for a happy ending. Now her friend was happily married to Elliot, the two of them enjoying being parents to Elliot’s wonderful children and even talking about having some of their own. Things had worked out for Sunainah but Reggie couldn’t see any possibility of things working out for her and Flynn, not now that he’d betrayed her.

Honesty. That was the main thing she needed out of any relationship. Pure and open honesty, and stupidly she’d thought Flynn had thought the same way. Coverups, lies and deceit played no part in her life. Hadn’t he understood that?

So why on earth had he been warmly kissing his ex-wife?

He’d been holding a little boy who looked just like him and who he appeared to love very much. Reggie had been able to see that clearly in his eyes. Did Flynn have a son? If so, why hadn’t he told her about him? Why had he felt the need to keep secrets from her? Not to trust her? To hurt her by betraying her yet again?

She’d been a fool to think that things were looking up for her, that finally she might be able to find the elusive happiness she’d been searching for all her life. Over and over again people came into her life and they let her down. If it weren’t for Mackenzie, Sunainah and Bergan showing her it was indeed possible to trust, Reggie would have given up long ago and allowed the spirit of pessimism and depression to invade her heart.

She searched her pockets for a tissue and eventually found one, dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose, knowing she could well play the part of Santa’s lead reindeer with her red face.

‘Reggie?’

Finally she heard Bergan’s voice echo down the stairwell and held her breath, her eyes wide as she listened to the footfalls on the stairs. Were there two people coming down? Had Flynn been lurking in the shadows? Watching Bergan? Following Bergan, knowing she would lead him to where she was hiding?

‘Reggie? I’m alone,’ Bergan said, as though answering her unspoken question.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’ There was absolute certainty in Bergan’s words and Reggie breathed out a sigh of relief as she wriggled out from her hiding spot and brushed herself off. The instant Bergan stood before her, Reggie threw herself into her friend’s arms, fresh tears spilling forth. Bergan placated her, stroking her back as the gut-wrenching sobs started all over again.

‘Here’s a fresh pack of tissues,’ Bergan eventually offered after a minute or two. Reggie eased back, knowing she must look a sight and immediately wiped her eyes and blew her nose. ‘Flynn told me what happened.’ Bergan spoke softly. ‘He says it’s not what you think.’

‘How would he know what I think?’ Reggie asked, a fresh bout of tears stinging in her eyes. ‘He lied to me, Bergan. He kept asking me to trust him and I did and I told him all about my past and how people have constantly let me down—all my life—and now he’s done it to me. Not once, but
twice!’
Her words were scattered, broken up between sobs and hiccups, her voice high and bordering on hysteria.
‘Twice!’
She held up two fingers as though to confirm it. ‘Why am I so stupid? Why do I let him do this to me?’

Bergan shrugged. ‘I don’t know, Reggie, but first things first. We need to get you out of here. I’ve left Richard in charge of A and E and I’m taking you—’

‘Not to the cul-de-sac.’ Her words were instant, her eyes flashing with insistent fire. ‘You have people staying with you and so does Mackenzie and I don’t want to be near Flynn. I just need space. I need to be able to breathe and to think things through and—’

‘I understand and I know the perfect place for you to go. Somewhere safe.’ Bergan held out her hand to her friend.

‘You do?’

‘Come on.’ Reggie allowed herself to be led away by Bergan, but couldn’t help the need to constantly look over her shoulder just in case Flynn was lurking around the corner. ‘Relax. Flynn’s gone. He left the hospital over half an hour ago. He said he had some things to organise.’

Reggie sighed with relief at knowing Flynn really wasn’t on the hospital grounds and when she was safe in Bergan’s car she rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, her head starting to pound. All she could see, all she could think about was the image of Violet and Flynn, kissing each other. It was as though it was burned into her memory and would remain there forever. At least the last time he’d broken her heart there had only been him telling her it was over—not the vision of him lip-smacked with his ex-wife! How could he have done that to her?

When Bergan stopped the car, Reggie found herself outside the new apartment block where Melva and her other neighbours were staying. The apartments Flynn had organised.

‘Melva’s place?’ There was a hint of hope in Reggie’s tone.

‘What do you think?’

‘This is perfect,’ Reggie remarked, nodding. ‘I haven’t found the time to come and visit my neighbours since the fire and…’ She looked at Bergan. ‘This
is
just what I need. Some Melva therapy.’

‘An escape,’ Bergan remarked, smiling at her friend.

‘Yes.’

‘Go and spend time with Melva. I’m sure the evening nurse who comes to change the dressings on Melva’s burns would love the night off, knowing you’re going to be staying here for the night.’

‘Of course I’ll change Melva’s dressings. That woman has always been there for me, from the first moment we met.’

‘I know.’

‘And it’s all right with Melva?’ Reggie checked as she undid her seat belt and alighted from the car. Her answer was to have her neighbour open the front door and come out to her, walking frame in front in order to steady her.

‘Oh, Reggie. What a wonderful surprise. I was delighted when your young man called and said you were coming to stay.’

‘My young…man?’ Alarm bells instantly began to ring in Reggie’s ears as she looked quickly at Bergan, whose answer was to simply shrug one shoulder and sigh.

‘I can’t take credit for thinking to bring you to Melva’s. It was Flynn’s idea. He said if you needed space then he would give you space.’

‘Flynn organised all of this?’ Reggie wasn’t sure whether to feel betrayed by Bergan or happy that Flynn had realised she needed space. Darn him for being his usual thoughtful self. It made it even more difficult for her to remember the pain he was causing her. ‘That is so like him,’ she growled between gritted teeth. ‘Why does he have to do something nice when he’s hurt me so badly?’

‘Perhaps he’s trying to show you how much he cares.’

‘Then he should care by
not
kissing his ex-wife.’

‘Listen,’ Bergan said, hugging her friend close and whispering in Reggie’s ear. ‘I think the man is crazy about you. Even Richard agrees. Flynn is head over heels in love with you.’

‘Ha!’ Reggie snorted. ‘He’s got a funny way of showing it. By lying to me. By not telling me about…’ She stopped, closing her eyes on the memory that was once more flashing before her eyes. ‘You know what? It doesn’t matter.
I
want to see Melva.
I
want to spend time with her, so that’s what
I’m
going to do.’

‘Good for you,’ Bergan replied. ‘Rest and relax. Get rid of your anxious mind. Enjoy your day off tomorrow. Sleep in. Watch TV. I’ll see you at the hospital auction tomorrow night.’

Reggie grimaced at these words. ‘I don’t know if I want to go. I don’t know if I want to see Flynn. It’s too soon, especially if he’s trying to control my life from afar.’

‘Reggie.’ Bergan smiled at her friend. ‘He’s not controlling anything. You are in complete control of all your faculties. Just relax and think about tomorrow when tomorrow comes.’

‘Are you coming in for a cuppa, Bergan?’ Melva asked from the doorway. ‘I’ve just bought some nice new cups. They’re very flash, bone china, and I spent a bit more on them then I should have but then I decided that after everything that’s happened, I deserved a treat. Did you know,’ Melva continued, ‘that apparently we get paid a recovery allowance to help us buy new things while we’re waiting for the insurance money to come through? I thought I’d be out of pocket for weeks but at
the moment I seem to have more money than I know how to deal with.’

Reggie closed her eyes for a moment, delighted with the beaming smile on her neighbour’s face, knowing instinctively that Flynn was the one who had provided that allowance. Insurance companies didn’t settle up that quickly. He was using his wealth for the good of others and her heart warmed at the thought.

Perhaps he
was
different from the other people who had allowed money and position to corrupt them. Deep down inside she knew Flynn wasn’t like that. He didn’t use people and lie to them. So why hadn’t he told her about Violet? About the boy? Why hadn’t he been able to trust her?

‘No, thanks, Melva,’ Bergan replied, her words snapping Reggie’s attention back to the present. ‘Just dropping Reggie off. I need to get back to the hospital.’ She hugged her friend again and looked pointedly at her. ‘Call me later if you want to talk.’

‘No need to worry about that,’ Melva said. ‘Reggie and I are going to have a great ol’ chin-wag, aren’t we, love? Now, come on in. Ooh, look. Here’s a delivery van pulling up. Good heavens, it’s like Grand Central Station out here at the moment.’

Sure enough, the driver of the delivery van was soon walking towards them, a parcel in his hands.

‘I’m looking for Reggie Smith?’

Reggie’s eyes widened at that, then she frowned in confusion. ‘Uh…that’s me.’

‘OK. If you could sign here.’ He waited until she’d done as he’d asked, then handed over the parcel. ‘You ladies have a lovely evening,’ he said with a polite smile and just as quickly as he’d arrived, he disappeared.

‘What is it?’ Melva asked, and a stunned Reggie gave it a quick shake.

‘I don’t know.’

‘Then come inside and we’ll open it.’ Melva turned to Bergan. ‘Bye-bye, deary. Thanks for dropping her off. I’ll take it from here.’ Melva pointedly winked at Bergan, not being very subtle, but Reggie decided to let it go for now.

After waving goodbye to Bergan, Melva and Reggie headed inside to see what exactly was in the package. ‘There’s no return address, except for a local department store.’ Reggie closed the door and walked into the comfortable lounge room, remembering to admire the décor of the apartment.

‘Ooh. A mystery.’ Melva found a pair of scissors and handed them to Reggie so she could open it.

‘Hmm.’ Reggie looked slyly at the elderly woman. ‘Is it really?’

Melva giggled as Reggie cut open the top of the parcel, then pulled out a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a pair of soft satin pyjamas and a hairbrush and clean, new underwear that was scarlet.

‘Now,
those
are far more expensive than my tea cups,’ Melva remarked, before whistling, the noise making Reggie blush. ‘Is there a note?’

‘No, but I think we both know exactly who they’re from.’

‘They’re from the same person who’s found this furnished apartment, who’s paying my allowance and who rang me, not half an hour ago and asked if it was all right for you to come and visit for the night.’

‘What did he say?’ Reggie asked softly.

‘He said you’d had a shock and he wanted you to
have some space and time to process everything. He thought spending some time with me, the closest person you have to a mother, might be good for you. I told him I was more like your grandmother but I knew what he meant.’

A lump formed in Reggie’s throat as Melva recounted what Flynn had said to her. ‘You know who he is, don’t you,’ she stated quietly.

‘Of course, dear. I lived in Melbourne for many years. I used to do private hairdressing for the likes of those people.’

Reggie’s eyes widened at this news. ‘So…do you know who I—?’

‘Yes, dear.’ Melva eased herself down into a comfortable high-backed armchair. ‘I’ve known from the first moment I clapped eyes on you.’