warmth and love of the Danvers’ family home.
*
A few days later, Ellie and Sandy were preparing dinner together in the kitchen, with the aid of a bottle of wine, when they heard a key in the front door. Ted and Molly had gone out earlier and weren’t due back for a while yet, so grabbing another quick sip of wine, Sandy went to investigate. In the hall, she met Ben and his wife Cyndi slipping off their coats.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, her tone wary.
Ben pulled a face at his sister’s unusually reserved greeting. ‘Nice to see you too, kid.’
Sandy shifted her weight, before throwing a quick glance back towards the kitchen. When she didn’t offer any further explanation for her lack of enthusiasm, Ben continued.
‘We were just passing through. Thought we’d stop and say hi.’ He bent and kissed her on the cheek, ‘And see what’s for dinner, obviously.’ He grinned and Sandy smiled back. Ben’s smile tended to make people do that – it was infectious. Plus, she loved the fact that, despite everything, he didn’t change. His mum’s cooking was still the best in his eyes. She noticed Cyndi standing serenely behind her husband, running a hand over her already perfect hair. Of course, Sandy pondered, he probably didn’t have a lot to compare it to, excepting his own. From what she gathered, his wife was not a natural in the kitchen. And by ‘not a natural’, she meant ‘had never cooked in her life and had no intention of starting now’.
Cyndi had apparently tried insisting on a cook and while Ben had always attempted to do whatever made his wife happy, he’d remained firm on that subject. The thought of someone else being in the house most of the day made him feel uncomfortable. He’d explained to Sandy as he had tried explaining it to his wife, that if he was writing and fancied a sandwich he wanted to be able to pad in and make himself one without feeling like he was in the way in his own home. While Sandy understood, Cyndi had merely pointed out that he would just be able to ask the cook to make him one, completely missing his point. He’d given up trying to explain but had insisted on no cook. If she wanted one when he was away and she remained behind – not that she ever tended to – then that was fine with him. But until then, either he’d cook or they’d get take out. Or see what his mom had in the oven.
‘Hey, Cyndi.’
‘Hello.’ Cyndi gave the briefest of smiles as she stepped towards Sandy and did two air kisses. It was her latest habit. Oh man!
‘Um, Ben.’ Sandy began as she finished mentally rolling her eyes and took Cyndi’s beautiful and very expensive coat. ‘Ellie’s staying for a few days.’
‘Really? That’s great! I didn’t know she was coming over. I haven’t seen her in years!’ Ben cast his mind back, trying to remember when he’d last seen her, and couldn’t, although he did recall the short telephone conversation they’d had after his wedding.
The painting that Ellie had sent as her gift had taken his breath away. He knew how much time that would have taken her and all the four- and five-figure gifts Cyndi had put on their list – an act that still made Ben cringe – couldn’t come close to meaning what hers had.
Sandy had been chatting to Ellie on the phone when they’d dropped round after opening all the presents and, popping into the kitchen, he’d apologised for disturbing his sister as she’d sat on a kitchen stool with her feet tucked up, perched up like a gnome – a position that had always made Ben nervous. When his sister had told him who it was, he’d spontaneously taken the phone and said hi, wanting to thank Ellie personally having been disappointed she couldn’t make the wedding.
What he hadn’t expected was the reaction he’d felt on hearing Ellie’s soft voice and gentle laugh after all these years. And, of course, that accent. Oh man, that accent! Passing the phone back to Sandy, he’d hurriedly got the glass of wine for Cyndi he’d originally gone into the kitchen for and returned to the living room. She’d pouted at the few minutes’ delay as she took it, remonstrating as she did so. Across the room, he’d seen his parents drop their gaze and pretend not to notice his wife’s nitpicking. He knew they weren’t the only ones. Ben wasn’t stupid. He hadn’t expected the whirlwind of their romance to last forever, knowing it would transition into something even more beautiful. Everyone knew there was a honeymoon period. But he had expected the honeymoon period to at least outlast the honeymoon itself.
Things would settle in time, he knew, so he’d given his wife a gentle kiss, taken her hand and tried to forget that his kid sister’s best friend was now no longer a kid and had a soft, unbelievably sexy voice.
That night, he’d lain in bed, guilt eating him up. Cyndi might not have been the woman that his family and friends would have chosen for him but he loved her, and he was, and always would be, a one-woman man. He’d put the phone call out of his mind and replaced it instead with an image of the two girls as annoying nine-year-olds. It had worked. Ellie had become just his kid sister’s best friend again. But he’d always enjoyed her company and would be glad to see her again now.
‘Ben, there’s something you should know first,’ Sandy began as she turned and hung Cyndi’s butter-soft, full-length leather coat on the hook. ‘Ellie’s …’ Sandy turned back to finish her explanation. Ben and Cyndi had gone.
‘Damn!’ She hurried after them, entering the kitchen just as Ellie responded to the call of her name.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Ben exclaimed.
Ellie’s bruised face was a mixture of shock, horror and embarrassment. She wasn’t expecting to see Ben or his perfect-looking wife – and certainly not unprepared like this. Heavy silence hung in the air for a second, all of them unmoving.
‘Excuse me,’ Ellie said, faintly, her head low as she fumbled for the back-door handle, trying to exit with as much dignity as she could, although right now she felt like the little she’d clung on to had just been totally shredded.
Walking almost blindly down the garden, she hurried along the path that wound through the large space towards the ancient, gnarled tree at the end. A rope swing hung from one of its thick branches. Ellie sat heavily on its wooden seat, worn and shiny with use. The wind rustled the leaves and gently creaked the swing to and fro. The breeze felt good on her face, exposed as it was now in this safe, hidden corner. In her mind, she saw again the shock and horror on Ben’s face, the revulsion on Cyndi’s, and closed her eyes. She felt ugly, her face hurt, and her whole body felt like she’d been run over by a truck. Right now, all she wanted was to curl up in a dark corner and stay there.
Back in the kitchen, Sandy had already exploded at her brother. ‘Great! Thanks a lot, Ben!’ Ben turned and stared at his sister, unable to think for a moment.
‘What happened to her face?’ Cyndi asked, her nose still screwed up in distaste.
Sandy was in no mood to be patient or polite. ‘Her ex-boyfriend happened to her face. He had a bad day so he came home and beat the crap out of Ellie. Again! And right now, she’s feeling pretty fragile and worthless and unattractive and both your reactions have really helped, so thank you so much!’ she yelled, fury making her accent thick.
‘Well, I guess she doesn’t exactly look that attractive at the moment,’ Cyndi blurted.
Sandy’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth, about to unleash a torrent at her sister-in-law but Ben got there first.
‘Be quiet, Cyndi,’ he said softly, before heading to the door that Ellie had just left through. Closing it behind him, he left the two women alone in the kitchen.
Sandy stood staring at Cyndi for a moment, anger still flashing in her dark eyes. Keeping her thoughts to herself, for Ben’s sake more than anyone else’s, she stalked across the hall to the study and slammed the door, leaving Cyndi alone.
*
Ben had never felt so sorry in all his life. Just the bombshell of seeing Ellie like that, so bruised and battered, had stunned him. And then, as she’d looked from him to his wife and then Sandy, like a fawn caught