‘It’s the whole “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas thing.”’ That came from Millie. ‘Which sounds like it should be great, but it’s not.’
‘Okay, that’s enough,’ Brenda this time, and so forceful her daughters’ eyes widened with surprise. She still had on last night’s make-up, although she’d swapped her beautiful non-wedding dress for jeans and a sparkly jacket with ‘Planet Hollywood’ on the back. Eileen wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Brenda looked ten years younger than she had a few days ago. Especially now, when she was sitting forward, eyes blazing. ‘Did none of you listen to a word I said yesterday?’
There were mumblings, but those might just have been thank you’s to Aiden for putting down the tray of coffees. Everyone reached in for their beverage except Brenda, who was still on a roll.
‘Millie Ada Jones.’
Her daughter swung her head round, eyebrows raised, mumbling, ‘Full name. Am I getting grounded and sent to my room?’
Brenda ignored the sarcasm and instead went straight to the point. ‘What is it that you want? Truly. It’s clear to me that you’ve been restless for a while now. Are you not happy? Because there is no one bolder than you on this earth, my love, and if you can’t claim your best life, then the rest of us are lost. So tell me, what is it that you want right here and now?’
Eileen watched as Millie glanced around the table, until she eventually focused in on Zara.
‘I want to stay here.’
Zara’s coffee never made it to her mouth. ‘What? Millie, don’t be ridiculous. We have the shop, we have lives, we have—’
‘But you know it’s not the life I want.’
‘Then stay here, sweetheart,’ Brenda said. ‘Just stay. For as long as you want or until your money or your visa runs out. And, Zara, we’ll sort out the shop. Your dad and I will help and if you need to take on more staff, then we’ll pitch in until you do.’
For a moment Eileen thought Zara was going to cry, but after a long pause and a deep, weary sigh, she finally shrugged. ‘I suppose we could make it work,’ she admitted, and Eileen watched the conflicting thoughts show on her face. She’d already sussed that Zara was a woman who always chose to do the right thing. After Aiden’s last experience with romance, Eileen couldn’t be happier for him that he’d now found someone like that, even if she had no idea how they were going to handle a transatlantic relationship.
Eileen recognised a forehead free of Botox, as Millie raised a sceptical eyebrow. ‘Sis, is this one of those trick scenarios, or do you really mean that because I’m about to sprint for the door before you change your mind.’
‘I mean it,’ Zara replied, with a sad smile. ‘I’ll miss you every minute – apart from your hungover ones – but I want you to be happy. So stay.’
Millie was off Officer Chad’s knee now and launching herself at her sister, landing on top of her with a ferocity that threatened to tilt the chair. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you. And I promise Chad will bail me out if I get into any trouble. Won’t you, baby?’
Millie’s new man spoke for the first time, with a very cute, ‘I sure will.’ He was a man of few words and many muscles, so Eileen had a feeling that this might be more of a Mr Right Now than a Mister Right. Millie climbed back onto his knee when she’d finished crushing her sister.
‘What about you then, Zara?’ Brenda questioned her eldest daughter. ‘What do you want?’
Zara looked at Aiden, held his gaze. ‘I want to go home.’
Oh no. Eileen’s stomach lurched. How could she have got this so wrong? She was sure that those two had made more than just some fleeting connection. And she could see from Aiden’s surprised reaction that he was thinking the same thing.
‘I’m sorry, I do,’ she went on. ‘But it’s not what you think,’ she took Aiden’s hand while she rushed to explain. ‘I want to go home and sort out my shop, especially now that Millie won’t be there. Then I want to come visit you in South Carolina and I’d like you to come and see me in Scotland, because I want us to get to know each other properly. I want to see how that goes before we make any huge decisions or put any pressure on each other. I really hope that’s okay with you, because I think maybe this could be really good, you and me, but you need to know who I am and I’m the person that likes to take my time and give things a lot of thought before I jump. Do you think you can handle that?’
Before Aiden said a word, Eileen could tell from the way he was smiling at this girl that the answer would be yes. How could it not be? He’d grown up seeing what life was like when you were in the orbit of someone who made rash and impulsive decisions about relationships. If that, and his job, and the disastrous ending to his rushed romance with Layla hadn’t given him an appreciation of taking his time, then nothing would. He would be fine, her son, because he and Zara were both the kind of people that were worth waiting for.
The sound of a tannoy sliced through the atmosphere, and the announcement came over that the gate for their flight to London had now been allocated. Time to go.
Brenda, Colin and Zara stood up first, then the others followed. Eileen leaned in to hug the woman that she’d once thought she would never see again. The friend she’d loved and lost, and that she might just have back again. They’d already planned a trip home for Eileen next month and she was counting the days until she saw Brenda again.
‘You take care of yourself,’ Eileen murmured in Brenda’s ear. ‘And of Colin too.’ She’d already said all the sorrys that she’d owed, and given all the thanks for forgiveness, so for now, she just had to say her goodbyes.
‘I will,’ Brenda whispered. ‘And, Eileen, maybe you need to take back your life too. That man over there loves you,’ she nodded subtly in Trevon’s direction.
Eileen gasped, murmured, ‘But how do you know…?’
Brenda winked. ‘I’ve got my sources. Not that I need them. It’s so obvious and you’d be a fool to ignore it.’
Eileen felt her face begin to burn. How did Brenda have even an inkling of the situation with Trevon? And how could she say Eileen should go for it when there were so many perfectly clear bloody reasons why this wasn’t a good idea. But, of course, she said none of that. Instead, she kissed Brenda, kissed Colin and Zara, then stepped back and let everyone else say their farewells.
There was a minor panic when Millie realised she’d already checked in a suitcase, until Zara reminded her that they’d checked it in under her name, so they wouldn’t have to offload it. All Millie had to do was live off the stuff in her hand luggage until she bought new clothes. Tears flowed, as Millie hugged her parents and sister goodbye, and Eileen wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard Millie telling Zara to remember to clean an air fryer. Or maybe she imagined that. After more hugs for all of them, Millie went off, Chad in tow, to let the airline know she wouldn’t be boarding.
When Brenda, Colin and Zara finally managed to tear themselves away, Eileen stood between Aiden and Trevon, and slipped her arm through her son’s as they watched them go.
