She checked her watch. ‘Two minutes to go.’
‘Everything ticked off?’ Cooper walked up to join her.
‘It better be!’ She let out a shaky sigh. ‘Oh, stuff that. If it’s not, what’s the worst that can happen? We’ve got cake, and tea, and the sun’s shining. What more do we need?’
‘We’ve got a lot more than that.’ Cooper smiled, coming to a stop a couple of paces away, knowing he wasn’t the only one remembering the last time they had stood here together in the exact same spot.
Emma smiled back, ducking her head as a tinge of pink coloured her cheeks.
‘You’ve done an incredible job, Mrs Donovan.’ He stepped closer, taking her hand as he brought his face within a few inches of hers, near enough to make his intentions clear, while pausing long enough to allow her to respond either way.
‘Please don’t call me that. There’s only one Mrs Donovan and I really don’t want to be thinking about her right now.’ She lifted her head, leaning in so he felt the breath of her words against his lips.
He couldn’t help laughing. ‘Me neither. Quick. Change the subject.’
‘I’m all of a sudden finding it impossible to think about—’
Before she could finish the whispered sentence, he breached the now microscopic gap and gently pressed his lips to hers. Closing his eyes, he wrapped both arms around her, feeling her shoulders drop as she relaxed into the kiss. Seconds after it crossed over from gentle into something deeper, an exclamation burst out behind him, causing them both to spring apart.
‘Oh!’
He spun around to see Bridget in the entrance, her face flushed.
‘Everyone’s waiting to start,’ she said, before turning round and disappearing back out of the barn.
‘We’d best go.’ Emma wrinkled her nose. ‘Goodness knows they can’t possibly start without me.’
‘I’m sure they’d manage without you for a couple more minutes.’ Cooper didn’t know why he said that. Bridget interrupting them had caused his stomach to concertina in on itself. It was probably best to let the moment pass.
‘Yeah, but you and I both know your wife can’t cope with not being there to make one final sweep to check everything and everyone’s in place.’ She released a mock shudder.
Cooper felt his stomach settle back down into a pool of warmth. Yes. He did know that. He was getting to know more about her every hour they spent together.
‘To be continued, then?’ he asked, in a moment of daring.
Emma smiled, taking his hand. ‘To be continued.’
24
Emma
The next few hours passed in something of a blur. I spent most of the time in the barn, serving drinks and food, checking that Sofia and Orla were plating up the afternoon teas correctly, nudging them when tables needing clearing, sending them up to the farmhouse kitchen when we needed more milk or cream from the fridge there.
In the brief moments when there was a lull in the queue, I dashed outside to check whether everything else was running smoothly, winding my way past the stall where Annie was painting young faces and older nails. Paolo was supervising the giant inflatable, Eli and Harry assisting him in taking the money and making sure the children (and their parents) took turns. Moses had set up his kit beside the rugs on the lawn, and by the early afternoon some people had begun to dance, couples and toddlers bopping to his swing classics.
Ben had long since given up filming, and found a seat at what my father and the couple of his ME friends were calling the ‘invalids’ corner’. Every time he said this, Mum let out a tirade about ableism, and people’s perceptions and how nobody asked them to go in the corner. Dad’s friend Margo, who was well enough at the moment to have managed a brief dance, held her bottle aloft at that and shouted, ‘Nobody puts Baby in the corner, isn’t that right, Bear?’ and they all burst into guffaws so loud that none of them could have heard Mum even if they’d been listening.
‘They’re having fun, no harm done.’ I gently took her arm and began to lead her away. ‘Dad’s not had this good a spell in ages, let him enjoy his day.’
‘It’s plenty of harm, nearly two years of fighting to get this terrible illness taken seriously. The whole point of today is too many people trying to shovel those with chronic illness and other disabilities into the corner. Away where we can’t see you, so it doesn’t matter. Now they want to make their own corner, for real? And calling themselvesinvalids.Like a worthless ticket or out-of-date licence. They are not worthless! Bear is as valid as any man I know!’ She swiped at a tear.
It was so rare to see my mamma cry, I resisted the urge to rush back to the barn and stopped to give her a hug. ‘The main point of today is to raise money and awareness, while people have a brilliant afternoon. And look at all these people you managed to get here. Having fun, giving generously, because you’ve let them know how important this is. And because they all know that Bear Donovan only belongs in the corner when he chooses to sit there. Plus, the whole point of setting up the comfy chairs over in the shade was because some of his friends with ME can’t cope with being in all the hustle and the noise. Let them enjoy their corner while they can.’
She sniffed. ‘Okay, so I’m going to check that Sandra Bebbington is not trying to wangle a discount. She’d be expecting money off her own coffin.’
I watched her hurry off and then I headed back towards the barn. Bridget and Cooper were in the farmyard manning an information stall about ME alongside another member of the support group. I spotted Cooper talking to a couple I knew from the village. To my surprise, rather than joining in with the conversation, Bridget was standing behind the desk, fiddling about with the leaflets.
‘Hey,’ I said, smiling at Cooper as I wandered over. Bridget’s fascination with the alignment of the different information sheets seemed extreme even for a postdoctoral scientist.
