‘Fascinating.’ Caitlin was once again amazed by the man’s knowledge. He was some kind of unassuming genius with his computer skills and expertise in astronomy. Yet more reasons to admire him, sadly.
Sophie suddenly blurted, ‘Daddy! I saw a shooting star! We have to make a wish!’ Her excitement was evident in her high-pitched tone.
‘I saw it, too, Sophie! Come on, everyone. Let’s make our wishes, but don’t say them out loud, say it in your minds or they won’t come true,’ Grace added.
The four of them closed their eyes and called out silently to the universe for their heart’s desires. Caitlin couldn’t help wondering what Archie had wished for.
‘I made my wish,’ Sophie said in a quiet voice. Caitlin guessed that she had wished to see her mum again and with that knowledge her eyes began to sting.
As if he’d had the same thought, Archie pulled the little girl into his lap, and she nuzzled into him.
After an hour of staring skyward in wonder with the girls, Sophie was yawning and dozing off in Archie’s arms. The dogs were already snuggled up inside their respective tents and Archie helped Sophie inside to change into her pyjamas and climb into her sleeping bag.
The night air held a distinct chill now and Grace cuddled up to Caitlin. ‘I think I’m going to go to bed, too, Mum. It’s been a busy day,’ she said. ‘But I’ve had such a lovely time. And I know you didn’t really like the idea of camping, but it’s been fun, hasn’t it?’
Caitlin nodded. ‘It has. I’ve enjoyed it.’ She was surprised at the fact, but it was true, thanks to Archie and Grace she had acquired a newfound love for the night sky and all it entailed.
Grace hugged her and kissed her cheek. ‘I’m so glad. Thank you for coming, Mum. Love you. Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight, sweetheart. Love you too. I’ll be in soon.’
Archie returned and laid back on the ground, where Caitlin remained, still mesmerised by the stars.
‘I can’t get over how beautiful it is,’ she told him.
‘It takes my breath away.’ After a small interlude of silence, he continued, ‘I could spend hours just looking up. And the more you look, the more you notice.’ Was he still talking about the stars? ‘You know, I heard that Take That song the other day again on the radio while I was in the shop. The one that was on at the barbecue that’s about the stars?’
Her heart skipped a beat. ‘You mean “Rule the World”, it’s one of my absolute favourites,’ she whispered.
He fell silent for a moment, but then said, ‘It’s strange, but it immediately makes me think of you. Such a beautiful song, don’t you think? The lyrics are… kind of poetic.’ He chuckled. ‘Not something I ever expected to be saying about Take That.’
She felt his fingers entwine with hers. He rubbed his thumb gently over the skin of her hand, and she shivered. What was happening?
Suddenly he propped himself up on his elbow and gazed down at her. ‘I’ve never been great at saying how I feel. About expressing things in a way that comes out coherently. I tend to bumble around and make an idiot of myself. And I often don’t say things when my heart is telling me that I should, so I leave things too late.’ That sounded familiar. ‘So… here goes… I think… and I know this is a little out of the blue, but it’s been on my mind such a lot lately… I think the lyrics of that song express perfectly how I feel about you…’
Caitlin gulped air into her lungs as his words rang around her mind. What did he say? Had she imagined it? Was this actually happening? She’d wished on that star only minutes before, but here they were, having this conversation already. Quick work, universe!
She gazed up at him there above her, silhouetted against the night sky, a halo of stars around his head, and the outline of his unruly curls moving in the gentle evening breeze. She wished she could see his eyes, read his mind. She lay frozen to the spot, afraid to move in case she woke up from a dream.
In a split second, his lips were touching hers and her hands found his hair. His arm slipped across her waist, and he pulled her closer until their bodies were touching, perfectly aligned, like the stars above them. The kiss began slowly, but passion built inside her as she relished the feeling of his mouth on hers, and as if he felt the same, his kiss deepened. She’d been longing for this moment, hoping and wishing it would happen, and now it had, guilt niggled at her.
He’d met someone else. She’d seen them together and the way they had hugged. This couldn’t happen. Not now. Maybe not ever. She couldn’t be the reason they broke up, not even if their relationship was new. She’d hate to be in that position herself so she certainly couldn’t do that to someone else.
She pushed at his chest. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t… I just… It’s not right.’ She pulled herself up to standing, grabbed her blanket and let herself into the tent, where her daughter was sleeping soundly. Her heart hammered at her ribcage and her eyes stung with tears that were threatening to spill over at any second.
She’d almost had her wish come true, but how could she accept it when she knew he could be thinking about someone else and was with someone else, someone who Sophie clearly adored too?
26
The next morning, Caitlin woke Grace early. ‘Come on, love, we have to get going. I have loads of stuff to prepare for the bakery. You know how busy Sundays are.’
Grace groaned. ‘But, Muuum, it’s only eight o’clock. Please let me sleep a bit longer.’
‘Grace, I need you to get up now!’ she snapped, immediately feeling rotten for taking out her mood on her daughter. ‘Please, love. I have such a lot to do with not doing it last night.’
Grace’s appearance took on that of a sad puppy. ‘Okay. Give me a minute.’
‘I’m going to nip over to the shower block. You can shower at home, so just get dressed. You can sleep for a bit longer when we get back too if you like,’ Caitlin informed her as she grabbed her washbag.
