Page 117 of Barging In

“Speaking of which, are you ready to face your parents next week?”

“I’m not really sure,” Victoria answered without hesitation, realising she hadn’t given the matter much thought. The lead-up to Christmas had been so busy at the wharf that, thankfully, it had kept her from dwelling on it. “Nervous, I suppose. Sometimes I wonder if it’s best left alone, but we’ll have to see how it goes. There’s a lot of work to do.”

“On their part?”

“Yes, but probably on both sides.” Victoria shrugged. “I’ll give them the opportunity to make amends; at least I’ll know I’ve done my part by trying. Then we’ll see what happens and how I feel around them. We have to start somewhere, and it will definitely take time.”

“I expect it’s more than they deserve.”

Victoria shrugged again. She’d spent many years trying not to care that her parents had distanced themselves, and she was now quite used to their absence. What outcome she was hoping for, she didn’t know, but she was glad she’d booked a hotel nearby and refused their offer of accommodation. That way, they could escape if necessary. It was likely to be a stressful few days, even if everything went smoothly.

“I think I’ll need a holiday after seeing them,” she opined. “How do you feel about extending our trip? We could stop somewhere for the weekend on the way back, decompress a bit before work starts again. Call it my Christmas treat — and a little thank you for everything you’ve done for the wharf.”

“Do you thank all your employees with cheeky weekends away?”

“Ha. It’s not like that,” Victoria said, knowing exactly what Clem was implying.

“Oh, it will be. I can promise you that,” Clem said, wrapping her arms around Victoria’s waist and kissing her neck.

Victoria giggled. “I prefer to see it more as a romantic getaway.”

“Okay, it will be that, too. Which reminds me,” Clem said, “I have a present for you. Well… I don’t have anything to actually give you. Not yet.”

Victoria lifted an eyebrow and rose from her stool to put her own mug in the dishwasher. “You have a present, but you don’t have one? You tease!”

“Yep,” Clem said. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, she blurted, “Every week next year, you’ll have flowers delivered.”

Victoria gawked. “Flowers for a year?”

“Yes, and you can choose what kind you want each week, too.”

“Golly. That’s… lovely,” Victoria said, feeling her eyes welling up. She wiped them quickly. She felt a little silly in her response, even if it was the most thoughtful present anyone had given her. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve you.”

Clem shrugged. “You endured, and then I found you.”

“Mmm, you did,” Victoria replied, drawing Clem close and kissing her.

Clem’s phone vibrated on the worktop. “Ugh, I bet that’s Mum wondering where we are.” She checked her phone. “Yep.”

“Come on then. Best not to keep her waiting,” Victoria said, a flicker of unease tightening her voice. “We can share our news.”

The rabbit-in-headlights look on Clem’s face suggested she was a little concerned.

“If you want to,” Victoria revised. “We can wait, if you prefer?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just a bit worried.”

Victoria rubbed Clem’s arm. “You think she’ll fret over Florence?”

“That’s exactly what she’ll do, but I have a plan I’m mulling over.” Clem tapped her head as she stepped from her stool.

“Okay, let’s head over then, before your mum marches round.”

“Oh, what a thought,” Clem groaned. “Can we move?”

“No,” Victoria laughed, wrapping her arms around her lover and kissing her, enjoying the warm shiver that washed through her. “But we can tolerate our neighbours together.”

“I can live with that.”