Page 58 of Barging In

“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.”

Clem passed her armful of presents to Victoria and knocked on her parents’ front door. Her dad answered almost immediately.

“Ah, there you two are,” he said, relief flooding his face as he pulled Clem into a hug and then nodded to Victoria. “Merry Christmas to you both. Your mum was about to send me round to collect you.”

“Merry Christmas,” she sighed as they stepped into the beautifully refurbished hallway.

There were definite drawbacks to living next door to her parents, as she had found out over the last few months.

She had to hope her mum was less likely to just pop by once she’d moved in with Victoria.

Why did she have to fall for the woman living next door to her parents, of all people?

Her mum appeared, wearing an apron, and wrapped Clem in a hug. “Merry Christmas, you two.”

“Merry Christmas, Mum,” Clem replied , taking in the festive décor inside.

The last Christmas they had spent in the house hadn’t been to celebrate. There had been no decorations then, only the sad task of sorting Gram’s belongings. Now, though, everything looked exactly as it had when Gram was alive, as if Christmases past had been frozen in time.

“You kept all the decorations,” Clem said softly, her gaze sweeping over the slightly mismatched colours and chaotic mix of treasures Gram had collected over the years.

Lanterns Clem had made as a child dangled from the ceiling, and paper chains cut from old scraps of wrapping paper draped across the hall and down the stairs.

Every piece held a story, and every piece was in its place.

“Of course I did,” her mum said firmly. “She might not be here, but I wanted it to feel like she was with us. ”

Clem nodded, eyes pricking with tears. “She is with us.”

Her mum hummed her agreement and patted Clem’s arm. “Go through. Your dad will sort you out with something to drink, won’t you, Tom?”

“Yes, dear,” he replied dutifully.

“Lunch won’t be very long,” her mum called out as she trundled back to the kitchen.

Clem dabbed her tears with her sleeve as Victoria slipped an arm around her shoulder.

“What happened to your old car, Victoria?” her dad asked as he led them into the festively decorated sitting room.

“I’m clearing out the last remnants of the past, Tom.”

“Good for you. Shame, though — it was a lovely motor. That new one’s nice, too. Plenty of space, even room for knees in the back seat.” He chuckled.

“Oh, is it a family car?” Clem’s mum asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway with a tray of canapés, face alight with anticipation.

“It’s just a car, Mum!” Clem tutted. “You know, five seats, goes from A to B. Practical.”

Her mum set the tray on the coffee table and headed back to the kitchen, lips pursed.

“Oh, Victoria! While I remember,” her dad said, moving closer as she placed presents under the Christmas tree, “I think we should trim the hedge between our driveways.”

Clem groaned inwardly. The last thing she wanted was her mum monitoring their comings and goings.

“That’s fine,” Victoria said. “It could certainly do with tidying up a bit. I don’t recall it ever being cut.”

“It must be over twelve feet, but don’t worry, we won’t go too short. I know you’ll want your privacy from old Sticky Beak,” Clem’s dad said, nodding towards the kitchen.

Clem let out a breath of relief. She could always rely on her dad to circumnavigate her mum and her ‘ways’.

As they settled onto the sofa, Clem admired the room.

It was such a contrast to how it had felt on previous Christmases.

A new cast-iron, traditional fireplace occupied the old hearth, and brand-new furniture filled the space — except for Gram’s threadbare old chair.

That remained where it had always stood, unchanged, as if time had simply moved around it.

“Do you think you’ll need me again next year as Father Christmas?” her dad asked her, pouring champagne into two glasses. “I really enjoyed it.”

“I think so, don’t you?” Clem said, looking to Victoria for the final response.

“Absolutely. You did a great job.”

Her dad beamed and handed them their drinks.

“It was lovely to see all the children’s faces, thinking I was the real Father Christmas. Though I’m not sure your mum quite cut it as an elf.”

Right on cue, her mum appeared again to top up her own champagne glass. “We were on a tight schedule, Tom!” she scolded. “Left to your timing, that queue of children would still be waiting.”

The corners of his mouth drooped, and his eyes rolled. “Yes, dear.”

Clem grinned at him.

“Lunch is ready. I think it’s best if everyone just helps themselves rather than me dishing it all up,” her mum said, heading out of the room.

They all tucked into a delicious lunch beneath the impressive, lantern-style roof in the conservatory extension, and then settled back into the sitting room. As her mum took Gram’s chair, stepping fully into her role as the matriarch of the family, Clem decided it was time to share their news.

“I have something to tell you,” she began, only to find Victoria’s hand in hers, giving a reassuring squeeze. “We have some news.”

Clem’s mum put her hands to her face, eyebrows arching, full of hope.

“No, Mum! I’m not pregnant. Jeez.”

Her mum’s expression dropped as quickly as her hands to her lap, much to everyone’s amusement.

As the laughter settled, Clem continued. “Victoria has asked me to move in with her.”

Her dad shot her a wink. “Congrats, you two. I hope you’ll both be very happy together.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Her mum frowned. “But what about Florence? You’re not going to sell her, are you?”

“Of cour?—”

“What about the business?” her mum interrupted. “I thought you’d reopen in the spring.”

“There’s so much work to do at the wharf, Mum. I need to be there full-time. I enjoyed my time running a business, but it wasn’t really for me.”

Clem looked to Victoria, realising she should have probably run the idea past her first, but she had only just decided. “If that’s okay with you, I mean.”

“Of course it is.” Victoria smiled. “More than okay.”

“Is this her doing?” her mum said, nodding at Victoria.

Clem grimaced, wishing her mum wasn’t quite so blunt.

“This has nothing to do with Vic, Mum, and everything to do with what I want. I’ve been at the wharf full-time leading up to Christmas, and I don’t want to go back to serving coffee and cake out of a hatch.

I love working at the wharf, and I love working with Vic.

” She gave Victoria’s hand a squeeze and received one in return.

“I’m sure I’m going to love living with her, too. ”

“Well, as long as you’re happy, that’s all we care about. Isn’t it, Barbara?” her dad affirmed.

“Oh yes,” her mum muttered. “Haven’t I been telling you all along you needed a steady job in marketing?”

Clem rolled her eyes. It was typical of her mum to now make it sound like it had all been her idea and she’d just been waiting for Clem to catch up.

“You’ll keep Florence, won’t you?”

“If you’d let me finish what I was trying to say,” Clem said through a gritted smile, “you would have heard that I’m giving her back to you.”

Her mum blinked. “To me? Really?”

“Yes. I have no use for her now, and I can’t think of anyone else who would look after her as well as I do. Although… maybe if I can persuade this old landlubber to an occasional boat trip” — she nudged Victoria — “we might borrow her occasionally.”

Her mum began to flap her hands, but her dad was already there with the tissues. Clem rarely saw her mum cry; the only times had been when she was moved by Florence. It was nice to see that, buried beneath her fussiness, there was a heart after all.

“I’ll look after her,” her mum said, sniffling into a tissue. “I’ve missed having a boat these past months. We can take her out, Tom, cruise around like we used to.”

“I thought you could open her as a B&B or hire her out,” Clem gently suggested. “It would give you something to do, Mum.”

“What a good idea. It would supplement our pensions nicely, wouldn’t it, dear?” Clem’s dad said, winking at his daughter.

Clem smirked back at him and mouthed, “Merry Christmas.”

Her mum blew her nose and took a breath.

“I lost my home of twenty years, and now I’m living back in my old one while another bobs about at the end of the garden,” she said, a note of melancholy in her voice. “But… without Gram…” She sighed deeply, unable to go on.

“Mum,” Clem said, sharing a wary glance with her dad and Victoria, “how much have you had to drink?”

“Not enough, but, yes, that’s enough sentimental stuff.” She shook her head briskly, then slapped her knees. “We were thinking of holding a New Year’s Eve party, weren’t we, Tom?”

“Yes, dear, you were,” he drawled.

She knocked him with the back of her hand. “Helen and Graham said they’d come, and Jasper and Max.” She looked at her watch. “In fact, they should be joining us shortly for a few drinks.”

“Oh, sorry, Barbara,” Victoria said tentatively. “We won’t be here for the new year. My parents have invited us to the Lake District for a few days.”

“Oh, right. Well, not to worry. I’m sure we’ll survive without you both,” Clem’s mum replied, her smile a little too tight to be convincing as the doorbell rang out.

“Oh, speak of the devils!” She leapt from the chair and staggered to the front door, her brief disappointment at her daughter’s absence for New Year’s Eve vanished.

Jasper and Max filed into the sitting room a few minutes later, weighed down by bags full of chinking bottles. Helen and Graham followed, each carrying a couple of bottles of wine .

“Does anyone want a Juicy Squeeze?” Jasper shouted over the hubbub, holding up a bottle of cider.

“Not so soon after lunch,” Clem’s dad called back, “but maybe you could give me one later.”

Everyone laughed as they found seats, and Clem’s mum fussed around with handing out glasses.

“You all missed Clem’s news,” she said once everyone had settled. “She’s moving in with Victoria.”

Words of congratulations filled the room.

“And I’ve got Florence back,” she added.

“What?” Jasper and Max exclaimed in unison, looking between Clem and Victoria for clarification.

“Yes,” Clem confirmed. “I’m going to be working full-time at the wharf now, so Florence is going to be looked after by Mum.”

“That’s great news,” Jasper said jubilantly. “We’re more than happy to have you. You’re still baking, aren’t you?” he added, concern lacing his tone.

“Of course,” Clem replied. “I wouldn’t leave you without your coffee and walnut now, would I?”

“I’m glad you finally made a decision,” Max said with a wink.

“Does anyone want anything to eat?” Clem’s mum offered. “We’ve got loads left over from our Christmas lunch.”

A resounding no came as everyone patted their stomachs and shook their heads.

She opened a sideboard and extracted multiple boxes and tubs of chocolates. “Well, I’ll just leave these on the table in case anyone wants one.”

Within seconds, everyone was diving forward, grappling for the treats.

They settled into an afternoon of charades, board games, and laughter in front of a roaring fire. As the evening crept in, and feeling full of finger food, Clem felt Victoria’s hand pressing against her leg.

“Shall we head off soon?” Victoria whispered. “That Victoria sponge you left in the oven is going to be over-baked soon, and I know how you like it moist in the centre.”

Clem shot her a wide-eyed, very interested look. “Okay, let’s go,” she said, standing up quickly. “We’re going to head off.”

Tired groans of protest echoed around the room.

After they’d all said goodbye, Clem’s mum and dad walked them to the door.

“We’ll give you some money for Florence,” her dad said, giving her a hug. “It’s only fair we buy her from you.”

“If you’re sure,” she said. “I could certainly use the cash.”

“We’re sure,” he replied firmly.

“Maybe you could use it at a sperm bank,” her mum slurred in a tipsy whisper.

Clem spat out a laugh. “Mum! You did not just say that.”

Her mum giggled guiltily, but soon they were all laughing. Clem reached out her hand for Victoria and was given a steadying squeeze.

“Come on, Vic,” she said as she tried to regain her breath. “We should leave before she tries to lend us her turkey baster.”

Having said their goodbyes, they walked across the drive hand in hand, swaying a little as they walked.

“That went better than I expected. It was lovely to see everyone,” Clem said, feeling content with the world and the life-changing decisions she’d made in the last twelve hours .

“It was,” Victoria agreed. “I really enjoyed it… bar a few of your mum’s comments.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Clem said with a sheepish smile.

“It was still far better than previous Christmases, that’s for sure,” Victoria said, her tone thoughtful as she gazed up at the dark sky. “I’m not sure where I’d be now if you hadn’t barged into my life the way you did.”

“Oh, we’re doing canal puns, are we? Anyway, you were the one doing the barging . You came for my sign, remember?”

“Only because you barged into my territory. There I was, happily minding my own business, when Storm Clem whipped along the canal, stopping right outside my window.”

“Like I said to you then, no one was forcing you to look,” Clem teased.

“Oh, but you were, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off you,” Victoria said, kissing the back of Clem’s hand as they reached their front doorstep. “Just like you couldn’t keep yours off my nipples after Max fished me out of the canal.”

Clem laughed. “I remember. And you don’t have to keep your gaze off me, anymore, you can lock eyes with me every morning,”

“And I couldn’t be happier,” Victoria said, kissing Clem under the mistletoe hanging from the porch. She pulled back suddenly. “Hey, was that another canal pun?”

“Might have been.” Clem smiled as she stole another kiss. “And now you see you were wrong. Love isn’t overrated — or for the young. It finds you when you least expect it. And sometimes, it’s the best thing you could ever hope for.”

Victoria’s lips curved into a soft smile as she unlocked the front door and pulled Clem inside. “I’d say you’re that best thing,” she whispered.

“I think you already did, multiple times,” Clem teased.

The scent of home enveloped her, as Victoria closed the door behind them.

THE END