Chapter 28: Cora - The Foster Child
By Karen King
Elliot is pulling on his coat ready to leave for work the next day when the Christmas tree arrives. We’d asked them to deliver it either before eight in the morning or after four to make sure one of us was in.
‘Let’s take it into the lounge, ready to decorate tonight,’ Elliot says, taking off his coat then picking up the netted tree with ease. ‘Do you want it by the window?’
‘Yes, please. Then we can see the lights from outside.’ I can’t wait to start decorating it. I’m really looking forward to Christmas.
Elliot carefully stands the tree in the decorative pot I’ve put by the window and I hand him some scissors to remove the netting.
‘It’s going to look fantastic,’ I say as he gives the branches a shake.
‘It’ll keep us busy all evening, I think.’ His voice is laced with amusement. He goes out into the hall and gets his coat to put back on. ‘What time is the mechanic coming to do your tyre?’
‘He said just about five, I wanted to make sure I’d be home.’ Sometimes things crop up at work and I’m delayed. ‘It’s a good job we’ve got the floodlight, he’ll still be able to see clearly if I park it by the front of the house.’
‘I think I should clear out the other side of the garage and you can park your car in there, by mine,’ Elliot tells me.
‘No need, I prefer to leave it outside so I can nip in it if I need to go somewhere.’ Elliot suggested making room for my car in the double garage when I moved in – he’s got the lawnmower and workbench in there – but I didn’t want him to. I’m not that brilliant at parking in tight spaces and am scared of scraping his Merc – as I did when we first met. Plus it’s handier to have the car on the drive rather than having to go into the garage and get it out.
‘If you’re sure.’ He pulls me into a hug. ‘I’ll stop off on the way home from work to pick up a doorbell camera so might be a little late.’
The mechanic arrives ten minutes after I get in and soon has the tyre fixed. Then Elliot comes home with a doorbell camera and fixes it up right away.
‘Now we’ll find out what’s going on,’ he says.
I have to admit that I do feel a lot safer now. The gate is low enough for a fit person to climb over but the camera will show us who it is. I hope it isn’t Violet, I’ll feel so betrayed but I really can’t think who else it could be.
After dinner we set about putting up the tree. I play some Christmas music on my iPad to give it a festive atmosphere, warm up the mulled wine and pour us both a glass and place the baubles and trinkets we bought on the carpet by the tree. We’ve got quite a selection of baubles, and also some candy canes and chocolate Santas – Elliot’s choice. He might not usually bother with Christmas decorations but he’s joining in eagerly this year.
I think back to all the years Lori and I decorated the tree together. It was always our job while Dale put up the garden lights and house decorations. I’m a Christmas fan but Dale is an absolute fanatic and always went totally overboard. By the time he’d finished our house looked like a grotto. I wonder if he still does that now. He’s probably in his element with a toddler and another baby on the way. Dale always wanted a big family. So did I, but it wasn’t meant to be and I’m happy as I am now. Happy to be living here with Elliot.
‘I can’t remember the last time I did this,’ Elliot says as we hang the baubles on the tree, one by one.
‘Really?’ I look at him in surprise. ‘Not even when you were little, with your parents?’
‘My folks weren’t really into Christmas.’ He dangles a sparkly gold angel from a branch then nods in approval.
Elliot never talks about his parents or his childhood. He’s so closed about his past, obviously the trauma of losing his parents when he was so young still affects him so I don’t like to mention it to him.
‘That’s a shame, but now we can make our own Christmas traditions,’ I say lightly. ‘If there’s anything festive you’ve always wanted to do, now’s the time to confess.’
He hangs another bauble on the tree then turns to grin at me. ‘How about a kiss under the mistletoe?’
We’d bought a sprig when we were Christmas shopping. I grab it off the table and hang it above my head. ‘Your wish is my command.’
Elliot’s eyes twinkle as he reaches for me, his lips seeking mine.
* * *
It’s a while later before we finish decorating the tree.
‘Fancy another mulled wine and a mince pie?’ he suggests. ‘I’ll do it, you sit and relax. Do you want whipped cream too?’
‘Yes, please.’ I love how domesticated Elliot is. But then he’s lived on his own for years so is used to looking after himself. Dale always expected me to wait on him, if he made a cup of tea he thought he was performing a miracle. His mother had waited on him, his father and brother and he expected the same from me. I put my foot down, of course I did, but he made such a fuss and mess whenever he did anything it was easier to do it myself. I smile as I think of him now with a toddler and another baby on the way. I bet Selena has him pulling his weight, Lori said that she’s big on equality. Well good for her, we let men off far too lightly.
Elliot’s left his phone on the table and suddenly it buzzes with a message coming in. Elliot doesn’t get many messages out of work hours so I glance at the screen curiously then frown at the text preview – a date flashes across it. Christmas Day 2001.
What does that mean? I look for the name of the sender but the message disappears.
Elliot comes in bearing a tray laden with mince pies, mulled wine and cream. He looks surprised when he sees me staring at his phone. ‘What’s up?’
‘Sorry, you had a message come in and I saw the preview.’
‘What is it?’ He puts the tray down and reaches for his phone.
‘It’s a date…’ I stop as I see a vein pulse in his neck and his eyes darken as he reads the text. He looks shaken to the core.
My stomach lurches. What does it mean?