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A Merry Little Christmas Chapter 22 51%
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Chapter 22

Merry

It was late evening when Merry knocked on Olek and Nell’s door. She was physically exhausted and wrung out from all her crying. But despite being desperate to collapse into bed, she couldn’t go straight home from Springwood House without calling in on Nell to tell her the news of Ray’s passing. Every time she’d called her number this evening, it had gone to voicemail. Merry didn’t blame Nell for not wanting to take her call, not after the way she’d yelled at her in the shop earlier. She’d thought about sending her a message, but letting her best friend know that her dad had died was far too important to convey by text; besides, what she really needed from Nell was a hug, so here she was to deliver the news in person.

No one came to the door, and now Merry looked through the glass panel, she noticed that there were no lights on inside. She checked the time; it was only 9 p.m., too early for bed. She knocked again a little louder and waited.

After saying a final goodbye to her dad, she and Cole had spent an hour at Springwood House dealing with the immediate affairs which followed a death. It was a new experience for her, never having had close relatives until recently. For Cole, it was a reminder of the hours and days following his mother’s death several years ago. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for either of them, but Merry had never been more grateful that he’d been there to support her. Emily had been joined by Will during the last few minutes of their FaceTime call, and the four of them had discussed funeral arrangements. Emily wasn’t going to rush straight over now, there wasn’t much point, but she and Will were going to come over as soon as they’d fixed a date for the service and stay with Emily’s parents right through until the New Year.

Merry was about to give up and drive off when the door opened, and Olek appeared.

‘Sorry,’ he muttered, running a hand distractedly across his stubbly jaw. ‘I wasn’t going to come to the door at all until I realised it was you.’

‘Is everything OK?’ she asked.

He looked as bad as she felt and if she didn’t know him better, she’d guess he’d been crying. Olek never cried.

‘Why wouldn’t it be?’ His blue eyes were trained on hers as if she’d asked him a trick question. Perhaps Nell had already told him how badly she’d behaved earlier in the shop. Her cheeks flamed with shame.

‘I can’t speak for you,’ she swallowed, attempting to blink away the image of her dad’s final breaths. ‘But it’s been a tough day. Is Nell in?’

He shook his head. ‘Still at work. It was your shopping event, wasn’t it? I guess she’s clearing up after that.’

‘Oh, bless her.’ Merry felt a bolt of love for her best friend.

Even though Nell had been so fed up with Merry that she’d resigned from the business on the spot, there she was, still working at this time of night. ‘It’s just that she’s not answering her phone and I need to talk to her.’

‘She hasn’t got her phone with her.’ He pulled Nell’s mobile out of his pocket. ‘She dropped it on Yvonna’s drive when she dropped Max home. I’ve been over to fetch it. She won’t have heard any of your messages.’

‘I haven’t left messages,’ said Merry. ‘There’s something I need to say to her, face to face.’

She let out a ragged breath. She was getting to the stage in the evening where if she didn’t sit down soon, she was going to collapse.

‘Are you feeling all right?’ Olek asked. ‘I guess that’s a silly question. Do you want to come in, sit down?’

She shook her head. ‘I’d better not, Cole is expecting me home. I … My dad has passed away, it happened this evening. I wanted to let Nell know.’

‘I’m so sorry.’ He gently put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. ‘Dear Merry, you are having quite a difficult time of it.’

‘I am. I feel like I can’t catch a break, so much is happening. Too much for me to process.’ She rested her head on his shoulder, content to take advantage of his strength for a moment. She’d always liked Olek, he was like the brother she’d never had, and he was such a good match for Nell.

‘It must be overwhelming,’ he murmured.

‘First me being admitted into hospital, then Dad getting ill. And now, suddenly, he’s gone for good. But, hey, you’re not having an easy time of it either. Nell told me about your test results. I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope it works out for you. You’ll make such brilliant parents together and there are other ways to—’

‘She’s talked to you?’ Olek stiffened and held her away from him. ‘What did she say?’

Merry bit her lip, wondering if she’d spoken out of turn. After all, Nell had said she didn’t want to talk about it. ‘Not much, only that you couldn’t conceive and that you were working it out between you.’

Olek stared at her so intensely that she felt herself shrinking back from him. ‘So she actually admitted to you that it is me who’s infertile?’ He shook his head, bewildered. ‘I don’t believe this. Am I the only one who didn’t know the truth?’

Olek was the one with the issue? She tried not to hide her surprise. Nell had been so adamant that it would be her that it hadn’t occurred to Merry that it wasn’t. ‘No, no! That’s not what I mean. When I said “you”, I was referring to both you and Nell.’

‘I see.’ Olek looked dubious.

‘But I am sorry this has happened now,’ Merry rushed on, eager to steer the conversation to safer waters. ‘Particularly as neither of you have had problems in the past.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Nothing!’ She recoiled from the anger in his tone. ‘Only that with you having Max, and Nell having had a previous pregnancy, I assumed—’

‘Nell?’ Olek stared at her open-mouthed. ‘What are you talking about?’

Merry was confused, thinking that it was obvious. ‘The fact that she managed to get pregnant before, by accident, should imply that she wouldn’t have any issue conceiving – unless there’s a new issue, of course. I mean, that was a long time ago.’

‘She was pregnant before?’ Olek’s eyes widened with shock.

Merry could have bitten her own tongue out for being so indiscreet. ‘Oh my God. You didn’t know. I assumed… it was never a secret, she was open about it at the time.’

‘Not to me she wasn’t.’ A muscle in his jaw flexed.

‘I’m sure she didn’t mean to keep it from you.’ She wracked her brains, trying to remember if Nell had ever mentioned not wanting to tell him, but nothing came to mind. She’d never have broken Nell’s confidence if she’d known. ‘It was a long time ago, before she knew you.’

‘How reassuring.’ He gave a harsh laugh. ‘You know, until tonight I thought my wife and I didn’t have any secrets from each other. Now I’m not sure if I know her at all.’

‘It must be a misunderstanding,’ Merry said hurriedly. ‘She loves you, she’d never deliberately lie, or do anything to mislead you.’

‘Oh really?’ Olek said bitterly. ‘I’m afraid you’re wrong, because I’ve just heard her suggest to another man that she’d have sex with him to get pregnant and that no one would ever know.’

‘What?’ She inhaled sharply. ‘Which other man? Nell would never do that. Never.’

‘She just has. To the guy in your Airbnb. She was upstairs with him when I called in to give her the phone back. Once I’d heard her say that, I had to get out of there in case I did anything I’d regret.’

‘Woody?’ Merry breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Those two are as thick as thieves, but I don’t think she’s his type. He’s got a husband of his own.’

‘That’s not the point, Merry. The point is that she told him that I’m … that I can’t …’ He stared down at his feet and shook his head. ‘Never mind. I’m sorry, this isn’t your problem. And you have bigger things on your mind. You have my sincere condolences for the loss of your father, may he rest in peace.’

‘Thank you. I’d better get home.’ She turned to go. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve spoken out of turn. You’ll tell Nell for me, won’t you, about my dad?’

Olek seemed to deliberate over his next words. ‘If I see her before you, then yes, of course. Goodbye, Merry. Take good care of that baby of yours.’

‘I will.’ There was something so melancholy in his tone that she lingered on the path, unsure as to whether to probe further, but he smiled sadly and closed the door.

Merry wished now that she hadn’t come and had gone straight home with Cole. She had a feeling that she might have just made things worse for the couple, and not better.

So much damage could be done simply by not telling the one you love how you felt, she mused. And she was just as guilty of that as Nell. She thought about all the things she’d been keeping locked up inside her over the past few weeks: her lack of confidence about becoming a mother, her anxiety about losing her sense of self once the baby arrived. Cole needed to know or else how could he support her? Now, with a funeral to organise and a baby only weeks away from arriving, it was time to loosen her grip on all the reins and let someone else in.

She took out her own phone and sent Cole a quick message before setting off.

When I get home, can we talk?

Gladly. Candlelit bath for two?

Yes please, but don’t you mean three?

Of course, yes!! All three of us! X x (The big kiss is for you and the little one for the baby)

I’m on my way, I love you xxx

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