Mix-Up under the Mistletoe (Glenbriar #11)

Chapter Eight

Tilly

Friday, December 20 th

Evening

T illy swept her hand over her damp hair. Outside was almost pitch black now, and the snow swirled in the headlights like she and Rafe were entering a vortex. It felt like she was doing exactly that, being sucked into the unknown. Everything that had happened in the past few days seemed almost unreal and if Rafe stopped the car now and she got out to discover she was on another planet or in a different dimension, she’d almost believe it.

‘I really can’t apologise enough,’ she said. ‘What I did was so stupid.’

‘Forget about it,’ Rafe said.

‘I can’t. It’s the reason all this is happening. I should explain myself.’

‘You already did.’

‘Not properly.’

‘You wanted to prove a point to your boss or show him you had initiative. Something like that.’

‘That’s true, but I took a gamble that could have gone so wrong. I worked out where your house was from a picture at the Innova office.’

‘Ah, very clever.’

‘That’s what my colleague said. He thought it was the perfect plan to visit you.’ Now it was dark it was easier to talk for some reason. ‘But he didn’t want to come himself as he couldn’t risk not getting home on time. So I did it on my own.’

‘Sounds like he was too chicken to try.’

‘Or had more sense.’

Rafe let out a little laugh. ‘Maybe. You must be a dedicated employee. I hope they recognise that.’

She doubted it. In all her years there, she’d blended into the background, doing what she was told, trying to please people, and desperately clinging to the fact that she had somewhere of her own. Yes, clinging… What she did best.

‘How long have you worked there?’ he asked.

‘Since I left school, which was like nine years ago.’

‘You’re obviously very loyal.’

‘I guess so. I try to do whatever’s needed. The workload has got more and more recently, but sadly the wages don’t go up, and I’m still an admin assistant, even though I’ve covered other roles when people are off sick.’

Rafe made a huffing sound. ‘Pardon me for saying so, but it doesn’t sound like a particularly pleasant environment to work in. Of course, you’ll know I’m not a 1-Quick fan anyway, but the more I hear, the more they go down in my estimation.’

‘I suppose I’ve got used to it.’

‘But you shouldn’t have to, and expecting an admin assistant to do anything other than the job you’re trained for seems wild to me. I’m all for people working their way up, but with adequate support and training. And then the wages have to reflect that.’

That sounded like music to her ears. Surely this was the way managers should think. Memories flickered around her head. Those times she’d wondered about ethics. Occasionally, she’d internally questioned managerial decisions, but it wasn’t her place to challenge them openly.

‘Do you enjoy what you do?’

She let out a sigh. ‘I wouldn’t say enjoying it is the right word.’

‘It’s not my call, but have you considered other jobs?’

‘Not really’

‘Then maybe you should. I wouldn’t expect any employee to do anything other than the job in their contract unless the circumstances were extreme, in which case I’d at least negotiate an interim settlement with them until something better could be formalised. I certainly wouldn’t send them on a snooping mission. Not that I’d send anyone on one of them because I don’t agree with them.’

‘They only sent me because the person who was meant to go ended up being ill.’ Shaking her head, she laughed. ‘My boss thought my smile could charm you.’

‘Oh man.’ Rafe facepalmed. ‘He got that right. Your smile charmed me before I even met you.’

‘Which is very weird, especially considering the cock-up I made of this.’

‘Stop beating yourself up. It doesn’t sound like any of it is your fault. You were sent to do an unethical job, you clearly weren’t given adequate training, and you were abandoned by your superior to do the job on your own.’

‘I’ve been so, so stupid,’ she groaned.

‘You made a decision based on the options you were given, none of which were any good, and you did what you thought best for the business. Your employers should be pleased with your loyalty, if nothing else.’

‘I guess we’ll see.’ She rested her head back. If only Arnie was as understanding as Rafe. Rafe had a knowledgeable aura that came with power. He definitely knew how to talk the talk, but he seemed so much more genuine and caring.

‘It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it?’ he said. ‘I still can’t get over the fact that you, of all people, turned up. Out of everyone in the world I could have pretended was my girlfriend, I chose you and then you showed up.’

‘It’s mad, isn’t it?’

‘More than.’ He leaned forward and squinted out the window. ‘Uh-oh, what’s this?’

Ahead was a steep upward sweep of the road. Red rear lights flickered in it and an engine revved.

‘I think they’re stuck.’ He pulled the Raptor in behind them. ‘Let me see if they’re ok.’ He unclipped his seatbelt and got out.

Tilly waited, watching in the beam of the headlights as he spoke to some people heavily wrapped up. Should she be surprised at how nice he was? Shouldn’t the CEO of a successful company be more arrogant and self-centred? That was her general experience. She couldn’t see any of the management staff at 1-Quick or other companies she’d dealt with helping out someone who’d behaved like her. Or jumping out of their warm car on a freezing night to help a stranger who’d broken down.

Her chest was still tight, and she couldn’t release the tension. What would his family make of the situation? They’d all think her a total idiot for turning up on his doorstep. Who did that? But he’d said she could have a room and stay in it. That was what she’d do. She wouldn’t intrude anymore. They wouldn’t want her gatecrashing their family time. Listening to them in other rooms in the house wouldn’t be much different from watching other people’s lives from the train.

Rafe opened the door beside her, and she jumped. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m going to help clear a path around these people and then give them a push.’

‘Can I help too?’

‘Sure. I’ve got a shovel in the back, and I might have something else we can use.’

Tilly followed him around to the back of the Raptor. Its black paintwork stood out against the whiteness of the snow. It was weird how light it felt despite how dark it actually was. The snow seemed to have a luminous quality. And it was silent, eerily so. She shivered a little as she stood beside Rafe. He opened the tailgate and raked about. For someone who used this for travelling and adventure, it was amazingly neat and tidy – like an advert for an outdoor explorer.

‘You look prepared for everything,’ she said.

‘Thanks.’ He grinned as he reached for something. ‘I like to think so.’ He pulled out a full-size shovel and a fold-up trowel. ‘Which would you prefer?’

‘I’ll take the small one. You can probably work the shovel better.’ She’d never had a garden, or had to dig anything up.

‘Ok.’ He handed her the trowel. ‘We need to move as much snow as we can from around the wheels so they can get a grip on the road. Then we’ll give them a push and hopefully that’ll get them moving. They’re nearly home. Apparently, their house is just another mile along. If we can’t get them moving, we’ll get them into the Raptor and take them home. They can walk back for the car another time, though it’s not the safest place to leave it.’

Tilly smiled at the two people who were using long sticks from the roadside to move some of the snow from around their tyres.

‘Thank you so much,’ one of the men said. ‘I’d rather not be stuck out in this.’

‘Definitely not.’ Tilly shuddered at the thought of what she’d have done if Rafe hadn’t offered her a place to stay… But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she shouldn’t be here at all.

She scraped away at the snow around the front tyres, trying not to watch as Rafe shovelled great mounds of it. But she couldn’t keep her eyes away. He was quite something to watch, especially when he took off his jacket. That sweater clung to a broad chest and shoulders. Even in the narrow beam from the headlights, she saw just how fit he was. Not that she should be noticing.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of scraping, Rafe suggested the driver got back in. He, Tilly and the young passenger positioned themselves around the car and with a bit of huffing and a lot of engine-revving, they got the car moving to the top of the hill where the road levelled out.

‘In you get,’ Rafe said to the passenger. He jumped in and Rafe closed the door. The driver opened his window and called his thanks.

‘Well, that was a first.’ Tilly folded up the little trowel.

‘Always carry a shovel in the back of the car in winter,’ Rafe said. ‘One of the first driving rules around here.’

‘I can’t even drive,’ Tilly said. ‘I’ve never needed to.’

‘It’s kind of essential up here.’ He took the trowel from her and loaded it into his boot. ‘The good thing is, if we get stuck, I have a tent and all the equipment in this car, so we can camp out with a fire if necessary.’

‘That sounds very adventurous,’ Tilly said. ‘And cold.’

‘Probably, and let’s hope we don’t have to do it. This is already an unexpected diversion. We should get going. Mum will be frantic.’

Tilly jumped into the Raptor and closed the door, imagining what it would be like huddling in a tent with Rafe on a night like this. She’d never camped even in good weather, and she wasn’t keen to start her tent experience in thick snow, but the idea wasn’t wholly without merit. It was certainly fun fantasising about it, and for a few moments she swapped her dollhouse daydreams for winter camping ones. Rafe pulled off and his heavy-duty tyres seemed to have only the slightest judder on the hill before they reached the flatter section. The other car was nowhere in sight, so presumably the people had gone on safely.

‘My other sister arrived just as I reached the station,’ Rafe said. ‘Apparently, she and her wife had quite a ropey journey.’

‘Oh… Do you have a big family?’

‘Just two sisters, both younger. Genevieve, who you already met. She’s married to Finlay and my other sister is Cressida. She’s married to Tina, and they have a baby… Well, I suppose he’s a toddler now. Alexander. He’s a funny wee thing.’

‘And they’re all at your parents’ house for Christmas?’ Tilly’s chest tightened a little more.

‘Yeah. My mum loves this kind of thing. Genevieve and Finlay just live in the village so they can go back and forward, but it’s nice when we’re all together and no one has to worry about driving home.’

‘I’ll keep out of your way and not bother anyone.’

He flexed his hand on the wheel. ‘If that’s what you want to do, then, of course, but you’re more than welcome to join us. Everyone in my family is very sociable and happy to have company. But you decide.’

She already had. Once she was safely in the room, she’d stay there. A memory stirred, similar to the one she’d had earlier about her sister. It grew and more joined it, like a snowball rolling through her mind. She saw a journey from the children’s home to a foster family. Maybe it was one journey or maybe it was a collage of them all squashed together. Whichever it was, she recalled how a little seed of hope would spring up as she and Ellie sat in the taxi. Maybe this family would be the one. Maybe here they would find the love and acceptance families were supposed to bring. But her eyes landed on Ellie and her heart sank. What was going through her sister’s mind behind that sneering smile? Plans for how she could ruin their chances this time? Why did she always do that? Didn’t she want a family? She scuppered every chance they had with her bad behaviour, stealing, sometimes violence, running away and constant defiance.

Eventually, when it was too late to be adopted, Tilly had realised she didn’t have to stay with her. The years of being loyal had got her nowhere. As the big sister, she’d wanted to stay with Ellie and make sure she was ok, but Ellie had never cared about anyone except herself… And she hadn’t even done a great job of that. As soon as Tilly left the home, she’d cut ties and never looked back.

She’d kept track of Ellie from afar. Sadly, it was no surprise to learn that Ellie had ended up in prison just months after leaving the home and had been in and out ever since.

With a few shallow breaths, Tilly rid herself of these thoughts. This wasn’t a foster family, and she had nothing to prove, no one who could scupper anything… Except herself and she’d possibly done that already.

Rafe turned the Raptor into the driveway. At the bottom of the curving driveway, Greenacres was lit up like a Christmas beacon. Lights glowed in the windows, promising warmth and shelter. The vacant cavities in Tilly’s heart filled with heat like frothy hot chocolate had been poured in to fill every gap; its nurturing qualities made her chest swell with hope. Soon the dollhouse would open, and Tilly would be allowed back in.

But how welcome will I be?

Rafe parked up and got out. Tilly followed, not sure what to do or say… to anyone. How could she justify being back here?

Rafe opened the door and let her go in before him.

‘Just leave your case there if you want,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell Mum you’re back and we can get a room made up for you.’

‘Don’t put her or anyone to any trouble.’ Tilly placed her case back where it had been just an hour or so ago. ‘If there’s bedding or sheets, I can do it myself.’

Rafe looked at her and his gaze was intense; she wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. His pupils had magnetic powers, holding her fast. He tilted his head and gave her an almost pitying smile. ‘It’s ok. No one will mind. Mum loves having guests.’

Fiddling with the cuff of her top, Tilly followed him down a curving corridor. Sounds of chat and laughter came from a room to the left.

‘Can I wait out here?’ Tilly asked. Was she still breathing? This was horrible. She was an imposter, and there was no escape route. Maybe this was how Ellie had felt about going into foster homes. Maybe she didn’t see a chance for love, but somewhere scary with unfamiliar people she didn’t feel equipped to impress. Was that why she’d fought it? At least in the home, everything was familiar.

‘Of course. Or you can wait in here, if you like.’ Rafe opened a door to a small room lined with bookshelves. A sofa was placed at one wall and had lots of cushions and a big fleecy blanket on it. ‘I’ll speak to everyone and explain what’s happened.’

‘Thank you.’ Tilly kept breathing purposefully and took a seat on the sofa. This room was the stuff of dreams, but she couldn’t relax, not when she knew what Rafe was doing. What the hell would his family make of this?