Snow Going Back

Chapter 30

THIRTY

‘And this one, Lance, look at this one,’ Eleanor said excitedly, turning the screen of her laptop towards him.

‘Oh, yes,’ he replied. ‘That one is lovely.’

He caught Kate’s eye over the coffee table while Eleanor wasn’t looking, and Kate hid a grin. She had no idea what her mother was showing Lance, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t hitting the mark. They were at her parents’ for Sunday lunch before she had to jet back off to Pineview Falls the next morning, and so long as she tuned out her mother’s constant talk of the wedding, it was a day she was truly enjoying.

‘Have I shown you my new amaryllis, Kate?’ her father asked.

‘ Katherine ,’ Eleanor corrected him, barely breaking away from the stream of ideas she was sharing with Lance to do so.

Henry ignored her and simply stared at Kate expectantly.

‘I don’t know, Dad. Which ones are they again?’

Henry rolled his eyes with a pained sigh. ‘Honestly, I don’t know how , after all those years of my attempts to brainwash you into being a gardener, you still don’t know one end of a flowerbed from the other.’ Kate laughed, and he grinned back. ‘Come on.’ He stood up. ‘I’m going to give it one more shot, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll have to try some Chinese water torture on you.’

Kate laughed again and dutifully followed him out. They wandered in companionable silence down to her cherry trees and sat together on the bench. Kate pushed her hands down into the pockets of her long red coat and looked out at the view.

‘Where’s this armadillo then?’ Kate asked.

‘ Ha ha , very funny,’ he replied, nudging her with his shoulder. ‘You won’t be laughing when you’ve been kidnapped by a spy from one of the competing villages and they’re torturing you, screaming, Just tell us where the amaryllis is and we’ll let you live though, will you?’ He raised his eyebrows in mock seriousness.

‘I do worry about that exact scenario , actually,’ she agreed. ‘I hear it’s really common.’

Henry nodded. ‘Very serious business here in the Cotswolds. The war of the rosebushes has been going on years,’ he said sagely. Kate glanced at him, and they both grinned. ‘There is no amaryllis,’ he admitted. ‘I made it up to escape. I’ve had to listen to that same wedding list of your mother’s about eight times. She just restarts whenever someone new walks through the door. I don’t think I can take another round without losing my sanity. Now there’s a good torture tactic. Your mother would be a fabulous asset for the government if we ever end up at war again.’

Kate nodded her agreement.

‘ You looked like you were going to fall asleep, too, so I thought I’d drag you out for some fresh air. You alright, love?’

He sounded concerned, and she rushed to reassure him. ‘I’m fine, Dad, honestly. It’s just been a busy weekend.’

‘Hmm. OK.’ Henry didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push her, either. He looked up at her cherry trees for a few moments. ‘Do you remember when you planted these?’

‘Of course I do,’ Kate replied with a grin. ‘Mum went mad !’

Henry nodded with a wry smile. ‘She was absolutely hopping .’

Kate shrugged. ‘I didn’t know she had plans for this area.’

‘Oh, you knew ,’ Henry said to her surprise. He chuckled.

Kate frowned. ‘ Did I?’ She tried to think back, but the memory was in snippets now, too old to recount clearly. ‘That doesn’t sound like me.’

‘It was exactly like you. Back then, anyway,’ he told her. ‘You were always a good kid, but you had this rebellious streak that would flash up now and then. I used to love watching you in action. It drove your mother insane.’ He smiled at the memories.

‘Did it not drive you mad, too?’ Kate asked, intrigued.

Henry shook his head. ‘No. Like I said, you were a good kid. You had your moments, but you knew right from wrong. You never rebelled just for the sake of it; you’d only get fired up over something that really meant something to you.’

Kate thought back, his words stirring memories she hadn’t recalled in years. ‘I guess,’ she mused. ‘Gosh, that was a long time ago now.’

‘Seems like only yesterday to me,’ Henry replied. ‘But I suppose it was. Back before you grew up. Before you were taught to prioritise fitting into society, like all kids are eventually.’ He eyed her for a few moments, then looked back to the trees. ‘I watched you plant these, you know. From the house.’

Kate let out a surprised laugh. ‘Did you really ?’

‘Yes. I came across you cultivating them in your room and mumbling to yourself that it was your garden, too, and that no one ever asks you what you’d like in it. And I thought to myself, Yes . She’s right .’ He shrugged. ‘So I just kept watching you, quietly egging you on. I even strategically placed what you’d need to plant them in your path.’ Kate gasped, and his eyes danced with a mischievous twinkle. ‘Then, the day you decided to do it, I even hid your mother’s garden tools so she couldn’t do anything before I had a chance to intervene.’

‘You are such a plotter !’ Kate exclaimed. ‘Forget Mum , you’re the one who’d make a good spy.’

Henry shrugged. ‘Who says I’m not ?’

‘What else don’t I know that you helped me with?’ Kate asked suspiciously.

‘Quite a lot, actually,’ he replied. ‘But you know, I felt truly sad when that rebellious streak of yours got buried. I’d always felt it was what kept you true to yourself, to what made you happy.’ He gestured to the trees. ‘ That’s why I helped you with these. No, they didn’t fit in with your mother’s idea of a perfect garden. Or mine, actually. But it was your idea of perfect. It was the garden that you wanted. And that’s what I wanted to fight for.’

Kate didn’t reply, suddenly suspicious that they were no longer talking about trees or gardening at all.

Henry met her gaze. ‘You know, I go along with your mother most of the time because it’s easier , and because most of the time, I really couldn’t care less about the things that mean a lot to her. So the way we work works . For both of us.’ He moved his gaze over to the rockery between the trees. ‘But I want you to know that I will always fight for the girl who planted these trees. You’re my daughter. I will always support you in any decision you make for your own happiness. No matter what that is or what your mother, or anyone else , thinks of it.’

Kate felt a lump of emotion rise to her throat. ‘Thanks, Dad,’ she said softly. ‘That means a lot.’ She reached out and squeezed his hand, wanting to reassure him. ‘You know I’m OK though, don’t you? Because I am.’

Henry patted her hand with a smile. ‘You’ll always be OK, Kate. You’re too clever not to be.’

She smiled and gave him a sideways nudge. ‘Careful – all these compliments are going to start going to my head.’

‘That’s OK,’ Henry replied. ‘If you get too big for your boots, I’ll just bring you back down a peg by telling you you’re starting to sound like your mother.’

Kate gasped and recoiled.

‘You’re not really,’ he told her, standing up. ‘Come on. She should be wrapping up about now, and we should probably save Lance.’

‘True.’ Kate followed him up the garden, tucking her arm into his as they walked. ‘You do like Lance, don’t you, Dad?’

‘Of course,’ he replied, sounding surprised. ‘Why do you ask?’

Kate glanced at him. ‘Just checking.’

‘He’s a nice guy.’

‘He is,’ Kate agreed.

‘Successful, too,’ Henry added.

‘Yep.’ Kate nodded.

‘Your mother tells me he’s handsome, but I couldn’t comment personally. Never been much into blondes myself,’ he joked.

Kate grinned. ‘Well, yes, he is,’ she confirmed. ‘Nice, successful, tall, blonde and handsome, and good at handling Mum. Looking at the big picture, he ticks every box,’ she joked back.

But this time Henry frowned.

‘And what is that, to you?’ he asked her.

‘What’s what?’ Kate asked, confused.

‘The big picture,’ he replied.

Kate gave him an odd look. ‘You know. The picture of the future, of life , I guess.’

‘Hmm.’ Henry frowned. ‘I’ve always hated that phrase. The big picture . It doesn’t actually exist, you know. That a single snapshot could somehow encompass all the layers and nuances of a life in one single frame – it’s a ridiculous concept. A life that hasn’t even been lived yet.’ He shook his head. ‘Life is too unpredictable. It very rarely goes to plan, so how could anyone paint a reliable picture ahead of time?’

They reached the house, and Henry stamped the leaves and mud off his shoes on the outside mat. ‘Someone once told me, many years ago, that – studies and career paths aside, which do need an element of planning – the best thing you can do is live in the moment. Pick a direction and make sure the little things along the way make you happy. Because one day, you’ll realise the big picture was never a goal.’ He studied her face with a warm smile. ‘It’s something that you look back on, made up of all the little moments in life strung together. And if you’re lucky , like I am, you look back and realise you made one hell of a masterpiece along the way. One you’re incredibly proud of every day.’

Realising he meant her, Kate felt her eyes mist over, and she leaned her head sideways onto him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Henry squeezed her warmly, then gently released her.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ she said quietly.

He nodded.

The door in front of them suddenly flew open, and Eleanor stared at them expectantly. ‘ Well ?’ she demanded. ‘Are you coming in, or are you going to just stand out there on the doorstep all day? I didn’t cook this chicken for fun , you know.’

‘Coming, dear,’ Henry said placatingly.

He walked inside, and Kate looked back at her cherry trees for a moment before following her father inside and slowly closing the door.