"Ugh, am I glad to get out of that!"
Aurora Stapleton suppressed a shiver, peeling off her soaking jacket and gingerly handing it to her hostess with a sheepish smile. "I forgot entirely how rainy it can be in London - I should have packed a more watertight coat!"
"Well, you made it safely enough, that's the important thing." Laura Milligan laughed, deftly slipping the jacket onto the radiator. "An' it will soon dry. If you're soaked as all that, you can go take a hot shower. That'll get the chill out of you. An' what about baby? Is she wet, too?"
"No." Aurora shook her head, casting a glance at the infant who was carefully exploring her mother's shoes. "No, thankfully for Hollie, she has surrogate aunts who think of everything. Copper bought her a new rainjacket the other week in the sales, and I actually remembered to bring it. She's fine."
"Then you run upstairs an' take a shower. The bathroom is the first turnin' on the left an' the towels are in the big cupboard over the sink." Laura told her with a grin. "I'll get 'Ollie out of 'er wet things an' see if she's 'ungry."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Aurora nodded. "Thanks, Laura. It's not the best way to greet you, I know!"
"Well, the rain ain't the best welcome for you girls, either." Laura told her playfully. "It's fine. Now go, before you catch your death!"
Aurora needed no second telling. She was gone up the stairs, pausing at the top as she ascertained where the bathroom was. She found it with little difficulty and dunped her travel bag down on the floor, rummaging inside of it for a dry change of clothes and her shampoo. Then, choosing a big bath towel from the cupboard, she ran the shower, slipping under the warm shards of water with a sigh of pleasure.
"At least this water is warm." She murmured, running her fingers through her thick golden waves. "What a way to turn up -two bedraggled rats on Laura's doorstep. Oh well, we made it though. I didn't think we would, when they started talking about storms over London before we left Los Angeles. It was a bumpy landing, but we made it in one piece and Hollie didn't seem too bothered by it. I think I was a lot more scared than she was, in truth."
She reached out of the shower for the shampoo, rubbing it into her hands till it lathered, then thoroughly washing the cold rainwater out of her hair. "It's going to be nice to just spend a week away from everything and be just...well...Mom. Hol and I don't get that chance very often, not with my job. Being Topaz of Jewel is all very well, and I love it, but sometimes I wonder if I spend enough quality time with my little girl. Sometimes it seems that Cynthia plays with her a lot more than I do. Maybe even that she likes Cynthia better."
She frowned, remembering their goodbyes. It had been late the night before, California time, and Hollie's lip had trembled when she had realised that her favourite playmate would not be coming on the trip to England with them. Pouts had become full blown tears upon arrival at the airport, and Topaz had found it difficult to reassure her unhappy baby that she would have fun on their trip.
"But telling her that Daddy would be around seemed to do the trick." She concluded with a half-shrug of her shoulders. "I wonder how well she remembers him. They only got to spend a few weeks together when Copper got married, and it's not long. I don't know how well babies of almost two retain that kind of information - but she seemed to calm down when I told her Daddy would be here."
She smiled, resigned.
"I can't win. Mom's the one who tells her off when she's naughty, so she never wants me. It's Cynthia or Daddy - I can't get a break. But still, maybe this week away is what we both need. And despite the weather, it is nice to be in England again. Laura's so nice, and I know that Hol's in safe hands with her grandmother downstairs. Besides, it'll be good for Hol to spend some time with a Nana who can chase her around the living room if need be. Mom loves her to death, but she's still too frail to play any of the wild games Hollie seems to go in for."
She rinsed the last of the suds from her hair, stepping out of the bath and wrapping the big bath towel around her, rubbing herself dry. She hummed to herself as she did so, finally feeling the last of the rain's chill leave her tired body. Hunting in the cupboard once more, she found a towel to tie her dripping waves back in, and slowly she dressed, neatly folding the towel and her wet clothes together to take them downstairs.
"Laura, where can I wash these?" She called, swinging open the bathroom door. "My clothes are pretty soaked and your towel isn't a lot better!"
"Jus' put them on the pile with the others in the spare room. It's at the end of the corridor. I'll see to them." Came the reply.
"I can't expect you to run around after my laundry, when it was my fault for being stupid about what I wore here!" Topaz protested.
"It's fine." Laura called back. "You're a guest 'ere, an' I don't 'ave my youngest's washin' to do this week, since 'e's gone away for the fortnight with 'is friend from school. I won't notice the difference."
"Well, if you say so." Topaz looked doubtful, but did as she was told, pushing her travel bag into the landing and heading back downstairs to join her companions. Laura cast her a grin.
"That's better, huh?" She asked. Topaz nodded.
"Much. I feel warm again." She agreed. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing a second towel for my hair - there's a lot of it and I didn't want it to drip everywhere. It probably needs cutting...I think it's getting long and straggly."
"Feel free." Laura shook her head. She grinned. "I consider you an honourary member of this family, anyway."
She cast a glance at the small child cradled in her lap, then shrugged.
"This one was happy as soon as I put food her way." She observed. "Amazing, really, how small kids go for bananas. Cameron was exactly the same. Used to love them mashed with sugar - God knows what it did to 'is teeth."
"Hollie's favourites are scrambled eggs and bananas." Topaz admitted. "Though not necessarily together. I've no objection, though. Both are good for her."
She rubbed her fingers affectionately through her daughter's wavy reddish gold hair. "She looks more alert than I feel, so I guess the flight hasn't got to her too badly. She did sleep through most of it, though. With the weather as bad as it was, I admit I didn't get much rest last night."
"Jet lag?" Laura looked sympathetic as Topaz nodded. "Till I came back from seein' you guys in California a few months back, I 'ad no idea what long distance lag was really about, you know." She laughed. "I stepped off the plane, got into Keith's car an' that's pretty much all I remember. 'E said I was practically asleep by the time we got 'ome and that I slept the clock round. How you girls go tourin' around the place an' still 'ave the energy to jump up on stage the next night I'll never know."
"Practice, I suppose." Topaz pursed her lips. "And we do fly a heck of a lot. In America you kinda have to, to get anywhere. Driving takes far too long."
She made herself more comfortable on the sofa. "I left my bag in the hall upstairs...I wasn't sure where to put it."
"Well, take a moment to catch your breath an' I'll show you, so you can unpack and get some rest." Laura suggested. "It's Avril's old room, an' Keith dug out the old crib for 'Ollie. She's not sleeping in beds yet, is she?"
"No...though I'm debating whether to try it at home." Topaz replied. "But here, this is a strange place...I'd rather know that Ive put her down and she won't have fallen down the stairs by the morning. She does like to wriggle off and explore."
"Don't they all?" Laura tickled her granddaughter affectionately, and Hollie giggled, squirming. "I remember a moment when 'er Dad got 'imself inside the wash basket. I still to this day don't know 'ow 'e managed it. I'd put 'im down on my bedroom floor for a minute while I was sortin' things to wash an' the next thing I know, there's a very angry squeal comin' from the spare room." She giggled. "Funniest thing I ever saw, I swear. I went in there an' there 'e was, sitting on top of the crumpled towels an' screamin' 'is little 'ead off. Oh, I can't tell you 'ow tempted I was to leave 'im there a while so I knew where 'e was while I was busy, but I couldn't leave 'im to cry like that. But the next day we went out an' bought a playpen. First kid an' all, we 'adn't thought of it."
Topaz laughed.
"Well, back home my friends say Hollie is a lot like me in character, but it sounds to me like there's a lot more of her Dad in her than just looks." She observed. "I hope you have some more stories like that, Laura. I'd love to know what kind of things my little girl is going to put me through, preferably before she realises she can do it."
"Yes, though I'm sure my son wouldn't thank me." Laura grinned.
"Is it just us, then?"
"Keith's workin' - he'll be back around half five or six." Laura replied. "Kyle's on 'oliday, like I said. Avril will be over before we know it, too. She's excited as anythin' to meet Cameron's baby. Cam 'imself is around, too. Since 'e got his results, 'e seems to be all over the place at once, sorting out 'is visas and paperwork in time to come back with you at the end of the week. An' Stephanie is at music school. Did Cam tell you she got a scholarship? We couldn't be more proud of 'er."
"No, he didn't, but she must be really good to get that." Topaz was impressed. "As I understand it, they only give those things out to the most gifted potential students."
"Yes, an' Steph worked so hard to get it." Laura could not keep the pride from her tone. "Keith an' I 'ave been so lucky, in truth. Our four 'ave always turned out to be focused and driven in their goals an' aims. Kyle's signed up for the army come September, an' I know he'll give it all he 'as. I don't know. I feel we're blessed. Kids these days - it's hard to really know what they're going to be, with all the things in the world to stand in their way. Money bein' the biggest." She shrugged. "Honestly, Steph's scholarship solved that for us. I don't feel a penny of the money we put into Cameron's education was wasted, but it would've been no mean feat to match it if we'd 'ad to try an' pay for her courses. Then there'd be Kyle and Avril too, if they'd wanted university - which neither does. Avril takes after me...she's all about the family. But even so, she's worked 'er way up to assistant manager of the shop she's workin' in." Her eyes twinkled. "I like to show my children off, like a peacock parent, but when I think of some of the kids they grew up with, an' where they went...well, my four are doin' good for themselves an' I couldn't be more proud of them."
"I hope Hollie inherits that." Topaz cast her daughter a grin. "I want her to be clever, like her Dad. Though I think she already is. And she didn't get that from me, that's for sure."
"You shouldn't do yourself down." Laura chided. "You're just as focused, to be where you are in the music world. I know that's no easy ride, neither."
She stood, hoisting the infant up onto her shoulder. "Come on, let's go upstairs an' I'll show you where you're gonna sleep while you're with us. You look about to drop, anyway, an' you'll be in no fit state for dinner at this rate. Remember, I'm the only one aside from Cameron who's met this little bundle of trouble yet, an' it'd be a shame to make people wait even longer. They'll want to see you, too."
"People? Is there something about dinner I should know?" Topaz looked startled. Laura shook her head.
"No." She replied. "Keith will be 'ome, that's all, an' Avril an' Cameron are both droppin' by to see you. Just a small family meal - it's quite common in this 'ouse for one or both of them to drop by, anyway. I've even convinced Cam to stop for a few days over 'ere."
A wistful look touched her face.
"An' after this week, it'll be a while before I see my eldest again." She added, leading the way up the stairs. "It's always a wrench, Aurora, when they go away...but Cam has never really gone far. This is half way around the world - an' I want to be sure I spend as much time as I can with 'im before 'e leaves me."
"I wish the world wasn't so big, sometimes." Topaz said sadly. "I'd love Hollie to see you guys more often...but it just can't be done."
"No, and I know that Cameron's got to be with his daughter." Laura pulled herself together. "So I'm resigned to it. I'll miss him, but then, they 'ave to fly the coop eventually."
She shrugged. "Besides, I think Cameron is followin' 'is 'eart as much as 'e is 'is DNA."
"I don't understand."
"Well, call me an' interfering mother, but I'm fairly sure he still thinks of you in the same way as he did before Hollie was even thought of." Laura shot her guest a sidelong glance, and Topaz blushed.
"Maybe he does, but I think it's unlikely." She said at length. "Even if he did still have feelings for me, I've betrayed his trust in me every way I knew how over the time we've known each other. And to top it off, I kept his daughter a secret from him for more than a year, and let him believe she was someone else's. He means the world to me, but I don't imagine there'll be any quick fix any time soon. I'm a screw up at relationships, and I think he's finally realised it. So long as we stay friends for Hollie's sake, that's what matters."
"At least Hollie will know both her parents." Laura remarked. "I suppose that is the important thing."
"Yes, and my priority." Topaz nodded, as her colour returned to normal. She stifled a yawn. "And I think the jet lag is starting to kick in."
"Well, this is Avril's old room, so make yourself comfortable." Laura pushed open a door to reveal a small, pastel-pink decorated bedroom with a bed beside the window and a big oak wardrobe pressed up against the far wall. A crib stood in one corner, and patterened floral curtains were pulled back from the windows to let in what little sunlight the day had. "If your 'air 'asn't dried yet, there's a drier in the cupboard under the desk."
"It's pretty." Topaz murmured. "Avril doesn't mind me commandeering her room?"
"Avril's got 'er own place just around the corner, so she doesn't live 'ere any more." Laura responded. She glanced at Hollie. "This one doesn't seem so tired, so I'll take her back down with me, if you don't mind. Spend a little bit of time with my first grandchild while you get some shut eye."
"Okay. Her doll is in my bag." Topaz indicated. "I put it in there to keep it from getting wet, but she doesn't like to be without it long. Thanks, Laura."
She stifled another yawn. "And I think sleep is a good idea. I can't keep my eyes open!"