Free Golden Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor Page A

the
mirror.
    "Merry Christmas, darling. How are you
feeling? You sound happier than usual."
    "I am. I decided to stay at a place in the
Cotswolds this Christmas, and it's wonderful. I've met
someone."
    "A man?"
    "Yes, and a puppy. I'm buying a
Labrador-cross golden retriever. She'll be ready to leave her mum
at the end of January."
    "That's wonderful, darling. I'm so pleased.
Colin and Josh would have wanted you to move on. You don't know how
relieved I am that you're finally doing it."
    "I'll never forget them, Mum."
    "Nobody expects you to. We still miss them as
well. Josh was our grandson, remember. We had to cope with the
loss. But life goes on. We want to see our little girl happy again.
Dad's nodding. He agrees."
    Vicky rested her head in her hand. She knew
her mum meant well, but somehow her encouragement to move on always
made Vicky feel guilty for grieving too long.
    There was a shuffling sound. "Dad wants to
talk to you. I'm passing the phone over."
    "Hello, Vicky, love. I'm glad to hear you're
feeling better."
    Tears filled Vicky's eyes at her father's
gentle tone. They'd always been close, but she'd shut him out after
the accident. She knew she'd hurt him.
    "You going to make it over to see us sometime
soon?"
    "I'll try."
    "That'll be wonderful. Just let us know when
you're coming. We miss you, love. I miss you."
    After the conversation with her parents,
Vicky went back to her shower and stepped in. She hung her head,
letting the water stream through her trailing hair. Her earlier
happiness leaked down the drain with the suds. She hadn't just lost
Colin and Josh, she'd lost her whole life. The way she'd reacted
had made a terrible situation worse for herself and her poor
parents.
    She remembered the sensation of lying in
Jonathan's arms, and hope whispered through her. With him there was
the possibility of love and security, something that had been
missing from her life for so long. Yet if she was to have a chance
with Jonathan, she must reclaim her past and accept there would
always be reminders of Colin.
    And it was long past time she visited her mum
and dad.

Chapter
Eleven
    After her shower, Vicky dressed and headed back to Jonathan's
apartment. A growing sense of purpose filled her now she'd decided
to visit her parents and stop running from the memories there.
    She heard the tapping of Jonathan's computer
keyboard when she entered the front door.
    "Hi, I'm back."
    The tapping stopped and he appeared at the
sitting room door, clean shaven, wearing a gray jacket and smart
slacks. It was the first time she'd seen him in anything other than
jeans.
    "You look good." She dropped her coat on the
sofa, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rose on her toes to
kiss him.
    He pressed his nose to her hair. "You smell
good, and I'm sure you look good too. Tell me what you're
wearing."
    As she described her long red dress and black
boots, he skimmed his fingers down her side and smiled.
"Lovely."
    The clock on the mantel chimed twice and
Jonathan sighed. "You know I'd love to spend the rest of the day
here with you alone, but we can't let my sister down." He crouched
and put Holly's special guide-dog harness on, then they went
downstairs and locked up.
    Weak sun shone through the gaps in the
clouds, doing nothing to ease the intense cold but adding a sparkle
to the icy landscape. Vicky pulled her scarf tight and snuggled
deeper into her coat.
    They settled Honey on an old towel on the
backseat of Vicky's car before they climbed in. Five minutes later,
they arrived at the Fat Goose. Chloe burst out of the back door,
wearing a thick sweater patterned with snowflakes and a matching
scarf and knit hat. She jumped on the spot, flapping her arms to
keep warm as they got out of their car.
    "I'm just running over to Holly Cottage to
check on the pups. Wanna come?"
    "Oh, I'd love to see Jessie." Vicky glanced
at Jonathan, aware that he wasn't going to be running anywhere,
especially on the icy ground. "But we can go later when we