Ahhhh, the magic of Christmas in our springtime, please just roll with it folks. These will be my last few updates for a couple of days because I am going to a very green area with no WiFi access. Hooray! So don't worry about me, I should be back on choooosday! ;-)

Part Four

Sarah's teeth chattered together and she looked across the street at the Taxi rank. The line of drunken revelers was longer than she had anticipated. She was annoyed that she had left her coat in the office because it was freezing and now it looked like she would have a very long wait with her arms exposed to the elements.

She took out her mobile and tried a few taxi companies but nobody answered.

'Is he there?' a voice called behind her.

Sarah smiled at the slightly slurred voice of a lady in her fifties and turned away again as she dialed another company, ever hopeful.

'Yes, he's there!' the voice that replied was unmistakable.

Sarah closed her eyes and wished to become invisible.

Caroline helped a lady down the slippery steps and towards a waiting car.

'I'll see you in the morning,' Caroline said to the woman as she placed her in the passenger side.

'Caroline,' the woman took the pale face in her hands. 'Be happy darling, God knows you deserve it. I want to see you smile again.'

'Thanks Beverley,' Caroline held Beverley's hands and placed them on her lap and closed the car door giving a little goodbye wave as the car pulled away.

Caroline turned to head back into the hotel and her eyes met Sarah's who gave her an uncertain smile.

'Oh hi,' Sarah said into the phone. 'Would it be possible to get a taxi please?'

Caroline waited.

'Half past one!' Sarah exclaimed. 'No that's fine, thank you,' she clicked the phone off. 'Shit!'

'Where's your coat?' Caroline asked.

'Work.'

'Oh,' Caroline gave one nod of her head.

Sarah descended the steps in her heels.

'Struggling to get a taxi?' Caroline asked.

'Yup! Looks like I should have brought my walking boots,' Sarah muttered. 'Better go and join the line over there.'

Caroline checked behind her shoulder at the long line. 'Good night then,' she said tersely and went back into the hotel.

Sarah skidded her way across the road and tried to avoid eye contact with two middle-aged men that were in front of her in the queue.

'You look a little bit chilly,' one of the men said with a salacious, drunken look on his face.

'I'm fine,' Sarah cuddled into her shrug and pretended to be doing something on her phone.

'I could warm you up,' the other man offered.

'No thank you,' Sarah said.

'Are you sure?' he asked. 'An attractive young lady like you shouldn't be wandering around on her own at this time of night.'

'Darling, there you are,' a silken voice said behind Sarah and luxurious warmth enveloped her shoulders as someone slipped a coat across her back. 'I told you not to wander off.'

Caroline took Sarah's elbow gently, glared at the two men and led the freezing therapist away from the taxi line and towards the car park where her vehicle was.

'Caroline, what are you doing?' Sarah looked confused.

'I'm going to give you a lift home,' Caroline sounded resigned. 'Wherever that is.'

'Wh… what? Why?' Sarah said.

'Because I can't leave you standing in the freezing cold, without a coat and two lecherous men whose eyes gleamed when you walked up,' Caroline said. 'So, accept the lift.'

'Thank you,' Sarah's teeth chattered again and she allowed herself to be led towards the car.

Caroline's hand had moved from her elbow and on to her forearm and the contact between them felt really nice.

They got in the car and Caroline turned on the heated seats.

'Oh that feels sooooo good on my bum,' Sarah said after a moment or two.

Caroline almost smiled. 'Where are we going then?'

'If you head towards Knaresborough and then I will direct you.'

Caroline nodded and they rolled out into the traffic that ironically was mostly taxis.

Christmas songs played on the radio and Sarah rested her head against the leather seat. Her brain was a little jittery from the alcohol and she realised that her hands were shaking so she quickly pulled them inside the coat and turned her face to look out of the window. The coat smelled of Caroline's perfume and she tried to surreptitiously sniff and apply the smell to her memory.

'Did you have a nice evening?' Caroline asked politely.

'What – oh yes?' Sarah smiled. 'I haven't been to a Christmas bash for ages so it was like a new experience. What about you?'

'Yes, it was very pleasant,' Caroline knew that the conversation was perfunctory but she was still stung from being ditched all those months ago.

'If you take this road here,' Sarah waved her hand to the left and Caroline indicated and changed lanes.

'I really appreciate this,' Sarah said. 'You don't know how much.'

'No problem,' Caroline said lightly.

They did not speak for the rest of the journey unless Sarah was giving directions.

'Pull up here on the left please,' Sarah eventually said. 'That's me, number forty-two.'

Caroline looked at the smart house. It had windows that you drew on a house when you were a child and a red front door that matched the colour of the gate.

She turned down the radio as Sarah released her belt.

'Well, thank you again,' she lingered and finally looked directly at Caroline. 'You look really lovely tonight,' she whispered. 'I meant to tell you earlier.'

'Oh,' Caroline looked down and flicked a piece of lint from her trousers. 'Thank you.'

'So, I should go,' Sarah reached for the door handle.

'Tell me one thing,' Caroline said quickly. 'Why did you ditch me as your client?'

Sarah's heart began to pound. 'Oh Caroline,' she whispered. 'Please…'

'I don't understand and I really need to understand,' Caroline was tearful.

Sarah swallowed hard and wished she were not quite so buzzed from all the champagne she had consumed. 'I think we should just leave it behind us.'

'I can't!' Caroline banged her palm on the steering wheel. 'I need to know the truth. It wasn't because Phil would be more appropriate was it?'

Sarah inhaled deeply.

'Was it?'

'No,' the reply was barely audible.

'Then tell me,' Caroline implored.

'OK, I'll tell you because I have champagne brain right now,' Sarah looked defiant. 'I liked you too much. Happy now? That's the truth.'

'You must have had clients that you liked before I came along,' Caroline looked baffled.

'Yes, hundreds but I wasn't physically attracted to them and I was to you. I'm really sorry,' Sarah said and looked directly into Caroline's eyes. 'I'm not ashamed, I'm only human but I did not want to do you a disservice. In situations like that the lines become blurred and I was not prepared to compromise so I tried to do the right thing,' Sarah sighed. 'By doing the wrong thing, so it seems.'

The expression on Caroline's face was indescribable. She looked like she had been heartily slapped.

'Oh,' she said eventually.

'Has that made you feel better?' Sarah asked.

Caroline thought about it for a moment and then a trace of a smile graced her lips.

'Well, yes I suppose it has a little bit. At least now I understand.'

'Good, and you understand why I could not have told you that at the time? I felt so unprofessional. That had never happened to me before and I'm sorry if my actions hurt you but I had to do it. For both of us,' Sarah shook her head. 'I felt… I felt guilty for thinking about you like that when you were going through so much and I lost all reason to be able to put aside my personal feelings which is something that should never happen!'

Caroline was nodding thoughtfully.

'So, there you have it,' Sarah laughed and looked embarrassed. 'I am a disgrace.'

'No you're not,' Caroline reached out and touched Sarah's hand. 'Thank you for being honest with me.'

'Well, don't tell anyone,' Sarah griped. 'I might get sacked.'

A moment passed and Sarah opened the car door.

'I really am going now. Thank you again for the lift. You're a life saver,' without looking back she slipped Caroline's coat off and left it on the passenger seat.

Caroline waited until Sarah had let herself into the house and a light came on before she drove away.

Somewhere deep inside she hoped that was not the last that she had seen of the pretty therapist.