Chapter 11
When Caroline got to Conway Drive she could see her Mum's car in the drive which meant she was back. Caroline hoped she hadn't seen John and found out about the plan to sell the house already. She went straight round to her Mum's flat. She knocked on the door and Alan answered.
"Hello love, come in," he said genuinely pleased to see her.
"Thanks Alan, how are you?" She asked as she stepped through the door.
"I'm fine love. How are you and Kate?"
Caroline was taken aback by his question and she wondered if he had questioned her mother over her attitude towards them.
"We're great thanks Alan," she smiled and Alan could tell just from her demeanour she was happy.
"Hello," said Celia, crossing the room to join them.
"Hello Mum," Caroline bent down to kiss her, "how long have you been back?"
"Oh not long."
"Do you fancy a cuppa Caroline?" Asked Alan.
"Yes that'll be lovely."
Alan went to make the tea knowing that mother and daughter needed to talk but also grateful for the excuse to get out of the line of fire.
"So how have you been?" Asked Caroline.
"Fine. I'd ask you the same but you would only tell me," Celia said with an edge to her voice.
"Oh Mum don't."
"What," Celia said innocently.
"I might as well get straight to the point. Kate and I are going to live together which means I will need to sell the house."
"Oh I see."
"I know this will affect you and Alan, so that's why I wanted to talk to you before you heard it from anyone else."
"What about John?"
"He knows, he has got a choice, he can either buy me out or split the proceeds of the sale."
At that point Alan walked in with the tea and Celia wasted no time in filling him in with Caroline's news. He had a completely different reaction to Celia.
"That's great news," he said earning a stare from Celia which he ignored, "are you and Kate buying something together?"
"Yes we thought it best if we had a fresh start," Caroline was grateful that Alan was interested in her new life with Kate.
"We are thrilled for you both aren't we love," he looked at Celia waiting for her response.
"Mmm," was all she could manage which was an improvement on what she had said the last time she had seen Caroline at Kate's house.
Caroline stifled a laugh at her mother's response to Alan.
"Don't you worry about us love; it's about time we found a little bungalow for us, right Celia."
"Yes love," Celia wanted to say more but knew Alan would not like it.
"Kate and I would like to invite you both over for Sunday lunch next week."
"That sounds lovely doesn't it Celia," said Alan, looking at his wife for confirmation.
"Yes," she replied in a monotone that Caroline wasn't buying.
"Look we would both like you to come over, it will give you a chance to meet Flora," said Caroline automatically smiling when she thought about the beautiful little girl she had lost her heart to.
"Who," said Celia.
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," said Caroline.
"Celia," admonished Alan, "Caroline we would love to come."
"No Alan, that's not true. I cannot sit around a table with your pretend family playing at happy families," Celia could stand it no longer, she had to say what she felt, "I can't be a hypocrite."
Alan looked aghast and Caroline stood up.
"Fine suit yourself," she said, suddenly wanting some air, "thanks for the tea," she was half-way out the door when Alan stopped her.
"Caroline come back, lets talk about this," he said.
"Thanks Alan but it's no use. If my own Mother doesn't accept me for who I am and isn't interested to get to know the people I want in my life then so be it. There's not much more I can do is there?" She kissed him and turned to walk towards the house.
Alan knew she was right and he was angry with Celia who still had such blinkered views of her own daughter.
"If you carry on like this you are going to lose her, I can't believe you want that," he said to Celia as he walked passed her.
oOo
Caroline was in the kitchen. Her kitchen. She looked around feeling detached. She was always so determined to keep hold of this house at all costs thinking it would make her happy. How wrong could she be? She now knew her home was wherever Kate was. It had been a hard lesson for her to learn but she had learnt it and she thanked the stars that Kate had let her be a part of her life.
Her phone pinged with a text.
Hope things are going well.
I have a bottle of champagne on ice,
Can't wait for you to come home.
Kate x
Caroline smiled and sent a message back.
I love you
C x
She didn't want to tell Kate what had happened with her Mum over a text so she would wait until she got home. Caroline had just sent her message to Kate when she heard a woman's voice coming from upstairs. She didn't recognise the voice it was muffled.
"Okay I'll bring the bottle upstairs," the woman, who was now on the stairs, said.
Caroline recognised the voice as belonging to Gillian. This was confirmed seconds later when she strolled into the kitchen dressed only in a dressing gown. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Caroline.
"Hello," said Caroline, who wanted to burst out laughing when she saw the look of shock on Gillian's face. She didn't, she decided she would take great delight playing the snotty bitch.
"Caroline, what are you doing here?" Gillian managed to say despite her shock.
"It is still my house the last time I checked."
"Oh I know, I wasn't saying, I mean how long have you been here?" Gillian had the air of a drowning woman.
"About five minutes."
Gillian suddenly remembered what she was wearing.
"This isn't what you think it is," she said gesturing to her attire.
"What do I think?" Asked Caroline thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Well I mean John called. He was upset after you told him to leave and so I came over. I've just had a shower," Gillian was digging a bigger and bigger hole for herself. "We haven't you know."
The side of Caroline's mouth twitched as she struggled to keep the smile from her face. She did feel slightly irked that Gillian was treating her like an idiot by trying to cover up what was actually going on. She opened the fridge and took out the opened bottle of white wine and handed it to an open mouthed Gillian.
"Tell John I said hello," she said and then walked out, leaving Gillian speechless.
oOo
Kate bent over struggling to catch her breath because she was laughing so much as Caroline regaled her with her encounter with Gillian in the kitchen.
"What did she do when you handed her the wine?" Kate asked having regained her composure.
"Nothing, but the look on her face."
"Caroline I don't know how you kept a straight face," Kate wiped her eyes.
"No neither do I. There is a more serious issue though isn't there, she is cheating on Robbie."
"You're not surprised are you?"
"No, but Mum and Alan are next door, what if one of them had walked in on them instead of me," said Caroline who still could not work Gillian out. She married Robbie for some security but then was trying to ruin that at every opportunity.
"Talking of your Mum, how did she take the news?" Asked Kate who had not had a chance to ask until now because when Caroline came home she had barely got through the door when she had pinned Kate to the wall and ravished her. Not that Kate was complaining, suggesting to Caroline that she should do that every time she came home.
Caroline got up from the sofa and walked out. Kate, who was puzzled by her reaction, followed her. She was in the kitchen with her hands on the edge of the sink looking out of the window. Kate stood next to her and let her little finger cover Caroline's.
"It didn't go well," said Caroline still looking out of the window but feeling grateful for Kate's caring touch.
"She doesn't want to move?" Asked Kate not catching her drift.
"No she is fine with moving," she turned to look at Kate, "it's us she has a problem with. I asked them over for lunch next week and she said she couldn't be a hypocrite by sitting down with my pretend family," Caroline rubbed her eyes; she didn't want to cry yet again over the attitude of her Mother.
Kate rubbed her back, "she said that, pretend family," Kate found Celia's attitude towards Caroline baffling; it was something she had never experienced from her own Mother.
"So it looks like it's just us for lunch next week. Maybe we could invite Lawrence over, what do you think?" Caroline had her hands on Kate's hips.
"Of course, that'll be lovely."
"Great, how long do you think we've got before Flora wakes up?" Caroline's hands were inside Kate's shirt playing with the clasp of her bra.
"Caroline don't you think you should sort out this situation with your Mother?" Kate said trying not to get distracted by Caroline's wandering hands.
"Mmm," Caroline wasn't listening to what Kate was saying; she was far more interested in the feel of the lace of Kate's bra.
"Caroline," Kate put her hands on her shoulders and made Caroline look at her to show she was being serious.
"What can I do Kate? She has made her feelings clear, I can't force her to accept me and I don't want to subject you and Flora to her nasty views and opinions," Caroline tried to resume her attempts to take off Kate's bra but Kate stepped back out of her reach.
"Kate just forget about my Mother," she pinned her against the sink, "lets make the most of our quiet time before Flora wakes up. Now you said something about champagne," she started kissing Kate's neck leaving her in no doubt of her intentions.
"Oh no," Kate said suddenly.
"What," said Caroline, thinking she had done something wrong.
"Bread, we need bread. I should have got some yesterday but I forgot," she moved away from Caroline and headed for the door, "I won't be long," she said over her shoulder, leaving Caroline to wonder what had just happened.
"Kate you don't need to get it now, it's not important," she said to a retreating Kate but it was no use she was already out of the front door before she had finished speaking.
oOo
Kate knocked on the door and stood back waiting for a response. The door opened.
"Hello Celia," said Kate.