In Any Event 7.
"Where are they?" Celia asked looking down into Mya's big dark eyes. "Where have they gone Mya?" She asked, taking Mya's little hand and leading her through the bungalow into the hallway and to the foot of the stairs. The older woman looked around her as she went. "Not here!" She said loudly.
Mya put a hand up, palm facing the sky. "Gone!" She said.
The pair turned around and headed back to the lounge.
"They must be around here somewhere!" Celia said dramatically, pretending not to hear the giggle coming from across the room and the twitching of a large bump in her long curtains.
Celia knelt onto the couch and leaned over to check behind it. "Not behind here."
"Raaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Calamity jumped from behind the curtain, roaring and holding her hands up like claws.
Celia clutched at her chest and collapsed into the couch. "Oh my! good grief!"
Mya had jumped at the sudden appearance, an uncertain look on her face and now she backed into Celia legs. Celia moved forward and put an arm around Mya.
"Don't worry sweetheart." Celia whispered into the little ones ear. "It's just our Calamity being daft. You can see who's going to grow up to be the farm hand in this family." She teased, rubbing Mya's shoulder in reassurance.
Calamity was laughing loudly and skipped back to the curtains, pulling them aside to reveal Alan standing there looking sheepish.
"Grandad!" Calamity announced happily, as if she had produced him herself. "Found you!"
Mya had regained a little of her confidence now and she ran over to Alan taking his hand and helping Calamity in pulling him out from his hiding place.
Kate had come to lean in the doorway and watch the game with delight. How ironic that the moment her daughter had met Caroline's mother she had taken to her instantly. It reminded Kate of how cat's seemed to always go and sit in the lap of the only person in the room that didn't like cats. Not that Celia had been upset by the little girls sudden attentions, she had seemed quite happy to have Mya's little arm wrapped around her leg as she stood talking or have her sitting beside her at Caroline's house.
So when Caroline had told Kate that Celia had invited them for dinner Kate had replied.
"Ha! You mean she has invited you and Mya and she'll put up with me."
Caroline appeared behind Kate now and wrapped one arm slowly around her waist, holding Kate's back against her and dropping a kiss on the shoulder that was bared by her slouch top.
Celia had turned at hearing Caroline's arrival and smiled at the sight of her easy demonstration of affection. They had come such a long way from that excruciating dinner, where Celia had flinched away, repulsed at Kate touching Caroline's hand.
Alan sat beside his wife on the couch and let his hand find hers, while Calamity grabbed at Mya's hand and shouted.
"Hide My!" Pulling them both quickly behind the same curtain she had come from moments ago.
Alan took the chance in the brief respite, as the two girls tried to quiet their giggles, to kiss Celia's cheek and flash her a wink, before he was up again and off in search of the girls, passing Caroline and Kate in the doorway and wandering into the hall calling.
"Mya! Emily Jane! Where are you?!"
Kate watched as the process was repeated and as Alan returned to the lounge looking around him the two girls burst from their hiding place.
"Raaaaaahhhhhh!" They yelled together.
Then Mya broke ranks and ran over to Celia, pouncing into her lap and giggling loudly.
Kate backed into Caroline a little more and out of the lounge, leaving the happy occupants to it.
"We'll check on dinner." She called to no one in particular, pulling Caroline away from the door toward the kitchen but pausing to lean into her blonde for a slow kiss.
The door bell rang.
"I'll get it!" Caroline called as she passed the lounge to get the door, Kate making her way back into the kitchen.
Caroline opened the door to find Gillian taking her wellies off on the doorstep. "Hiya!"
Gillian smiled. "Alright? Give us hand will you?"
Caroline reached her hand out, steadying Gillian's arm as she balanced on one leg and pulled at her second wellie.
"Thanks." She said as it came off suddenly and sent her wobbling over, stopped by Caroline's arm.
Gillian reached up and gave Caroline an unexpected hug, squeezing her firmly.
Caroline looked a little surprised but grinned at her step sister. "Any time."
"Grandma!" A voice called from behind Caroline.
Xxx
Caroline had poured Gillian a glass of wine and the three women now sat in the kitchen watching through the patio doors as Alan supervised Calamity's attempts to water Celia's new rose bush. Mya sticking close to Celia as ever.
"So what did he think when you showed up?" Gillian asked.
"He wasn't delighted." Caroline said. "But there isn't a thing he can do about it. He doesn't really know quite what to do with Mya yet. I think he feels more than a little awkward and she spends most of the time bringing things over to me to play. I suppose that's better for me, at this stage she knows me better but...I don't know how I'd feel if she was excited to see him or calling him Daddy!" Caroline said with trepidation.
Kate offering her support with a quite arm that wrapped around her shoulders and a quick kiss to the temple.
Gillian made a face. "Yeah, that would be shit. Do you think it'll come to that? Do you think he's going to stick around?"
Caroline shrugged with a sigh. "Who knows? Plus I've only myself to blame really."
"Hey!" Kate admonished. Planting a kiss on Caroline's nose, lacing their fingers together and staring down the pouting blonde, causing Gillian to laugh at the timidity that Kate brought out in the feisty headmistress.
"What about you?" Kate turned her attention to Gillian. "Anything happening on the love life front?"
"Me! No, complete disaster area as usual." Gillian said lightly. "Suppose I should get myself on Facebook or a dating website... or young grannies r us."
Kate gave her a sympathetic look that had her knocking back the rest of her drink and changing the subject.
"Oh look at them." Gillian said suddenly as she glanced out to the garden. Her Dad and Celia were arm in arm with a little girl each, hanging off their other hand. "They're so cute." She said stepping over to the double doors and popping them open so she could go out and join them.
"They're adorable, your Mum and Alan." Kate announced. "They really make you believe in destiny, don't they?"
Caroline wrapped her arms around Kate and kissed her carefully. "I believe in destiny." She agreed with a grin.
xxx
Kate was just coming out of the bathroom when she met Celia who was popping back into the kitchen. Celia smiled genuinely and Kate felt a little uncertain as she smiled back.
"Kate." Celia said, halting Kate's escape back to the sitting room. "I am glad you came today. Mya is such a darling girl." Celia complimented.
Kate nodded. "Thanks for having us. She's had a great time." Kate replied, moving to the door.
Celia put a hand out to Kate's arm. "I know I've had my reservations...in the past, about you and Caroline...but well, I can see that she's happy and I do hope the pair of you can make it stick this time around."
"I wouldn't have gotten involved with her again if I didn't believe that we could." Kate said seriously. "Not now that I have Mya to consider."
"Oh I know love...I always said it would be nice if she had a daughter, not that I ever had a son but...well it can't be the same as having a girl can it?" Celia said. "Children should have little siblings around though shouldn't they? it was a shame Caroline was on her own growing up, but well, I wasn't exactly in a rush to get back into bed with Kenneth once I knew what he was up to and I did have to think about what would happen if he left, I couldn't have afforded to keep two children on my own."
Kate nodded along wondering what Celia was getting at.
"Still, you wouldn't have to worry about that, if you had another, would you?" Celia asked.
"I...don't...suppose...I hadn't really thought...about... Thank you for dinner Celia it was delicious." Kate said, feeling quite flustered and needing to get away.
Xxxx
A/N- Thanks for reading. Not much left of this one now, one or two more chapters. x