The Last Christmas Promise by Catlow Francesca

Author:Catlow, Francesca
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gaia & Fenrir Publishing
Published: 2023-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Félicité

I wake up to my phone vibrating on the bedside table next to my head. My body pulls me bolt upright before my hands reach to answer it, all without engaging my conscious mind.

‘Bonjour.’

‘Félicité?’ The voice in my ear is excruciatingly loud and shrill. ‘Félicité, are you there? I can see your ear.’

I pull the phone from my head, and there she is, my mother, Carole, perfectly made up with her signature light-red lip and the small gold earrings that she always wears. They’re Chanel and likely cost double the deposit on the place we rented in Carnac.

‘Carole? Why are you calling?’

A groan next to me sends my heart racing with panic, only to remember that Pierre and I stayed up talking last night and he couldn’t be bothered to walk home after. I let him sleep on the floor next to me with the promise he would not snore.

I have told him about Ralph, more officially this time. He thinks I should invite Ralph to Mamie’s birthday meal. We are seeing each other again tonight and Pierre has said he will invite Milo and Mamie around to his flat for a sleep over so I don’t have to worry about being home at all. I don’t think he likes staying there when he doesn’t have anyone renting the spare room. He likes to find excuses to be out. Pierre has always been one to prefer rooms that are filled with the sound of others rather than silence. I’m sure it’s really the reason why he was happy enough to sleep next to me last night instead of walking the five-minute distance home at one in the morning.

‘We are arriving this afternoon. Pierre didn’t answer his phone. Tell him to get his place ready. You know he is always a mess.’

Pierre drags himself up from the floor and waves as I turn the camera towards him.

‘Get home and tidy up. We’ll be with you this afternoon.’ Carole’s eyes roll so far back I’m sure she can see her tailbone.

‘Why are you early?’ Pierre demands as he slots his right fist into his eye socket and rubs.

‘What a beautiful warm welcome.’ Pierre doesn’t rise to her statement; instead he patiently waits for her to answer the original question. ‘Must I have a reason?’

‘Yes,’ we chime in unison.

She doesn’t like this. We snigger like we did when we were teens, and she looks down her nose into the phone.

‘We will see you soon. Au revoir.’

There’s a lot of watching her press the screen before she disconnects.

‘For someone who prides herself on being effortlessly elegant, that woman really needs to learn how to hang up a call.’ Pierre is laughing before I’ve even finished my sentence.

‘Why does she have to be early?’ He slumps back on the floor, and I tuck myself back into the Christmas-cat bedding. ‘You going to introduce her to Ralph?’

‘Putain! No!’ My hands slap to my eyes to cover them. I didn’t mean to call my brother a whore, but the thought of them meeting is too awful to consider.

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