Victoria Hutchins looked around the restaurant and tried to see her (ex) sister-in-law. It had been over two years since they had actually managed to get together as Julie had been in France with her husband and Torie had been in Scotland. Now they finally had a whole day to chat, spoil themselves and gossip.
A wave brought her attention to the woman sitting in the corner, already surrounded by shopping bags.
"You've started early," Torie laughed as she hugged the woman who had been one of her closest friends for years.
"Too right. I spend most of my time so far away from any shops that I think my ability to try on clothes has been seriously compromised," Julie told her with a smirk. "You look amazing," Julie added as she sipped her coffee. "Have you lost weight or something?"
"Not a pound, but I am getting more exercise these days, and decent clothes that fit properly," her friend laughed. "They do the most wonderful avocado and prawn salad here, but I'm having the hot chicken one. No shell fish for me for a while," Torie said, catching the eye of one of the waitresses.
The two women ordered quickly and carried on chatting. "No shell fish?" Julie grinned. "No pate or soft cheese either, I'm hoping."
"None, not for another five months at least," Torie confirmed with a grin.
She could get no further. “Baby?!!” Julie's high pitched squeal could be heard throughout the room.
“Yep,” she told Julie ecstatically.
"This new man must be something special, but why didn't you tell me?"
“We didn't want to say anything until all the tests came back clear, given my age. I am 45 after all, but yes, I'm four and a half months pregnant, with a little girl. Steve is delighted.”
“So am I, you deserve this.” Julie hugged her closely. “I'm going to be an aunty again. Have you thought of any names?”
“Nothing outlandish, we've agreed on that. Despite what he does for a living. We like Charlotte, but it depends on the baby. We'll see how it goes.” Torie sipped at her fruit juice.
"Come on and tell me. Who is he? How did you meet? What do the kids think of him? Has my arsehole of a brother met him yet? You know, all the important stuff," Julie demanded.
Torie laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "In order, his name is Steve, I met him at a rock gig, the kids love him and no, Larry doesn't even know about him. I tried to tell him I was seeing someone but he keeps thinking I'm lying to him."
Julie put down her fork and stared at Torie. "I said details," she demanded.
Torie laughed. "This requires cheesecake," she told Julie, seriously. "Lots of cheesecake."
Over the rich dessert, she started telling her tale. "After the divorce, I was a mess. Laura and Rory hated their father and I was trying to keep everything together."
Julie reached over a comforting hand and squeezed. "My brother was a jerk. I will never understand how he could throw away fifteen years of marriage for that bimbo," she said honestly.
"It hadn't been good for years. He hated everything I tried to do. He even hated my cooking."
Julie snorted. "As I said, an idiot. Your food would tempt an angel from heaven and I would happily sacrifice any of my children for just a slice of your chocolate cake."
"Thank you, I'll make one for you to take home with you. As I was saying, things hadn't been good for years and I tried to keep it together more for the kids than for me. Finding him in bed, on our wedding anniversary, with that woman was the final straw. Anyway, the kids got fed up with me moping around and organised for me to go and see Unhallowed Ground. They were playing a pre tour gig at the Picturehouse - here in Edinburgh."
"And?" Julie prompted. "Details, I need details. I live for details. What did you wear? Who did you go with?"
"I went on my own. The kids stayed at a friends for the weekend, and I wore my black and silver corset, with a black skirt. It was an amazing evening. I loved the new stuff, and they played some of their classics. The whole place was rocking. I managed to stand right by the barrier and knew all the words, even to their new material. I'd had the album a whole four days."
Julie laughed again. She had been one of the few people to understand her friend's obsession with heavy rock music in general and Unhallowed Ground in particular.
"Is Jon Watson as good looking in person as he is on the album sleeves?" Julie asked. She'd always liked the look of the lead singer.
"Mmhhmm, he is, and Cougar Mansfield is even better looking. I met them in the bar afterwards and they signed my ticket for me." Torie had a smirk on her face as she spoke, as though she was keeping a great secret.
"I know that look, sister! You got a kiss from one of them!" Julie exclaimed.
Torie blushed scarlet and hid under her hair. "Something like that," she admitted.
"And you met this new guy?" Julie asked as she finished the last of her cheesecake.
"I did. He saw where the pic landed when it was thrown from the stage; down my cleavage before you ask."
“Good target,” Julie grinned. “Especially when you wear one of those proper steel boned corsets you love.”
“I loved them, Larry hated them. Made me look like a tramp, he always said. Anyway, I was wearing one and the pic went straight in. Steve met me in the bar, bought me a drink and offered to fetch it out. I told him that would cost at least dinner,” she grinned at the memory of the stunningly good looking man chatting her up.
“Wow, you were on form that night. What did he say to that?” Julie munched another piece of her cake as she listened enraptured.
“He laughed, and made a date for the following night. He was working in Glasgow, but I went over and the rest, as they say, is history. I was forty-three years old, thought life had passed me by. A nasty divorce was still haunting me, and I was rebuilding my life as best I could when this amazing guy asks me for a date. It felt like a dream, or a nightmare. I kept waiting for him to tell me it was a joke. But he didn't. Instead, he asked me to move in with him. He had more than enough room for us all at his place.”
She was interrupted by an exclamation of astonishment from Julie. “You're living at the Grange? I thought you were working as a house-keeper there or something.”
“I live there, all one hundred acres, palatial Regency mansion of it. There's a swimming pool and stables. The kids adore Steve; and he's good to them. He spends time with them, talks to them. They went to the zoo today. Larry didn't want to be bothered with them, not that they want to spend time with their father. Do you know that when Rory had a concert, he flew up from London, without sleep, to be there. Larry couldn't make it an hour down the road. Rory was so disappointed; then Steve walked in, and you'd have thought my son had won the lottery.” The emotions showed clearly on Victoria's face. “Time after time he's let the kids down. Laura refuses to even tell him when something's going on at school. She says it's not worth the effort any more.”
“Never mind about the arse hole, tell me about the hunk, now” Julie demanded as she paid the bill and collected her shopping together.
“Six foot three and a half, long blond hair, tattoos and is five years younger than I am,” Torie answered with a sparkle in her eyes. “Gorgeous, actually beyond gorgeous. He writes poetry, is into martial arts, has a blackbelt in about three different disciplines, rides bikes, loves music, has twins, boys.”
"What about their mother? Has she caused you any problems?" Julie nibbled the inside of her cheek, she knew how hard step-parenting could be.
"None what so ever. She is a lovely lady, she works abroad and sees the kids, Thomas and Bennet, whenever she can. They live with Steve and are eight and a half. Steve and Leanne have never really been a couple. They were friends, who got drunk one night and didn't approve of abortions. Thomas took a while to warm to me, but we went shopping with Leanne and her girlfriend.”
She waited while Julie regained some sort of composure. “You mean she's gay? Is she out?”
“Sort of, her friends and family know, but she doesn't broadcast her private life around much. And she's a darling; so is Morgan, her other half. They've been together for years. She's beautiful; Jules, beautiful and skinny, and everything Larry kept telling me I wasn't. This amazing man had two children with her, but he says he prefers me, at my size. He says he likes curves and I know he's a boob man,” she had to smile at the memory. “It took me a long time to believe he wasn't setting me up for a joke. Sometimes I still don't believe it,” she continued, “The nicest thing is he loves the me I love. He likes me cooking for him, running him a bath, getting dressed up and going out. He took me to an art exhibition, and to the ballet, and museums; as well as shopping and out for dinner. Once a month, when he's home, we go out somewhere special; for a meal, a concert, just something. Sometimes, it's classical music and sometimes it's a rock gig. He's never ashamed to be seen with me, never pretends that I'm not with him. He says he's proud to be seen with me.”
Julie looked at her in horror at what she hadn't said. “Are you telling me that my prat of a brother made you feel anything other than the incredible, loving, wonderful woman you are? Are you telling me that he actually treated you that badly and you actually stayed with him? You wait until Dad and Mum hear this one. They hate Cheryl. She's rude, and as plain ignorant as they come. The only things she has going for her are either surgically enhanced or dyed.”
They shopped in silence for a few minutes, just thinking about everything that had been said.
"So, are you going to Dad's birthday? Or are you going to pretend you haven't been invited," Julie finally asked.
Torie sat back and nibbled her lip. "Your Dad was amazing during the divorce, but I know Larry will try and cause trouble if I go. I was planning to take the kids and leave." Torie picked up a black Jaques Vert skirt and looked at it, taking time to consider her reply. Richard Carmichael was going to be seventy, and he had invited the whole family to his birthday party.
"He's said my new boyfriend, fiancé, can come if he wants," Torie told her childhood friend. "He's met him and likes him..."
Torie laughed, and wrapped an arm around her friend. “Come on, let's go and do some damage to the credit cards. There are sales on all over and I'm sure we can find some more stuff to buy.”
The two women spent the rest of the day shopping and gossiping. The big stores along Prince's street in Edinburgh were all thoroughly examined for all the bargains. Almost overwhelmed with the shopping they hailed a taxi and tumbled in, laughing all the time.
"The Balmoral hotel, please," Torie told the driver as they settled into their seats.
Julie looked at her ex sister-in-law. "This new man of yours is rich isn't he?” she finally asked.
Victoria nodded. “Very,” she said. “And he enjoys spoiling me. I had to fight for every penny of child support Larry deigned to give me. He refused to buy presents for the kids when we were married, but Steve set me up with credit and debit cards within weeks of us meeting. I had near enough moved in with him in less than five months. Jules, I love him and am loved by him. What gave it away?” she finally asked.
“The Balmoral, the amount you've spent today, the clothes you're wearing. None of it's cheap, and you're not frightened any more. Most importantly, when am I going to meet this paragon of virtue? And I might be happily married; but does he have a brother?” Julie whimpered.
Torie burst out laughing, “No brother and Neil would kill me. How about you come in now and meet him? We'll stick you in a taxi to get back to your hotel in time to change for tonight. Come on.” She paid the driver quickly, and pointed out all her bags to the Concierge, who came out to meet them. “The Royal Suite,” she told him as she made her way through the foyer.
“The Royal Suite?” Julie echoed. “Is he a millionaire or something?”
“Something,” Torie smiled and led the way into the bar, where she could see Steve sitting at the bar. “Well, Larry said he had found someone younger, prettier and better than me, so I did the same,” she smiled. “Come and meet him. He's the one in the long leather coat and the leather pants.
Torie crept up behind the slim man she had spotted and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek.
He turned quickly, ready to push away whoever had grabbed him, but as soon as he saw Torie his face softened.
Julie just stood there, watching open mouthed, as her friend got a tender kiss on the hand.
“You have some explaining to do, Lady” she finally exclaimed.
Story Notes:
I went to see Hammerfall, and caught the plectrum as it was thrown from the stage... a story had to follow
Author's Chapter Notes:
When your best friend is also your ex's sister some things have to be said face to face
Chapter End Notes:
my thanks to Bunnyhops for the beta and to shadow for the input