'No, why?'
She smiled. 'She thinks he needs a push in the right direction. Away from the Sullivans.'
Ronnie frowned. 'I wouldn't say that exactly. But do you know what he wants to do? Has he found anything that interests him yet?'
Bella leaned against the cupboard and folded her arms thoughtfully. She was wearing a new figure hugging sweater and a skirt that was the shorter length with high heels that boasted the new, pointed toes. She liked to be fashionable and kept up with the new trends. She and Gina were always talking about clothes and make-up, the latest cosmetics as well as more contemporary blends of coffees. She saw Ronnie studying her and she blushed.
'No, Ron, he's not made his mind up to do anything special. He's besotted with Francesca at the moment.'
He grinned. 'I had noticed.'
'Have you got any ideas, then?'
He nodded, leaning his hip against the draining board, his white shirt exposed and his conservative tie making him look very masculine. She knew that under that shirt was a reminder of the past. A large scar which had never really faded from the days of the still. Last summer, she had seen him working in the back garden dismantling the old shed. It had been quite a shock to see the scar on his otherwise healthy and strong body. 'I'd like him to come in with me but I don't want to put him under pressure,' he began to explain. 'He could learn the business from the bottom up. It's hard work, but the rewards are there as you know.'
Bella tilted her head. 'The building trade …?'
'It's not a white-collar job, but I think he'd take to it. He's been out a few times with me on the sites. He hasn't said anything to you, has he?'
'No, only about his music and even that's taken a back seat lately.'
Ronnie nodded. 'If he joined the firm he could do his music at the weekends. I wouldn't ask him to give those up.'
Bella nodded slowly, a twinkle in her eye. 'Now I've got a question for you. The Sullivans have asked us over for New Year.'
Ronnie gritted his teeth and groaned. 'You're joking.'
'No. Michael's going to ask you about it.'
'It's not my cup of tea, Bella.'
She raised her eyebrows teasingly. 'Or mine. But I'll do it for Michael.'
He was smiling as he looked down at his shoes, then back to her. 'It might not be such a bad idea after all.'
'What do you mean?'
'It's the New Year – new beginnings and all that. I was hoping for you and me too.'
She felt the colour rush into her face again. A chorus of laughter went up from the next room at the comedian on the television. The kettle began to boil. Ronnie reached across, his arm brushing against her as he turned it off.
'I think a lot of you, Bella. A great deal in fact. We're good friends and have a lot in common – '
'So what are you trying to say, Ron?'
He stared at her, a slow smile on his lips.
'Try again,' she murmured, taking the kettle from him and lowering it to the stove.
'All right, what about this?' He held her arms gently. 'Bella, are you still in love with Micky? I mean, do you still think about him like that?'
Bella looked into his eyes. 'I'll ask you the same question about Joyce.'
He looked a little puzzled then shook his head slowly. 'I adored Joyce. She was my all. And unlike Micky she was a good and faithful person. But time has moved on. You and me have moved on, haven't we?'
Bella nodded, grateful for the question. 'Yes, we have, Ron. And I'm glad we're both looking towards a future.'
He gave a little cough. 'Share that future with me? You and Michael? We could make a go if it - ' He stopped, closing his eyes in frustration. When he opened them, he drew in a deep breath. 'To hell with it, Bella, I'm in love with you. In fact I'm crazy about you. And I am about to burst if I don't say it.'
'That's a little better.' She kept a straight face.
'I'm so in love with you that I want to hold you to me and kiss you right now.'
She laid her hands on his broad shoulders. 'What if someone comes in?'
'It don't matter to me, if it doesn't to you.'
'We won't find out till we try,' she whispered as she lifted her mouth to his.
Bella looked into his eyes, into all her past, into their lives that had touched and burned and cooled and were now glimmering like the stars on a Christmas night. She knew her love was different too. It wouldn't be like the one she had for Micky, all the passion and excitement of youth. No, this was sweeter, a love that had been growing slowly as the years had passed by. It hadn't really taken Gina to make her see that.
She had known it in her heart for some while now. As he kissed her, the wings of a butterfly seemed to touch her heart, fluttering it into motion. As though the butterfly was dancing there, in the place that had ached so bitterly and yet had still survived from the love she'd had for Micky.
It was love that had brought them to this moment. A special kind of love that didn't deny Micky or Joyce but set life and memories in just the right places. She believed that if she wanted to take it, there really was a new beginning.
A little giggle came from behind them. Neville was standing there, his face awash with chocolate.
'Uncle Ronnie's kissing Auntie Bella,' he yelled.
Bella and Ronnie laughed softly as they heard Dolly's calm response. 'That's what people do at Christmas, ducks. Now come here and let me wipe your chops.'
Piper Street had come back to life again. There would be many more Christmases like this one, Bella decided as she ruffled Neville's hair.
