Nisha presented Charley with a huge cake box and opened the lid to reveal a spectacular three-tiered red velvet cake, oozing with cream cheese icing and decorated with cream sugared roses with just a few token candles on the top. Pam slid the cake onto a plate and lit the candles.
‘Make a wish!’ cried Angie who really did need to spend more time with grown-ups, thought Charley fondly.
Charley’s eyes flicked to Tara, who gave her a small, tight smile in response. Charley blew out the candles and then closed her eyes and wished. She knew it was a pointless, naive gesture. As if cancer could be defeated by wishful thinking and half a dozen sparkly candles.
Angie passed her a colourfully wrapped package and an even more brightly coloured homemade card. When Charley opened it, an astonishingly lurid pink cardboard cake popped up, instantly showering her with a cascade of purple glitter. Charley was filled with affection for Angie’s kids. ‘Tell them it’s the best card ever!’ Then she opened Angie’s gift, which turned out to be a hideous giant plastic raspberry, filled with shower gel.
‘The kids chose it,’ Angie told her, a trifle unnecessarily. ‘It was a toss-up between that and a Super Spaceman Laser Bubble Gun.’
‘Oh, tough call,’ said Charley with mock solemnity, ‘but ultimately the right one!’ Then she laughed and said, ‘Give them all a hug from me.’
Tara handed her a small white box. Intrigued, Charley opened it and her hand flew to her mouth. ‘Oh my God, Tara! These are gorgeous!’ Taking out the pair of silver-and-turquoise pendant earrings she held them up to her ears. ‘Did you break the “less-than-a-tenner” rule?’ she demanded.
‘Of course not!’ Tara wafted her hand in lazy dismissal. ‘Anyhow, life’s too short to worry about money. Much too short.’
Their eyes met briefly and then Tara looked away.
‘Indeed!’ cried Pam cheerfully, skilfully defusing the briefly tense moment. Charley gave her a small, grateful look, and Pam went on, ‘And today is all about celebrating!’ She raised her glass. ‘Happy birthday, Charley!’
The others joined in the toast, chorusing, ‘Happy birthday!’
Later, Charley managed to grab a second or two with Tara on her own while the others had gone into the living room.
‘How’re you doing?’ she asked.
Tara shrugged. ‘Fine. I’m fine.’
Charley hugged her and held her close.
They both knew she was lying.
Chapter Twenty-four
Going to the clinic to get Tara’s results was an ordeal, for both of them. Charley’s heart squatted heavily in her chest like a lump of cold lead, and she couldn’t imagine what Tara must be going through. As they walked along the corridor to the clinic Tara suddenly stopped, and putting her hand on Charley’s arm, asked her if she would do her a favour. ‘A big favour,’ she added seriously.
‘Of course,’ Charley assured her earnestly, assuming that it would be something to do with Monnie. ‘Anything.’
‘Promise?’ persisted Tara.
There was a beat while the two friends looked at each other.
‘Yes. I promise.’
‘Whatever happens today…’ Tara started, and Charley bit into her lip, hard. ‘Whatever the results, promise me you’ll give up working in the pub and start your own business.’
‘What?!’ For a second, Charley thought Tara was joking. It was so glib.
‘I’m serious, Charley. Do it for me. Please.’
Charley looked away, annoyed that Tara had lured her into making such a big commitment.
‘Don’t be mad at me, please, Charley, hear me out. When Mum died, someone suggested that I try find the good to come out of her death. It wasn’t hard, she was in so much pain her dying was a blessed relief for both of us. I’m just asking you to do the same for me. If I’m going to die I want something good to come out of it.’
The idea that anything good could result from Tara’s death, or indeed anybody’s death, left Charley dumbfounded. What possible good could have come out of Josh’s death, for crying out loud? None. None at all. Charley thought it was the most ridiculous, heartless piece of advice, but Tara was looking at her with such intensity, she agreed.
‘Okay. I promise.’
‘And you have to call it “Tara’s Grand Memorial Emporium!”’ Tara said it with such a straight face that for a second, Charley thought she meant it. Then she caught in the spark in Tara’s eye.
‘Over my dead body,’ Charley joked back.
‘Or mine,’ said Tara, and suddenly Charley had to fight back her tears.
Later, sitting in the waiting room while Tara was in with the specialist, Charley had time to reflect on her rash promise, and immediately regretted it. She would do anything for Tara, anything, she told herself, but the thought of running her own business frightened her, terrified her. Although not as much as the thought of losing Tara.
Hearing footsteps coming along the corridor from the consulting rooms she looked up, as did a lot of other people., but it wasn’t Tara, it was a middle-aged couple. The husband had his arm round his wife who was leaning into him, crying silently. The man was clearly struggling, with enormous dignity, to control his emotions for the sake of his wife. Charley swallowed hard and looked away, not wanting to intrude. Somehow, when her friend emerged with her results, they were going to have to get out of that waiting room without falling apart. More footsteps and this time it was Tara. Charley scanned her friend’s face anxiously, but it didn’t give anything away.
‘Let’s go,’ was all Tara said, before striding off through the double doors and out to the corridor. Grabbing her bag, and fearing the worst, Charley rushed after her.
Outside in the corridor Tara suddenly stopped and spun round towards Charley.
‘It’s fine. It’s benign. It’s nothing,’ she gabbled, and then promptly dissolved into a flood of relieved tears.
‘Oh, thank God!’ cried Charley, as Tara literally fell against her and Charley put her arms round her almost holding her up. ‘When you rushed out I thought—’ she stopped, not even
