FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Chapter 28 - This is Perfect

They set up a FaceTime call with George, and Camila was so nervous she could barely sit still. She twisted her hands together and waited, as his smiling face came up on the screen and then a grin split her face.

"George! Look at you! I love the facial hair, very cool!"

George stroked his very sparse moustache and beard uncertainly. "Do you? Jake's not so sure."

"Well, Jake needs to get with the program, because you look hot!"

Shawn leaned into the picture. "Camila's right man, you look so cool!"

George blushed from all the compliments and Camila was happy she could give him that moment.

"George, we need to talk to you about something serious," Camila said. She looked up at Shawn and he reached down and gripped her free hand tightly.

"We found your father," she said quietly.

He looked startled and then wary. "You did? How? When?"

"Well, we had a suspicion, but we didn't have it confirmed until last night, by your father himself."

"Sam." George said.

She and Shawn exchanged an astonished glance.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Well, my Mum has said the name a few times, but to be honest, I don't know who Sam is or where he's from. When I was a kid, she told me once that my Dad's name was Sam, but she never repeated it and as I got older I thought I might have imagined it. I mean, it's such a common name, and how was I supposed to find someone named that?"

"Sam was, and still is, the groundskeeper here at Unger Hall," Shawn said solemnly.

"Really?" George was surprised. So he hadn't investigated too far because he would have found that out. "I sort of gave up looking once I was convinced Garry was my Dad."

"You also have a half brother. His name is Angus, he's about two years older than you and he's in the Navy," Camila said.

"A brother?" George clearly hadn't thought of the prospect of siblings.

"And he wants to meet you, and he wants to know if you will come and meet your Dad."

"Oh, well....yes!" It didn't take much thinking, George was on board.

They made some plans, and George said he would be on the train down from Lancaster the next day. For the first time, they offered for him to stay at the Hall and he accepted. He was coming alone, Jake had flown to Spain where his parents had retired, and was spending the month there. George was planning to join them when he finished his university commitments in a week's time.

They said goodbye and then Shawn took the card from Camila and rang Angus to tell him the news. They arranged a meeting between the two brothers in the Hall in the afternoon. If all went well, Angus would take George to meet Sam.

They sat quietly, both thinking of what they had just done. They hoped it was the right thing. Camila was restless and asked if they could go for a walk, and Shawn accepted. He was feeling a bit claustrophobic himself. They rugged up because it was getting chilly and Camila headed outside first while Shawn put his snow boots on. When he reached her she was standing forlornly looking at the pile of slush with the pink sequinned beret perched on top.

"Look what happened." she exclaimed in a voice thick with tears and a moment later she burst into sobs.

"Hey, it's OK, it's just a snowman...I mean snowperson."