Having finally deposited Tilly on the ground and straightened her dress, she looked up and there he was, standing towards the back of the room with a drink in his hand, surrounded by a little cluster of men, who all looked like businessmen.
He was staring directly at her, and Georgie felt her heart do a little tap dance inside her, then she smiled and began weaving her way towards him.
He simultaneously moved towards her as well, excusing himself from the group of men to whom he had been chatting about a Pharma deal and what it could do for the country.
She looked stunning, he thought. Of course she did. When she’d walked in with Tilly in her arms, she’d embodied, for him, the essence of motherhood and his chest had positively swollen with pride.
Her smile, when she’d spotted him, had been spontaneous and wide and filled with delight and, remembering his resolution, he had stood firm against the temptation to smile back at her.
He had had a couple of days away from her to really think things over and the more he thought, the more he came to the conclusion that it was important not to encourage her into thinking that there could ever be more to what they had than what was there already. Good sex, friendship, and shared adoration of their daughter.
She’d told him that sex faded in time. He wasn’t so sure it would in their case. It was certainly going as strong as it ever had been and if it ever faded? They would still maintain their shared warmth and camaraderie. It would be enough.
In the meanwhile, it would be important to make sure they were both on the same page.
‘I tried your mobile,’ he said, drawing her to one side, ‘to let you know that I had arrived, but there was no answer.’
‘I forgot it at home,’ Georgie confessed. ‘It was all very calm to start with but then suddenly it was a mad dash and I didn’t think to bring it.’ She was disappointed that he had not commented on her dress, on how she looked, but then it was a busy evening for him and he would be tired, no doubt, having just flown in from abroad.
‘You know the routine for tonight?’
‘Sorry?’
‘The procedure?’
‘Well...yes...’ Georgie glanced around. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, which, she thought, was the main thing.
‘I sent you an email this morning. Did you get around to reading it?’
‘No. Tell me what it said. Have I dressed inappropriately?’ She glanced around again but, no, surely she wasn’t overdressed or underdressed?
‘You look fine. It is about the seating arrangements for the dinner. You will be responsible for ushering everyone through to the dining hall. A member of staff will alert you to when seating arrangements have to commence. My father will sit at one end of the table and I will be at the other end. You will be next to me bar one.’
Fine? Was that all he had to say on the subject of the outfit she had been at great pains to choose in the expectation that it would please him?
And now here he was, outlining how the next few hours should unfold, reminding her in no uncertain terms that this might be a party to celebrate their forthcoming union, but it was also an event she would have to oversee in her role as his wife-to-be.
Georgie felt her previous heady excitement cool.
‘Of course,’ she said a little stiffly.
‘I am going to see Tilly now.’ He smiled and Georgie thought that it was the first time he had really smiled since laying eyes on her this evening.
‘I managed to talk her down from the fairy outfit. She’s very sensibly dressed for the occasion, although she did insist on travelling with a bag of toys...’
Abe burst out laughing. ‘I wonder if those toddlers in there have the faintest idea who is going to be running rings around them in the years to come,’ he mused. He glanced at his watch, looked at her and she took the hint immediately.
Time to do her duty, to mingle and socialise and wait for the appointed time when she would have to usher everyone towards the dining area for the extensive sit-down meal.
There should have been some hitches. Weren’t there always at an event like this, especially one that had been hurriedly cobbled together at the very last minute thanks to Basha’s insistence?
Thankfully, there were none.
People chatted and voices grew louder and the nibbles that were passed round were amazing. Georgie thought about the snacks she had trolleyed up to that hotel room on the day she had seen Abe again for the first time. It seemed like a lifetime ago now.
She checked in on Tilly three times, the last time to find her sound asleep on one of the brightly coloured modular sofas that were low enough to be completely child friendly.
She managed to grab a few sentences with Basha over the course of the evening, congratulating him on organising the event in such a short space of time, and was thrilled when he responded by telling her that it meant the world to him that everyone, friends and family alike, could get to meet the girl who would become his daughter-in-law.
