“Me too, and it wasn’t even my event. Do you think Bear is okay?” he says, his brow furrowed. I’m beginning to recognise the little flash of concern that crosses his face when he worries about his dog and it’s very endearing.
“Of course Bear’s okay. George fried up a load of extra crispy bacon bits for him!”
“Oh Lord. That dog is on a diet…”
“He’s on holiday. Get him on the Slimfast when you’re back home.”
We cross the green, no lights on in any of the cottages, and let ourselves into the Starshine Inn. There are piles of glasses on the bar waiting to be washed, and the tables and chairs are askew from a night of merriment. The scents of beer and whisky still lurk in the air but the place is entirely empty, lit only by the glow of the jukebox and the fridges behind the counter.
I’m just about to head to the bar and write Jake an IOU for a bottle of wine when I hear footsteps coming down the corridor that leads to Jake and Ella’s apartment. Ella appears, her hair in disarray and wearing mis-matched pyjamas. She’s holding a crying Kitty in her arms and looks like she’s sleepwalking. Larry, the dog who looks like a lamb, trots along behind her.
“I’m sorry,” I say sheepishly. “Did we wake her up? We tried to be super quiet…”
“No, don’t worry – she’s been awake for ages. I was just bringing her out here so Jake could get some sleep. He did it last night.”
I smile, my mind going back to those days – the mind-numbing combination of fatigue and boredom. Wandering through the house at all hours, feeling like an extra in a zombie film. Babies turn all their parents into the cast ofThe Walking Dead.
“Can I help?” says Zack, striding over. “Let me take her for a few minutes while you have a rest?”
Ella seems to turn this over in her mind, then nods and passes the fretting baby over to him. He immediately nestles her against his chest and starts to do the little half-dance, half-shuffle that your body never seems to forget. He murmurs comforting words, rocking her lightly, and she stares up at him in fascination. Maybe it’s just the change of scenery, and an unfamiliar face to stare at, but she soon stops crying and instead gazes up at him, her pudgy hands waving in the air.
“This is one of the reasons I got the laser treatment on my eyes,” he says, smiling down at the precious bundle in his arms. “The girls were forever grabbing at my glasses.”
Ella slumps down onto one of the seats, and watches gratefully as Zack continues his patrol of the room. I sit next to her and pat her thigh.
“It gets easier, I promise,” I say quietly.
“Oh, I know, but living on the promise of tomorrow being easier doesn’t make today any less hard. I can’t remember what life looked like before she arrived.”
“Simple, fun, full of selfish pleasures?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“And would you swap it?”
She follows her baby around the room with tired eyes, and then breaks out into a grin.
“No. I wouldn’t. What are you doing here anyway? Are you robbing the place?”
“Yes. I plan on stuffing all your Rioja into a swag bag and selling it on the black market.”
“I thought as much. Did the event go well?”
“It did,” I reply. “And somehow we found ourselves still wide awake and in search of a nightcap. I’m sorry again if we disturbed you.”
I clearly recall the absolute fury that anyone making a noise can provoke when you’re trying to keep a baby asleep. You’ll just have got them off, and then someone will invariably step on a squeaky dog toy or slam a door.
“Again, you didn’t – and at least I’ve had ten minutes’ respite while Zack is on duty. He’s a natural. I might see if I can hire him as my manny.”
I look over at Zack, who has managed to settle Kitty off into the land of nod, and have to agree. For all his surface glitz, he looks completely at home with a little one.
He walks towards us, and smoothly hands the baby over to Ella. She squalls for a second and we all hold our breath, but then settles down for a snooze.
“I’m just going to chill out here for a bit, guys,” Ella says. “Help yourself to booze – call it a babysitting fee. But if you’re going to chat, would you mind going up to Zack’s room? I don’t want to risk the Wrath of Kitty.”
I catch Ella’s eye, wondering if she is playing matchmaker here. That is exactly the kind of thing I have done in the past – to her and Jake, to Cally and Archie, to Josh and Lucy. I am an incorrigible rogue when it comes to matchmaking.
She looks completely innocent, though – clearly too tired to scheme. Zack raises his eyebrows at me and I nod. Yes, I think – one drink, and then home.
