‘It’s way better than nothing, Noah.’ She cleared her throat when Bess came over with Dorothy extolling the virtues of the cake.
When the others moved away again, Noah took a chance. ‘How about tonight for those beers?’
‘I can’t.’ She seemed regretful which was something. ‘Rain check?’
‘Are you going to Conrad’s?’ He watched her shoulders slump. ‘I apologise, it’s none of my business.’
‘We’re friends, I appreciate your concern.’
Her response was way too formal and she’d lumped him in the friend zone, not a place he particularly wanted to be. He wanted so much more.
‘I’m going to see my sister,’ she said brightly, before adding with slightly less enthusiasm, ‘Then it’ll be on to Conrad’s quickly.’
‘Right.’ Well, at least it wasn’t an entire evening with Conrad then.
‘Go on, say it.’
He shook his head. ‘It’s easy to have an opinion, not so easy to be the person in turmoil; I should know given my situation.’
‘You must wonder what the hell I’m doing still going to see him given the divorce, his pretence at how bad he really is.’
‘Kind of.’
‘I ask myself that same question every single time I go over there.’ But checking herself, she added, ‘I need to make sure he and Isaac have a chance, you know?’
He kept his gaze on hers. ‘That’s what you told me. I’m not sure I believe it, though.’ He added gently, ‘There’s more to the story, isn’t there?’
She didn’t say a word, but he picked up on the almost imperceptible nod and it left him wondering what the hell this man had on her that meant she couldn’t shake him off?
22
In the supermarket on his way home from shift, Noah put three different kinds of biscuits into his basket and grabbed more coffee in case he ran out. He picked up a cake, for goodness’ sake – he didn’t buy cake! He ate it, but he never bought it. He’d be purchasing those funny doily things his gran had used if he wasn’t careful, laying everything out with impeccable presentation. He was doing it again, overthinking tomorrow’s impending events, wanting to make a good impression. And for what? For a guy he didn’t like?
It was all in Eva’s best interests, he told himself, as he threw a packet of pre-sliced vegetables plus a packet of chicken and a stir fry sauce into his basket, an easy dinner to concoct in a wok for one this evening.
As he swiped the barcode of the carrot cake box, it made him think of eating the leftover cake earlier, the way he and Maya had laughed over the excessively thick chocolate icing that Bess had managed to get on her chin and that Dorothy had told them would add at least ten pounds to her hips before she accepted a second chunk from Nadia and gleefully ate it. It was nice to see Maya relax and laugh. She probably wouldn’t be doing much ofthat this evening when she had to go and see that ex-husband of hers.
At home, he unpacked the groceries and thanked Geraldine the way he always did when it was time for her to leave.
‘I enjoy looking after Eva,’ she smiled. ‘It’s like having babies of my own all over again, except without the full responsibility. It’s true what they say, you know…’ She handed Eva to him when the little girl reached for Noah as soon as he balled up the reusable shopping bag and stuffed it into its place in the back of a cupboard.
‘And what’s that?’
‘That being a grandparent is the best thing in the world. It’s the chance to do it all over again.’ She caught herself. ‘Oh, no, silly me, I know Eva isn’t my grandchild. It’s just, well, I imagine that this is what it feels like when?—’
He reached out and put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Stop apologising. You’re the closest thing this little one has to a grandparent and I’m pretty happy about that.’
She waved a hand in front of her face. ‘Oh, now you’re getting me all emotional.’
‘Dadda…’ said Eva.
Geraldine’s face registered the word. ‘Did she…?’
‘She did. I’m still trying to get used to it.’
‘Oh, Noah…’
‘And it was her first word. Unless you know otherwise.’
