I saw the photo, Jack and I looking at each other, both smiling. It was a good shot, capturing what it what between us.
“He loves you.”
I looked at Lauren, a little unsure of what to say.
“Are you okay with that?”
She nodded and smiled. “He’s happy. You make him happy. And at some point I’ll go to college or be touring with a dance company or something. He needs someone else in his life.”
“I love him too.”
“I know. I can tell. You get each other.”
“I think that’s a compliment.”
There was another nod. “My grandparents like you too. Do you think you’ll get married?”
My mouth opened and shut a few times.
“My mum won’t marry anyone. It isn’t her style and I’d love to be a bridesmaid.” She looked at me hopefully.
“I think it’s a bit too soon for that.”
There was a shrug. “Maybe. But when you’re older you don’t have time to waste do you?”
“Scoundrel.” I mussed her hair that was in a messy top knot on her head. “Your dad might not want to get married.”
“I think he will. And more babies.” She looked a little dreamy and I decided it was a good time to end the conversation, although it had taken her mind off the uncle for a few minutes.
“That definitely isn’t something to be thinking about yet.”
“But you will think about it? I don’t have any cousins and my mum won’t have more kids, she can barely look after herself. When I stay with her, it’s me who does all the cooking.” She rolled her eyes.
I remembered Jack with Vanessa’s son, how he’d carried him against his chest and how he’d been with Eliza. Something near my stomach pulled.
Whatever I was feeling, I was pulled out of by a laugh. “You’re thinking about it! You’ve got gooey eyes!”
I stood up. “I made you smile. My job here is done.”
I left the room to various yells and even a childish song about love and marriage and baby carriages. It was good to hear her joking.
Thoughts of Jack’s babies went into another box, to be considered at a later date. Maybe not too much later. I was a planner and although I knew you couldn’t always dictate when a baby was conceived I had three restaurants and I wasn’t in my twenties.
“Are you going to work, love?” Jack’s mother, Joy, popped her head round. Her eyes were less red today and she looked a little less pale.
“I need to pop into Mount Street and give them a hand.” I’d never taken so much time away from work, running what I could from home for the last few days. We’d postponed the opening of the Tipsy Toad for a fortnight and the first night was now a charity event with the proceeds going towards two charities; the centre and a charity that supported ex-military. It was a sell-out. And I didn’t care about what a single critic had to say because there were far more important things.
“You work hard. I know Jack is frustrated that he can’t be back working full time already. It would probably do him some good.”
I nodded, agreeing. He was making funeral arrangements today, ones in principal because we didn’t know when Robert’s body would be released. But it would be a big affair; something Jack said Robert would’ve hated, but funerals were for the living and there were a lot of people who wanted to remember him.
“Tomorrow. I think he’s going to go in work tomorrow.”
Joy nodded. “And we’ll be out of your hair soon. You can have your space back.”
“You can stay as long as you like. Lauren has a show coming up in a couple of weeks; why not stay until after that?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to cramp your style.”
