‘I’m sure it will be. I’m amazed how you’re pulling it all together so fast.’
‘It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it. I’ve had to compromise on a few things, but in the end it will be worth it. And we didn’t see any point in waiting, and I didn’t want to be rolling down the aisle like a big barrel. I think, if you know something will make you happy and you can do it now, why wait?’
Zoe pushed open the doors, and the sounds of chat and clinking china muffled her thoughtful reply.
‘I suppose you might have a point there.’
13
They’d bid a friendly farewell to Nigel and Chantal and headed back to Hilltop Farm. It had gone well, despite the odd hiccup in the form of Magnus and Geoff being at the same restaurant. Zoe was relieved to have it over with, but she was happy Alex and her dad had finally met. They checked on Billie, who had nothing to report except that she wished the baby would hurry because she was bored of being fat.
Zoe laughed. ‘Don’t wish it here too quickly. You think it’s tiring now, just wait.’
‘At least I won’t be this big.’
‘I hate to break it to you, but you might still be bigger than you were before for a while. Your tummy doesn’t just snap back, you know – it takes time.’
Billie looked horrified at this statement, and Zoe’s gentle laughter grew. ‘What? But the baby will be out!’
‘Yes, but you’ve grown defences to protect them through your pregnancy and all that will take time to disperse.’
‘Great!’ Billie flopped into a chair and folded her arms across her bump. ‘Perfect.’
Alex had been diplomatic in his silence as the discussion had progressed, but as he put the kettle on to boil at the other side of the kitchen, Zoe caught his eye and could see humour sparkling there.
‘Who wants a drink?’ he asked.
‘I’ll have a hot chocolate,’ Billie said. ‘But can you do the one with milk, not the instant one?’
‘Hot chocolate with milk,’ he said, going to fetch a pan. ‘For my little girl, anything.’
‘Dad…’ Billie groaned.
‘I know, I know, you’re not little now. You are to me, and you always will be. Sorry.’
Zoe shared another grin with him as Billie picked up her phone and began to scroll. She loved their relationship. It was complex, as it was in many families, and they’d had more than their share of hardships to endure, but one thing that shone through was their absolute love and loyalty. She loved her own dad, it went without saying, but she couldn’t help but think, when she watched Alex and Billie together, that there was something missing from her relationship with her dad – perhaps with both of her parents. She’d never been able to put her finger on what it was, though she’d often felt it. Perhaps it boiled down to the fact their marriage had always been so difficult that it had cast a shadow over their family life for as long as Zoe could remember. At times it had undoubtedly distracted them from their roles as parents – not that Zoe had ever expected their worlds to revolve around her, of course. She’d never asked her brother if he felt the same, and perhaps she never would, but she got the feeling that he probably did.
Billie drank her chocolate and went to bed, leaving Alex and Zoe time to reflect on the day. On the sofa, a nightcap each waitingon the coffee table, Alex folded Zoe into his arms and kissed her head. ‘So you think it went all right? Your dad likes me?’
‘Absolutely – how could he not? More to the point, did you like him? And Chantal – because I’ve totally accepted that she’s in my life for good.’
‘You didn’t think that before?’
Zoe shrugged. ‘I suppose I was a bit sceptical…like everyone else was. It’s not so surprising when you think about it. There’s the age gap for a start, and I wondered if she was just looking for someone to take care of her rather than a romantic partner.’
‘Can’t someone be both?’
Zoe shook her head with a faint smile. ‘I suppose they can. It’s just…well, sometimes it’s harder to see things clearly when it’s about people who are close to you. It was my dad, and I just couldn’t imagine him with someone like Chantal, or that it could be serious. Obviously, I can see now I was wrong.’
‘You’re all right with that?’
‘It’s funny because today I saw, for the first time, that Chantal really does love him. Dad is less showy about it, but I think he loves her too.’
‘He’s certainly happy to give her anything she wants. At least it seems that way.’
‘It does, doesn’t it? And he was never really like that with Mum. Looking back, they were always battling one another for what they wanted out of their marriage, but it’s not like that with Chantal.’
Beyond the windows of Hilltop Farm, the full moon was rising over a dark hill. ‘Chantal is really quite sweet. I feel bad for saying it because I know how my mum feels about her, but you can’t help but like Chantal when you get to know her. We’ve nothing in common, of course, apart from Dad, but perhaps that’s all we need to get along.’
