Zoe sent a brief reply to offer her congratulations and then slid her phone into her bag. Her dad probably expected her to go over that evening. She supposed she’d have to make the effort sooner rather than later, but it had been a long day, and she just wanted to spend the rest of it with Alex, Billie and Louisa.
Alex was getting ready to take Grizzle for a walk when she arrived back at Hilltop.
‘He’s going mad,’ he said as he pulled on his boots. ‘Been stuck inside all day with the weather, needs a good run out to blow off the cobwebs. I must admit I feel the same. I’ve beensitting at the desk upstairs for the last four hours trying to work out the ins and outs of solar panelling – I’ve never been so bored.’
‘How’s Billie?’
‘Louisa is having a nap, so she’s gone to lie down with her.’ He frowned slightly.
‘I know that look. What’s happened?’
‘Nothing. I mean, I don’t know if it matters or not, but Maisie phoned her. I heard them talking. It sounded as if Maisie had asked to visit – she hasn’t seen Louisa yet, and she’s been saying for weeks how she couldn’t wait for her to arrive. But I think Billie told her she couldn’t come.’
‘I suppose she’s tired. Too tired for entertaining.’
‘Yes, she probably is, but knowing how excited Maisie was, and that Billie was a bit excited to show Louisa off before she was born, it doesn’t sit right with me. It’s not like Billie to deliberately disappoint someone in that way. I mean, she’d know Maisie was gagging to come over, and ordinarily I’m sure she’d say yes no matter how tired she was.’
Zoe went to the door that led to the stairs. ‘Don’t go without me. I could do with a walk too; I’m just going to get my outdoor gear on.’
She rushed up to the bedroom, suddenly wired. On the way, she pushed the door to Billie’s room open a crack to see both her and Louisa still sleeping. Then she shut it softly again before going to get changed, arriving back in the kitchen in record time.
Alex was fastening Grizzle’s lead to his collar. He looked up. ‘Everything calm up there?’
‘You knew I’d check,’ Zoe said with a smile.
‘I did wonder,’ he replied with a grin of his own.
‘Right then. Let’s get this pooch out for some exercise before the heavens open again.’
Zoe took a deep breath as he closed the door to Hilltop and they stepped onto the path. ‘It’s nice to be up here. Sometimes when I’m busy at work I forget I have all this lovely countryside just out of the window. I always think I’ll go for a lunchtime walk, but it never seems to happen.’
‘I’d wait until the summer. I’m looking forward to that – Louisa being a bit bigger, the days being longer and warmer…We’ll be able to take her out, let her play a bit on the grass…It’s going to be good.’
‘Very.’ Zoe watched him open the gate. ‘I didn’t want to ask, but since you’ve already mentioned Maisie and Billie not letting her come over…do you think we need to be worried about her?’
‘Who?’
Zoe glanced up at the window of Billie’s bedroom.
‘Oh,’ Alex said. He fastened the gate again after they’d gone through, Grizzle straining at his lead. ‘Do you?’
‘You said yourself it wasn’t like her to let Maisie down. She’s not a naturally gregarious person, but she is kind, and she values the people she lets in.’
‘True…’ He nodded slowly as they began to walk.
‘So have you noticed anything else that’s worrying you?’
‘It’s hard to say. I didn’t know what to expect once we brought Louisa home, so I don’t know if any of this is how it’s meant to be.’
‘But you must have some memories of when Jennifer first brought Billie home.’
‘I remember I didn’t dare speak to her until I’d found out what her hormones had to say about it.’ He gave a faint laugh. ‘I did wonder if I’d have to get body armour at one point. But she seemed happy, even if she was a bit up and down.’
‘You think Billie is happy?’
‘I think she loves Louisa, if that’s what you mean. Do you think she’s regretting her decision to keep her?’
Zoe paused and then shook her head slowly. ‘No, I don’t think it’s that. I am beginning to think she might be struggling, though. With her mood generally, and not just because of her hormones. I might be worrying for nothing – and honestly I’m not used to seeing quite so much of my new mums; it’s usually a quick in-and-out to check on them – so it could be that a lot of them are like she is when I’m not there. But even you must be able to see she’s not really looking after herself. She doesn’t want company either, and she doesn’t want to go out.’
