Zoe sat down with William. ‘He’s growing so fast.’
Georgia laughed. ‘I don’t know how you’d be surprised at that. You must see that all the time, the amount of babies you visit.’
‘Yes, but it never fails to amaze me.’ When she looked up, Georgia was regarding her with a look of sympathy. It threw Zoe for a moment. ‘What?’
‘Nothing. I just…Sorry. It’s just that I forget sometimes that you lost your baby, and I wonder if…well, you know. It must be hard. As if everyone you know is having a baby.’
‘Loads of people have asked me that. And honestly, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. I’m sure one day it will be my turn. Nothing changes my loss, but I try to look forward to that day.’
‘You’re better than I would be about it.’
‘Nobody can say that for sure unless they experience it. And I really hope you never will.’ Zoe looked up to see Billie come in and frowned. ‘You’ve still got your pyjamas on!’
‘Yeah…Hi, Georgia. Sorry, but I don’t think I can go. I feel kind of dizzy.’
‘Need me to take a look at you?’ Zoe asked.
‘No. I’ll lie down and it will be fine.’
Georgia and Zoe exchanged a look that told Zoe her friend didn’t believe Billie’s excuse either.
‘That’s such a shame,’ Georgia said. ‘I’m absolutely desperate for a breath of air, and I was hoping to pick your brains too.’
‘About what?’ Billie asked.
‘Oh, you know, this and that. I was wondering whether half the stuff happening to me is because I’m an old mum or if it’s the same for everyone.’
Billie looked doubtful. ‘But it’s been ages since you had William. You’re still having problems? Like what?’
‘Well, like lots of things. I was hoping we could get to them all on our walk. We wouldn’t have to be out for long. And I’d quite like to see Victor’s new alpaca. Have you seen her yet?’
Billie shook her head.
‘Oh, the pregnant one, Dandelion?’ Zoe asked. ‘I’ve seen her, and she’s so cute!’
‘You must be dying to go and have a look,’ Georgia said to Billie. ‘I don’t know how you didn’t run up there the minute she arrived.’
Billie looked torn.
‘If you need to run and get some clothes on, we can wait,’ Georgia added. ‘We’ll be out an hour, tops, and if you get tired, we’ll come straight back. It’ll do you the power of good, trust me.’
Billie turned back to the door. ‘Hang on.’
‘You want us to watch Louisa for a minute while you get sorted?’ Zoe asked.
Billie paused and shook her head. ‘I’ve got to get her dressed too; she can’t go out in what she’s wearing. I’ll be back.’
She left them, letting the door swing shut, and Zoe turned to Georgia. ‘Well played.’
Georgia smiled. ‘I thought so too.’
The skies had brightened so much by the time they walked the path that led away from Hilltop that Zoe wondered why she’d been worried about rain at all. There was an early spring feel in the air, still chilly, but when the sun broke through, the warmth was almost enough to convince her winter was finally on its way out. She was hopeful for the summer. There was so much to look forward to – the opening of Alex’s new business, watching Louisa grow and Billie become a confident young mother. Atleast, those had been her hopes when she’d moved into Hilltop. All those things would still happen, she was sure, but there were bumps in the road she hadn’t foreseen, and they would have to be dealt with. For now, however, she was content to feel the breeze on her face, watching how it chased the clouds across the sky, and to have the smell of new grass fill her head.
Billie had decided to try out her sling, thanks to Georgia, who’d argued that the ground would be boggy from the rain, making it difficult to manoeuvre a pram. After watching Georgia tuck William into a sling, she’d nervously followed suit. She had Louisa strapped to her front now, arms in a protective circle around her as she walked so slowly, Zoe could only guess that she was afraid to jog her little girl around too much. Georgia was far more confident, but then, she’d had a couple of months’ head start.
‘Which direction?’ she asked. ‘Towards Daffodil Farm or the other way?’
‘If we plan to see Victor’s girls, I’d say head towards Daffodil,’ Zoe replied.
