“Hey, I’m calling to wish Poppy a happy birthday. Has she had a good day?”
“She has. I’ll take the phone up to her. You just caught her. I was tucking her into bed.”
She gave the phone to Poppy and left the bedroom while her daughter chatted to her dad, returning a couple of minutes later when she heard Poppy saying goodbye. Tony had already hung up when Poppy handed her back her phone. But it was the first time Tony had managed to call his daughter on her birthday, even if he had called long after what he ought to know was her bedtime.
Chapter 21
Carrie got comfy on the sofa with the new Ellie Henderson book. What a brilliant day. It had been so lovely to be with everyone and be able to relax without the pressure of feeling Poppy having a great day was solely down to her.
Her daughter was loved by so many people. She’d had cards and a present from holiday club as well as from Lucy and Seren, which was so sweet of them. The cake Layla made and the card were so thoughtful.
And then there was Michael. He’d been completely amazing, stepping up to really make Poppy’s birthday so special for her. He absolutely hadn’t taken over but had given up his time and energy gladly to spend time with them. He was behaving exactly like a father should on his daughter’s birthday... But of course he wasn’t Poppy’s father and Carrie didn’t want Poppy getting confused or comparing Michael to her own dad.
They would be returning to London soon, and, yes, they would come back to Castle Cove at some point to visit, Carrie was sure. It was unlikely to be regular and not for this length of time though. Their home was in London. Carrie had a job. Poppy had her school and her friends. And Tony. Well, when he returned from Germany. She couldn’t give up on him. He might not be like Michael, but he hadn’t completely abandoned Poppy like Carrie’s own father had. Poppy still got to see her dad, and maybe, as Poppy got older, he’d find it easier to hang out with her. Perhaps he’d mature and realise that there was nothing in his life anywhere near as important as his daughter. For Poppy’s sake, Carrie couldn’t give up on him. And he had called Poppy on her birthday. Maybe that was a sign that Tony was starting to turn over a new leaf?
Before she could think better of it, Carrie took out her phone and called Tony. He didn’t reply, which wasn’t exactly unusual,so she tried again. And then again. He finally picked up on the third try.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” he said.
“Your daughter misses you,” Carrie said. Actually, come to think of it, Poppy hadn’t mentioned missing Tony. Her focus was all about the shop and the kittens and Michael and Layla. She rarely spoke about her father of late, but that was presumably because everything was so new and exciting and she was busy. It was all different for her and she had plenty to keep her occupied. That would change once they were back in London. Carrie’s heart sank at the thought of returning there, to her flat which was half the size of the one they were living in here. She was so going to miss the life they’d carved out for themselves here, but it had just been a holiday, a break from reality.
“And I miss her,” said Tony. “How is she?”
“She’s good.” Something stopped Carrie from giving more information about everything Poppy had been up to. Was she worried Tony would feel bad about how much he’d been missing out on? That he’d be jealous of Michael and his relationship with Poppy? Or even his friendship with herself? She didn’t think so. What she feared was that most of it just felt too personal to share with her feckless ex, which was something she hadn’t experienced before. She’d always kept Tony informed about everything in Poppy’s life, whether he’d appeared interested or not.
She settled on asking, “When are you back in the country? I can bring her to see you.”
“Aren’t you coming back soon, anyway?” he said.
“Yes, though I don’t know exactly when. We’re catching up with Auntie Mary now she’s home.” She didn’t even bother to mention that her mum was visiting too. “I’m happy to come back to London so you can see her whenever suits you.”
“I’m back for a few days now actually . . . I was going to tell you. I’ve just been catching up on some sleep. Anyway, when can I see Poppy?”
For a moment Carrie wondered if she was actually hearing him right. She couldn’t recall Tony ever actually asking to see Poppy before, it always having been at her instigation.
“I can drive back at the weekend,” she tentatively suggested.
“I’m flying back to Germany on Friday night.”
“Oh.” Friday was Layla’s birthday. Poppy was so excited about being invited to her party, and Carrie was looking forward to it too; she loved Layla and was excited to celebrate with her. Poppy had already started working on Layla’s birthday card which was going to feature cats and they’d spent ages choosing presents for her. Carrie felt wretched at the thought of letting Layla down, but Tony had to leave for work again. As always, he was being useless with timings, but it was important he spent time with Poppy. She’d already gone weeks without seeing him.
“OK,” Carrie said, finally. “How about I drive back after the shop closes tomorrow, and you can see her on Thursday?”
“Um . . . yeah, that sounds doable,” Tony said.
“What time would be good for you?”
“Like two on Thursday afternoon?”
“Great. You can come and pick her up from my flat. We’ll see you then.” She was about to put down the phone when she thought to add, “Poppy will be really excited about seeing you.”
Carrie stared at her mobile for a moment after ending the call, journey logistics going through her mind, and the sad realisation hit that coming back to Castle Cove for Friday would just be prolonging the inevitable.
It was time to return to her real life. She couldn’t stay hiding away in this beautiful place forever. Aunt Mary was back and wouldn’t need her any more. The longer she was here, the more complicated things got, especially her feelings for Michael.There was no point in denying it — he was absolutely perfect for her and she was rapidly falling very much in love with him. But she had a responsibility to Poppy. Poppy was the most important person in her life, and she would not let her down by taking her away from her father just because of feelings she had for some guy she’d hung out with over the summer. And there was no way that Michael would be interested in a relationship after what had happened to poor Layla with Georgia’s boyfriend’s kids. Michael adored Layla and wouldn’t risk more disruption for her. He’d even explained that to her. Carrie desperately needed to put some distance between them before she ended up very hurt.
And anyway, she couldn’t just stay. What would she do for money? She couldn’t give up a stable job that she needed in order to support Poppy, particularly as Tony didn’t help financially.
A tear slipped down her cheek at the thought of leaving this wonderful place, especially before they were able to celebrate Layla’s birthday with her. But they could give her her presents before they went. Maybe video call her on her actual birthday. And it’s not like she and Poppy would never see Layla again... or Michael.
