Bubbles of laughter were forming in Grace’s stomach.
‘And I envied you your freedom, your ability to drop everything and fly off at a moment’s notice, while I was stuck with nappies and sick.’
‘Lovely.’
‘And if I’m being completely honest too, having the chance to try out a new man whenever you felt like it.’
‘See, you’re not as buttoned up as you make out, lady.’
Grace let the laughter rip out of her and Sofia joined in with gusto. They were teenagers again, drunk on cider in the uni bar, comparing the terrible chat-up lines they’d been subjected to.
Sofia grabbed for her hand.
‘But I do believe you’re built to be with someone, my lovely friend. There’s at least one more chapter to come in your love life, maybe more. You’ve just got to get some proper practice in.’
ChapterEight
The heat of the sun on her face woke Grace from a fitful doze. She felt for her hat, which was thankfully still in place on her head, along with her sunglasses. She’d gone out onto the balcony for a five-minute sit-down after a long morning teaching the little ones. They were cute, but exhausting. She didn’t usually get given the five- to seven-year-olds, but Anna was off sick with a stomach bug, so it had been Grace’s turn to get stuck in. Singing nursery rhymes and playing shops might be improving their English, but Grace thought she’d scream if she heard ‘Ring a Ring o’ Roses’ again anytime soon.
Sofia had finally left the previous morning, after a week of eating, drinking and shopping together. They’d had a lovely time, but a week was long enough when one person was working and the other one was on holiday.
They’d had lunch every day on the hotel terrace, and Grace had noticed the smouldering glances between her friend and the head waiter. His name was Adonis, and it was an apt description of the man. Tall, golden and definitely this side of forty.
On day three, a beaming Sofia had admitted that Adonis was her go-to entertainment after Grace had gone home for the night. At least it meant the evenings had ended early enough for Grace to get enough sleep to function at work.
A glance at her phone told her she’d been sleeping for an hour, and it was now mid-afternoon. There were only a few minutes left until her weekly call with Lottie in Australia. It was Lottie on Saturdays and Flo on Sundays.
It was strange to see her younger daughter sitting at the kitchen table in the cottage back in Oxfordshire. It was even stranger that she didn’t miss anything about it. Everything looked tiny and the view outside the window was nothing compared to the wide-open vistas all around her on the island.
Grace went back into the room and let her eyes adjust to the dark interior before she poured herself a glass of cold water from a bottle in the fridge and settled down at her desk in front of the computer.
The familiar ping told her that Lottie was online, and as soon as she clicked on the picture and saw her daughter’s beaming face and Brad standing proudly behind her, she had a pretty good idea what was coming.
‘Mum! You’ll never guess!’
Grace readied her face.
‘I’m pregnant! We’re having a baby. You’re going to be a grannie!’
Grace let out a squeal.
‘That’s wonderful, darling. And you, of course, Brad. I’m so excited.’
Lottie’s hands moved down to her stomach.
‘I’ve wanted to tell you for ages’—her daughter looked up at her boyfriend—‘but Brad insisted we wait until the three-month scan. As you know, his sister Suzie’s a nurse at the hospital here, and she explained that lots can go wrong in the early stages, and we didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up.’
‘Very sensible.’
Lottie held up a picture.
‘But here it is. The magical three-month scan. We’ve made it this far.’
The bean-shaped blob on the screen caused Grace’s heart to hammer in her chest. In front of her was an image of the grandchild that Phil would never meet. The first new baby in their little family. How he would have loved to live long enough to hold a grandson or granddaughter in his arms.
But she mustn’t let her sadness show. This was Lottie’s day.
Grace clapped her hands and got as close to the screen as she could.
