Grace sat in stunned silence. So many thoughts were racing through her mind.
‘I’ll be the one giving birth, and Jilly will go back to work. I’ll get a whole year off, so we can time it with the university schedule.’ Her daughter’s words were all running into one.
‘Wow.’
‘Is that all you can say, Mum? You were all over Lottie when she announced that she was pregnant. Why is it so different for us?’
Her youngest child had always been the more sensitive of the two. Grace was just trying to get her head round how it would all work. Where would they find the sperm donor? Would it be someone they knew? Would he have any involvement with the baby’s life? She’d better not rush in with too many questions.
‘I’m thrilled for you both. It’s really exciting. But take it slow, and remember, you’re not actually pregnant yet, darling.’
As soon as she’d said it, Grace knew she’d made a mistake.
‘That’s right. Pour cold water over the whole thing. Just dismiss our dream.’
‘No, no, it’s a lovely idea. You’ll make a great mother.’
But the screen had gone blank.
Grace pressed the redial button twice, but there was no answer.
She knew from experience that she’d be better off leaving her daughter alone for a while. She took a bottle of white wine from the fridge and poured herself a large glass. What a day! She’d almost been sacked this morning because she’d felt the need to rush in and tell Elena what she really felt. Now she was getting grief from her daughter for not being enthusiastic enough about her plan to have a baby. Was she ever going to get it right?
ChapterSeventeen
The last day of term looked like being a lot more emotional than Grace could have imagined when she’d started at the language school. Just the sight of the kids sitting quietly in front of her was almost enough to set her off. She was ending with her favourite Saturday class of eight- and nine-year-olds, Stelios among them.
All week long she’d been plied with homemade treats from parents, most of which she’d taken straight to Angeliki to share at lunchtime. Grace had seen how hard the poor woman worked. She never turned anyone away. The vet barely had time to breathe, let alone eat, and Grace had become her unofficial coffee maker and food provider, forcing Angeliki to take a break each lunchtime.
Karen the kitten was getting stronger by the day, and her playful personality was emerging. Grace had bought some cat toys for her from one of the many pet shops in town. She’d had Angeliki in fits of laughter as she dragged the fake mice along the ground and Karen timed her pounce exactly. Grace had upgraded her messages to Will from texts to videos of the cat they’d rescued together. He sent videos back of the various beaches and yachts he’d been on. Plus, one of a birthday cake and a bottle of champagne. Obviously, a tough gig.
‘Will you be teaching us again next year, miss?’
It was Stelios who had his hand up. The boy had become so much more confident in the past few weeks. He’d been allowed to bring Mikey in for the final lesson, and the dog was lying calmly by his side.
‘I hope so, Stelios. I’d love to see you all again next year.’
She meant every word, but she had absolutely no idea what she’d be doing next month, never mind next year. The idea of returning home to tutor spoilt children back in Oxfordshire didn’t hugely appeal, but she wasn’t sure what she’d replace it with.
‘We’re going to do some work on animals from around the world today, and then I have a treat for you all.’
After a quiz where the kids had to identify the animals on the cards, suggest what they might eat and then match them with the countries they came from, the noise level was rising. Grace had timed it just about right.
‘Now, children, we’re going to watch a film to finish off, calledLassie.’
Much as she’d like to, she wasn’t going to subject them to the black and white version, featuring the original dog, Pal, who’d lived to the ripe old age of eighteen. Instead, it was a later version in colour with a new dog, Mason, ably assisted by the actor Peter O’Toole.
Although the film didn’t have Greek subtitles, Grace was confident they’d pick up the story. They sat entranced throughout, eyes shining, and cheered loudly when Lassie finally made it home to his schoolboy owner, Joe.
Grace had to turn and wipe away a tear before she faced the children. The story always got to her, however many times she’d seen it.
‘Children, gather up your things, and go and meet your parents. I’ll be seeing some of you over the next few weeks, but for those who are going off on holidays, have a wonderful time and forget about school for a while. That’s an order.’
* * *
Grace stowed the last of the parents’ gifts in her room. She put some homemade courgette balls with tzatziki and a few pieces of delicious-looking baklava into cartons for the journey and added them to her packed holdall. She was meeting Anna downstairs in five minutes. At the last moment, she remembered her Kindle in case she needed something to do while she waited around.
Anna was already there, bag slung over her shoulder. They watched Elena and Giannis walk together to his BMW. He rushed round to open the door for his pregnant wife, which brought forth a snort from Anna. Grace was certain that neither she nor Anna wanted to bump into the dynamic duo if they could help it, so they hung back until Giannis’s beloved car had left the car park. There was plenty of time before their ferry left.
