‘Easy, there’ll be none of that!’
‘Then you’re a disappointment! But Icancall you. You will still have to stay sober just in case, but how great would it be if you gave it a shot and everything was OK? You’re teaching her to manage risk, well, maybe this is one you could take tonight. It’s up to you, but I think it’s worth a try.’
‘Um… I don’t know.’ And he didn’t, he just wasn’t sure. He had wanted to try before, and had toyed with leaving her with Chase and Angelina to see how it went, but the fear of makingany changes, especially with everything going so smoothly up to now, stopped him at the last minute.
Since he had adopted her they hadn’t spent a night apart. The truth was that for all the years, almost three, that she had been in the orphanage, he had spent most days and nights there. Trying to push the adoption through, bonding with her, ensuring she was well-cared for and safe, making her smile; these had been his raison d’être. When his extraordinary leave, mandatory after the event he had witnessed, had run out he had known he wasn’t ready to return to work. To witness and report events as they unfolded, an observer not a participant, that was a role he could never undertake again. Finding Ellie had meant any objectivity he had once possessed was no longer part of him.
But they were not in Africa any more, they were in Cornwall, building a secure and stable life for the both of them. He was aware that there was a danger in over-compensating, that he had resolved to treat her in as normal a way as possible, not to mess with her head by treating her like a victim. Had he got them to a point where they could progress on to the next step? If the last few years of his life had been about making sure Ellie felt secure was it now time to take teeny-weeny steps towards helping her be more independent?
‘At some point you may have to go away for work, an emergency may arise.’ Sylvie’s response brought him back to the present and he focused in on her words. ‘Wouldn’t it be good to know there was somewhere you could leave her if you had to and not worry about the night terror thing not being dealt with properly? Look, we’ve got rid of Marion and the perfect chance for a dress rehearsal has arisen. Plus, it frees you up, if you want to, to spend the night with someone and not worry about Ellie’s screams waking her up. I really don’t mind. Just talk through what you do, how you manage it and would want me to, and then if you’re happy, we can ask her. Not that I’m in favour ofthe child ruling the parent but she should have a say – there’s no point trialling this if she’s not secure enough to want to. Train me now, then ask her when she comes down. What do you think?’
Alex thought. And knew she was right. It was possible that this insistence they sleep under the same roof every night was him mollycoddling Ellie and making himself feel indispensable. Which in itself wasn’t healthy. Maybe this was a golden opportunity. And therewasa chance he could get called to London, especially now his foundation was beginning to take shape, and then what would he do? Drag Ellie out of school because they couldn’t spend the night apart? That wasn’t conducive to a secure start.
He looked at Sylvie, and suddenly like a switch his decision was made. He’d run it past Ellie, and he might have only known Sylvie a month or so but there was no one he’d trust his daughter with more.
Chapter Fifteen
With Ellie practically vaulting onto Sylvie’s back, so keen was she for a real sleepover as she raced out of the cottage, Alex managed to get to Truro early for his date. He felt his tummy jumble a little with nerves, which was a reasonable expectation. Largely, he thought, because of leaving Ellie overnight for the first time but also because he hadn’t ever been on a blind date before and couldn’t believe that he was now going on one. Thirty-six years old, a father and feeling butterflies about meeting a woman he had zero interest in.
He had offered to pick her up but Marion had informed him that Claudia was coming straight from the train station, having travelled down from London to spend the weekend in her second home, which wasn’t in Penmenna but in Treporth Bay, a small town along the coast, where she had recently bought a rather chichi flat (Marion’s words) overlooking the new marina. Chichi and predictably spotless flats were all about Alex’s history; his future seemed to be uneven cottages and an awful lot of mess. He knew which he preferred, although it would come as a surprise to all who had known him in his London life.
Heading into the bar, he ordered himself a drink and sat down to wait. He was quite early but hadn’t been there long before he was approached by a startlingly attractive woman, dark hair bouncing as she walked, professionally dressed in a navy trouser suit that clung to every beautifully proportioned curve, and a silk shirt opened just a smidge, revealing honey-coloured skin and more than a hint of promise. Every other man in the bar turned his head as she entered.
She made a beeline for him.
‘Alex, an absolute pleasure.’
OK, so she recognized him, which meant this must be Claudia. She was certainly exactly to his taste, and reminiscent of a girlfriend he had had in university. Slim with thick wavy brown hair and clothes that screamed a natural, and expensive, good taste. She knew how to dress and he accepted that Marion knew what she was doing. Matchmaker extraordinaire. He probably owed her an apology.
‘Claudia, lovely to meet you. Can I get you a drink?’
‘Fabulous, yes, please. But could we perhaps grab our table. I’d forgotten how hideous the train journey is and the buffet car only had a soggy-looking panini. I’m absolutely famished.’
‘Of course, that sounds like a great idea. I’ve got so used to eating early recently that my tummy is considering eating the plate as well.’
She gave him an odd look and he reminded himself not to talk to her as if she were five. Spending all his time with Ellie meant his vocabulary had become a little childlike and considerably less man-about-town. Men about town very definitely had stomachs.
‘Well, we’d best get something to eat then.’ OK, he seemed to have got away with that, and he wouldn’t be repeating that mistake again. He was an adult, on an adult date, with possibly very adult consequences. He flourished his hand and she took the cue and walked through to the restaurant, whereupon the maître d’ guided them to their table before asking for her coat which she shrugged off her shoulders with the ease of Grace Kelly.
Alex couldn’t help but smile as he pulled out her chair and she sat down, again oh-so-gracefully before smiling up at him,a smile that would have most men falling to the floor. Luckily, he wasn’t most men, but he acknowledged its power. He also hadn’t failed to note that the smile was reserved only for him – she hadn’t so much as bestowed a glance on the maître d’ or the waiter who was now hovering with a menu and an air of teenage devotion.
Taking the menu with a nod, she focused her full attention on Alex as he sat opposite her.
‘I must say I was very happy when Marion called and suggested we have dinner. I’m sure you hear this a lot, but I’m a huge fan.’
He didn’t. Most people other than those in the industry didn’t really know who he was. The juxtaposition between him always being seen on camera in a flak jacket and helmet meant that people struggled to place him when he was in the jeans and T-shirt he normally sported. Which made him very happy. He couldn’t imagine anything worse than being constantly recognized and consequently treated differently.
‘Oh, thank you. But you have the inside track here. Marion has told me very little about you.’
‘Oh, that’s easy enough. I live largely in London where I work as a hedge-fund manager. And I have a home here for down time. So important, as I’m sure you know.’ She leant across the table and touched his arm, but instead of a sexual charge shooting through him, as he would have expected sitting opposite such a beautiful woman (especially due to the lack of sexual activity since he had arrived in the country), he merely felt a shiver, almost of warning but so faint he queried himself.
Experience taught him to listen to his intuition. He sat back in his chair and looked at her afresh. The waiter, hovering nearby, wasn’t unsure at all and was looking at him with outright envy.
‘I try and get down here as often as I can. I like to get out on the water. Do you sail?’
Before Alex could answer the waiter approached to see if they were ready to order.
‘We haven’t had a chance yet. Could you give us a minute?’ Claudia smiled sweetly at Alex after she had addressed the waiter who, mortified, slunk off to the other side of the restaurant. ‘I’m sorry…’ she really didn’t look it, ‘…but I can’t abide being pestered. Although I suppose we should have a look.’
