I’m intrigued.
‘Bye, Charlie,’ I say sadly. ‘Bye, Chipmunk.’ I wave at April. ‘I’ll miss you.’
She holds her hands out to me, but Charlie steps back from the car and her face falls. I swallow back the lump in my throat and try to getHermieinto gear before I lose it.
I don’t make it far. Pulling up outside the big supermarket along the road, I take a deep breath and attempt to gather myself together. I glance at the present Charlie gave me.As if I’m going to wait...
As soon as I open it, I see what he had to go home for. He’s drilled tiny holes into three of the pieces of sea glass we found yesterday – green, brown and yellow – and threaded them onto a long, silver chain that I’m guessing he picked up from a shop in Polperro. He’s made me a sea-glass necklace. I burst into tears.
Chapter 37
I have never been so happy at the prospect of seeing Vince. Seeing Vince means seeing Charlie and April.
The last week has dragged by in slow motion. I’ve had an ache in my chest that just won’t go away and I can hardly believe that they’re staying with me for the weekend at my flat. I’ve borrowed a travel cot from one of my friends and made up the bed in the spare room.
Charlie drives down on Friday night – late to avoid traffic – so April is fast asleep when they arrive. I’ve been longing to hold her again, but Charlie wants to transfer her to her cot as quietly and quickly as he can. She opens her eyes and looks straight at me as I stand by Charlie’s side, so I hurry out of the room and leave him to get her back to sleep. Perhaps she’ll think she dreamt me.
Charlie emerges from the bedroom and smiles as he quietly pulls the door to.
‘Now we can say hello properly,’ he says. I step forward into his arms and he rocks me back and forth, holding me against his broad chest for a very long time. It is the most beautiful feeling, being in his arms. God only knows how much serotonin is being released by this one.
‘We’ve missed you,’ Charlie whispers into my hair.
‘I’ve missed you both, too.’ I reluctantly withdraw. ‘You look shattered,’ I say, gazing up at his weary face. ‘Do you feel like a nightcap or do you want to head straight to bed?’
‘I’ll have a quick one.’ He follows me into the kitchen. ‘Nice place.’ He’s looking around slowly, taking everything in.
I live in a middle-floor apartment in a terraced house, a ten-minute walk away from Chalk Farm underground station. There are two medium-sized bedrooms, one bathroom and a light, airy, open-plan living room and kitchen. My favourite thing about my place is the large sash windows that look straight out onto a couple of mature trees. The best time of year is spring, when the leaves start to bud. Sadly, they’ll all be gone soon, but autumn brings with it its own rewards.
We take our drinks to the sofa and sit side by side, facing each other.
‘Have you spoken to Vince?’ Charlie asks.
‘I’ve emailed him,’ I reply. ‘He said I can go and see him at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning. He’s given me his new address.’
‘Is that wise, meeting him at his house?’ He seems worried. ‘Couldn’t you have gone to a café or somewhere more public?’
I shrug. ‘To be honest, I thought he’d be tricky to pin down so I would’ve said yes to anything. He won’t kick off,’ I say assuredly, although I don’t really know. ‘He might not be happy about me writing about him, but it’s been years – he should be over it by now. Anyway, you’ll be waiting outside in your pickup if it all goes wrong. My escape vehicle.’
‘I’m just nervous about April if he does start anything. I won’t be able to leave her.’
‘To come inside and be my knight in shining armour?’ I tease.
He stares at me, deadpan.
‘He won’t kick off,’ I assure him again, brushing the subject off. ‘But I’m still really glad you’re here.’
He nods at the necklace dangling from around my neck.
‘Do you like it?’
‘I love it,’ I reply, my eyes shining as I smile at him with affection.
He smiles back at me and then shifts in his seat. ‘So, I have some news...’ His sentence trails away, along with his eye contact.
‘What is it?’
‘I’ve just received Nicki’s royalty statement forThe Secret Life of Us.She’s already earned out her advance.’
