She holds out a hand that’s much more wrinkled than her face. Does that mean she’s had a facelift?
“Good to meet you,” I say, giving her hand a shake. “I’m—”
“—Adam,” she interrupts me. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. You look just like your Uncle Wilf.”
I blink, several times. “What? Sorry?”
Angelika tilts her head. “When I met Wilf he was already older than you—in his late fifties—but he still had a boyish face. I always said he looked much younger than he was.”
I give my head a little shake. “What, so you and Wilf were friends?”
“Darling, he used to call me his sister.”
The shock wipes me blank.
Angelika nods at my car. “But I didn’t think you had children.”
“They’re not mine,” I manage to say. “They’re my boyfriend’s. From a previous relationship.” I decide not to add “with a woman” as it’ll only complicate the matter.
I turn around and see the kids are getting fractious. Mabel is elbowing Archie and Theo’s turning around to remonstrate with them.
“In that case, I offer you my solidarity,” Angelika drawls in her light German accent. “I know how hard it is to bring up someone else’s children.”
Before I can respond, Mabel winds down the window and shouts, “Adam, hurry up! I’m suffocating!”
“And dealing with their hostility,” Angelika adds, with a wry smile. “Go on, you’d better get back in.”
“But … sorry. …” I stutter. “I want to talk to you.”
“Oh, darling, you will!” Her eyes twinkle at me.
Amazed, I jog back to the car and slip into the passenger seat.
“Finally!” groans Callum.
“Can we go now?” moans Mabel.
“What was that about?” asks Theo.
“You’re not going to believe this,” I gush. “That woman was a friend of Wilf’s!”
Before he can reply, Angelika pulls up alongside us in her sleek, black Audi convertible. She signals for me to wind my window down.
“Now you’re settled,” she says, one hand hanging out of the window, her red nails glinting in the sun, “would you like to come and visit?”
Theo leans forward. “Hello!”
Angelika gives him a broad smile. “You too. All five of you.”
“Dad, do we have to?” Mabel mutters, in a tone of voice I can only assume she thinks is too low to hear.
But Angelika hears. “Suit yourselves. But my house is very different to yours: I don’t have any farmland, I have a big gardenanda pool. I swim in it first thing every morning; then it’s empty all day. You’d be welcome to use it.”
I turn around and see Mabel’s face. Suddenly, she looks like a sweet, innocent, excited girl. Next to her, Callum’s nodding furiously, his expression both pleading and apologetic. Once again, a flash of Theo passes across his face.
I turn back to Angelika. “That’s very kind of you. Yes, please. We’d love to.”
“Klasse!”Angelika gives me a conspiratorial wink. “I’ll message you on social media.”
