‘Tough with Mac, more like. At least, recently. He’s been travelling a lot. In fact, he’s in Germany, as we speak, at some trade show. So I was super excited to find his parents were coming to stay. They’ve also said they’d stick around so Mac and I can get away for a naughty weekend.’
‘I’ll raise a glass to that,’ I reply. ‘Just as soon as I catch the attention of one of the wait staff.’
We order another round; Pinot for me and a margarita for her, as well as a couple of tapas plates.
‘May the wings of your eyeliner always be even.’ Raising her glass, Ella proposes a toast.
I raise my glass. ‘Amen to that!’
‘How are you enjoying London?’ she asks, sliding her glass back onto the table between us.
‘Oh, I love it. It’s so different from back home.’
‘Which is where?’ She seems genuinely interested, rather than asking for the sake of conversation.
‘Maryland. Ocean City. At least, that’s where I live now.’
‘And Will says you’re a teacher?’
I nod and try to ignore the little fluttering tickle at that insight, then silently chastise myself. Because, hello vacation not-romance. Vacation fling?
‘I was at university studying for an early years teaching degree. I still haven’t finished it.’ She frowns. ‘Second time around student, too. Here’s hoping third time’s the charm, whenever that may be.’ She lifts her glass before taking a dainty sip.
‘You’re going to finish it sometime and go into teaching?’
‘That’s the plan,’ she answers, looking thoroughly unconvinced. ‘Maybe once Juno is old enough to go to day care or maybe school.’ She takes another short sip as though to wash away the inevitability.
I get it. I’m quite privileged in my position, I think. As a teacher, I get those minds for less than a year, but during that year, such changes take place. The children learn to read a little. To write. To learn about rules and structure. They experience new and frightening things, and overcome such obstacles. And on top of that, by the time summer swings around, I’ve seen such changes in them—they’re no longer little baby faces hopping into class to play. They’re children. Little people changing every day. And I imagine this is just a fraction of what a parent sees and feels. No wonder many of them want time to stand still.
‘I sort of fell into teaching,’ I say, filling the sudden void in our conversation. ‘Not that I don’t love it.’
‘I thought I might love it. But then I fell into Mac.’ She giggles a little smuttily. ‘Or he fell into me. Anyway,’ she says with a happy sigh. ‘Everything got sort of redirected after that.’ She makes a swirling motion about her stomach.An unexpected pregnancy?
‘You have such a beautiful family.’ Absolute true story. ‘And your kids are just the sweetest.’
‘Thank you! I am fond of the little rats. Though Louis isn’t my biological child, I love him fiercely. He’s just the most special boy. Oh,’ she says, taking in my expression. ‘I thought Will might’ve told you?’
‘Will and I haven’t really... ’ Done anything but bicker and fuck, though we excel at both. ‘We really don’t know each other very well at all.’
‘Huh.’ She purses her lips, twisting her mouth off to one side. ‘He’s never introduced us to anyone before. Well, not me, anyway. I thought for sure—’
She cancels whatever she was about to say, but it hangs in the air, anyway.
‘Nope, like I said, we’re just friends. I’m only here for a few weeks.’
‘But you’re enjoying being. . . under him?’ She toys with the pendant dangling from her long gold necklace, a saucy glint in her eye. ‘Living on the floor below, I mean.’
‘I knowexactlywhat you mean.’ Lady, I have your number. But it’s hard not to smile in return.
‘I imagine when Will goes downstairs, he’s very thorough.’ How can she keep such a straight face through her terrible jokes?
‘As thorough as you are bad,’ I chastise lightly because it’s hard to be serious when you’re laughing.
‘It’s a terrible side effect of not getting out often enough. The lack of adult companionship has unfortunately turned me into a teenage boy. I’m sort of obsessed with sex. Hang on a minute,’ she says with barely a cringe. ‘That sounds worse than it actually is. I suppose I just want everyone to be as satisfied as I am.’
‘That’s’—a little strange—‘good to know.’
‘Also,’ she adds, taking barely a breath, ‘I blame breastfeeding.’ She eyes her glass again. ‘Abstinence has made me a terrible lightweight and an awful flirt, apparently. Not that I was a heavy drinker before, but now? A couple of drinks and I’m a bit of a handful. I make extremely injudicious decisions, which Mac uses to his full advantage, of course. I’m being very indiscreet, aren’t I? I hope I haven’t frightened you off.’
