“It’s up to you. We can go wherever you like. Costa Rica, Italy, the Maldives…”
“Oh my God.”
“Or… we could go to the farm.” He glances at me.
My lips slowly curve up. “Really?”
“Yeah. We’ve had the farmhouse fully renovated. I love going there. And I’d like to show you where it all began.”
It’s clear how much it means to the family, and I’m touched he’d consider taking me there. I much prefer the idea of going somewhere relaxed and close to home than some exotic resort. “I’d like that a lot.”
He smiles. “Okay. I’ll tell Dad today and get it organized. You’ll like the farmhouse.” He starts telling me how they’ve had the kitchen refitted. I listen, trying not to glow at the fact that he understands how nervous I’d be going somewhere upmarket. He gets me, maybe more than Cory ever did in all the time we were together. How strange.
It only takes fifteen minutes to get there. The Ashford house sits right on Takapuna Beach, its glass walls reflecting the afternoon sun. Marcus pulls up out the front, and we get out and walk toward the house. Beyond the terrace, I can see the Hauraki Gulf stretching toward Rangitoto, the great volcanic island rising dark and perfect from the water.
He takes my hand, and I don’t argue, feeling as if I need to wear his support like armor. He rings the doorbell, and I nibble my fingernail, wondering if a butler is going to answer.
The door opens, revealing not a butler, but Edward Ashford himself. “Hey,” he says, his eyes almost disappearing into a dozen wrinkles as he smiles. “Come in, come in.”
Wow, he’s so like his son, not quite as tall, but with the same facial structure and similar brown eyes, a shade darker than Marcus’s. It’s easy to see where his sons get their air of wealth and confidence.
“Wren,” he says, holding out his hand. As I slide mine into his, he closes his other hand over the top. “How lovely to see you again.”
“Hello.” His warm smile makes me feel instantly welcome. “It’s nice to see you, too. It’s been a while.”
“Yes it has. We were just talking about that day we all spent on the beach just after you and Caesar had graduated.” He releases me and turns to his son. “Hey, boy.”
“Hey.” Marcus exchanges a bearhug with his father, which is nice to see.
“Wren!”
I turn to see Cece Ashford coming out of the living room. She’s tiny, like her daughter, and fine boned. She used to have the longest red hair I’ve ever seen, but I presume she lost most of it during chemo, because it’s now cropped very short. It suits her, though.
“Hello!” We exchange kisses on the cheek, me having to bend to reach her.
“I’d forgotten how tall you are,” she exclaims. “You look well, though. I was so excited to hear Marcus was bringing you today.”
Marcus gives his mother a big hug, which is super sweet. “I thought you’d be happy.”
“Lord knows I’ve waited long enough,” she says. “Come on, love, let me show you around.”
I’ve waited long enough? What did she mean by that?
She takes me on a tour of the house, which has floor-to-ceiling windows, wide decks, and fantastic views of Rangitoto Island, Auckland’s youngest volcanic island at—she tells me—six hundred years old.
The five bedrooms are spacious and beautifully decorated in pastel colors. There’s a small gym. Edward has a large office. Cece has what she calls her reading room, the bookshelves filled with romances and mysteries, which she uses for her apparently well-known Bookstagram account, which I immediately follow.
“Something I took up when I couldn’t work,” she says, brushing a hand over the spines before leading me out.
“Marcus told me you’d been unwell,” I say softly as we walk slowly back to the living room. “I’m so sorry.”
“Sometimes I think it’s tougher for everyone else than for the person with the disease,” she says. “The family took it hard, and it completely floored Edward. You know he’s planning to retire?”
“Yes, Marcus said.”
“He keeps saying he regrets working so hard all these years and not spending more time with me, but he’s done such great things, and he’s provided a secure future for my children. What mother wouldn’t want that?”
Exactly, I think, as we walk in. I understand perfectly.
