He gently but firmly escorted her outside. ‘OK, take a few deep breaths,’ he said, stroking up and down her back. ‘Is there something in particular that’s making you feel sick?’
‘I think it’s the smell of the cleaning stuff. And the burger van.’
Xander turned round to look at the van and then walked over to it before she could stop him.
She didn’t know what he said to the driver but, after a few moments, the man started the van and moved it a few hundred yards up the road.
He came back. ‘Problem solved, well at least half the problem.’
‘What did you say to him?’
‘The truth, that you were pregnant and the smell of the van was making you feel sick. I might have played the sympathy card and told him about the fire too. He was happy to move.’
‘Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be OK after a few minutes out here. I’m sorry about this.’
‘You have nothing to apologise for. It’s perfectly natural for a pregnant woman to be nauseous and sensitive to certain smells. And remember, you were going to work on not apologising for something that isn’t your fault.’
She smiled. ‘I was, wasn’t I?’
‘Yes.’
‘I just feel so bad taking all these breaks when everyone is in there working so hard on my shop.’
‘But everyone wants to help. They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t. They all know you’re pregnant and that you’re not necessarily firing on all cylinders because of that. They don’t care. Why don’t you take Jacob for a walk. Take the girls with you, I’m sure they would loveto get out for a bit too. We have six pairs of hands in there. I’m sure we can get the rest of the cleaning done very quickly.’
‘But—’
‘No buts.’ He leaned back into the shop. ‘Hey, does anyone mind if Immy and the girls go for a walk with Jacob?’
Everyone looked confused.
‘Why would we mind?’ Logan said.
‘She has some weird idea that as it’s her shop she has to be here, despite the cleaning stuff making her feel sick.’
‘Immy, I know the shop is important to you,’ Max said. ‘But the baby and your health take precedence. Go for a walk, we’ll be fine here.’
The others nodded in agreement.
Xander turned round. ‘See.’
The girls were already making their way over, clearly delighted to be getting out of there.
‘I’ll come as well,’ Alex said.
Immy wasn’t sure if she could stomach any more comments from her sister about Xander but she couldn’t exactly say no.
They all wandered across the road and Immy went upstairs and put Jacob on a lead before bringing him back downstairs again. He loved a walk but he was equally happy just chilling out at home, sprawled upside down on the sofa.
Immy rejoined Alex and the girls again.
‘Can I hold Jacob’s lead?’ Etta asked.
‘Yes, but make sure you hold it tight,’ she said. Not that Jacob would ever run off, he was much more of an ambler. Etta nodded solemnly.
It was a lovely sunny day and kids were running round Cherry Lane with their faces painted with butterflies, superheroes, unicorns, lions, tigers and lots of other animals too. There was even a bouncy castle and an ice cream van at the end of the high street. There was definitely a large increase in people wandering around the shops, probably the tourists who were down here on holiday.
They took a short path through the shops and then walked down the hill a short way and onto the beach, a long golden horseshoe-shaped strip of sand, enclosed by deep red cliffs.
