‘You can let Jacob off now,’ Immy said. Etta did just that and the girls ran off down the beach, with Jacob following them.
Immy and Alex walked on in silence for a while and Immy braced herself for more disapproving comments about Xander.
‘You know, now I’m back you can stay at mine until you can move back into your flat. You’d have your own room. It must be awful having to share a bedroom with Xander,’ Alex said.
Immy smirked as she had a flashback to the evening before, where he’d ravished her three times during the night. ‘Oh yes, it’s so awful.’
Alex smiled and shook her head.
‘In all seriousness, I appreciate the offer, I really do,’Immy said. ‘I love playing third wheel to you and Quinn. But it makes sense to stay with him until I’ve finished the shop. I can get over early and stay late and if I need to pop back to get supplies from Xander’s flat, it’s only a few seconds’ walk. Plus I can pop in to check on Jacob on a regular basis, let him out in the garden when he needs it. Or if I need a rest, Xander’s bed is just a few steps away.’
‘That sounds like a pretty feeble excuse to me, but if you’re happy…’
‘I am, ridiculously so.’
Alex was silent for a moment. ‘I can see that. You have the biggest smile on your face when you’re around him. And I just want you to be happy, I don’t want anything more than that. But it’s all moving a little fast. You’ve gone from barely even speaking to each other to practically living with each other. I worry about you falling in love and then getting hurt.’
That was something that Immy was worried about too.
‘It’s only until the shop is finished. I think all the fumes from the paint and cleaning would make me nauseous in the flat. And I haven’t even got electricity yet. Once everything is fixed and done, I can move back in and we can start taking things at a more reasonable pace.’
Alex was silent for a moment before she spoke. ‘He clearly adores you.’
‘Wait, are you not going to give me any more “Xander is bad for you” pearls of wisdom?’
‘But he’s not. He is attentive, loving, making sure you eat and take breaks. Any fool can see he is crazy about you. He is closing his shop at one of his busiest times of the year to come and help you. I can’t really find anything bad to say about him, as much as I’d like to. If I didn’t know Xander, or if I didn’t know how he’d treated you in the past, I’d be over the moon that you’d found such a wonderful, caring, kind person. So I am happy for you, but I’m just crossing everything that it works out for you.’
‘If it helps, I feel the same. I’m trying to keep my heart in check because I’m scared of getting hurt again. But I know if I didn’t give us this second chance I would always regret it.’
‘I think you would too. And I can see why you’re fighting for it. I’d be very happy if I was proved wrong and you two end up getting married and living happily ever after. I honestly wish for that.’
‘I do too.’
They carried on walking and Alex linked arms with her. ‘And whatever happens, I’m always here for you. Not that you need me, because you’ll be an excellent mum on your own, but I am here.’
‘Thank you.’ Immy squeezed her hand as they continued walking down the beach.
Immy came back downstairs after reading Etta a bedtime story about dragons and unicorns and flopped down on the sofa. She was exhausted.
By the time Immy and Alex had got back from the beach, all the cleaning had been done and, as there was no damage to the walls, Xander, his brothers and Quinn were starting to apply the primer and sealer to stop the smoke stains and smell from seeping through the new paint. Tomorrow they could start painting.
There was still no word from Belinda on when someone might be coming to check the electrics. She would have to nudge Belinda tomorrow if there was still no word about the electrician by lunchtime. They really needed electricity if they were going to open for the Easter egg hunt on Sunday. The main part of the shop was too dark to open without it. And she wouldn’t be able to make drinks on her brand new coffee machine without power either, but that wasn’t a necessity.
Xander walked back in after saying goodnight to Etta and offered out his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. ‘I know you’re worried about the shop but, whatever happens, we’ll make the best of it. There are some things out of our control and we have to accept that. But the Easter egg hunt will go ahead, I promise you that.’
‘I know, thank you. I just want everything to be perfect. But as long as we can run the Easter egg hunt, I’ll be happy.’
‘Well, I want you to try and stop worrying, at least for tonight. It’s time for your massage.’
‘Oh, I’d forgotten about that.’
He led her into the bedroom and she saw that it was lit only by flickering candles. It looked very peaceful and romantic.
‘This is lovely.’
‘So, I’ve been doing some research on massage techniques and I think I’ll be OK in that department, but it seems that a good massage has candles and…’ He swiped a few things on his phone and a few moments later she could hear panpipe music.
She giggled. ‘Is that a prerequisite?’
