‘If you want to, then I’ll help,’ said Bridget. ‘I don’t doubt we’ll end up with bottles when you get fed up of having to find somewhere to feed him whenever we’re out, but if you’re determined to have a go on the breast, then we’ll humour you for a while.’
‘You said you fed me from a bottle.’
‘Mostly, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what to do. Your gran’s coming over later, and she knows too. We’ll sort it.’
Zoe dreaded to think what sort of outdated advice they were going to offer Maisie between them, but she couldn’t do much about it other than to be on hand as often as she could for Maisie to consult if she was unsure about any of it. She trusted that, by now, Maisie could tell the good from the bad, at least enough to ask Zoe about it when it was given. ‘I can stay and give you some pointers, but I’m sure your mum knows plenty about it.You covered it in antenatal classes too? And Billie showed you a couple of times with Louisa. Trust yourself…you know what you’re doing.’
‘But what if I do it wrong?’
‘I’m sure Ezra will let you know if you’re doing it wrong.’
‘He will,’ Bridget agreed. ‘He’ll scream the place down if he’s going hungry, and we’ll all know.’
Maisie opened her mouth as if she might have more to say, but then closed it again and relaxed back into the pillows. Zoe took that as her cue to say goodbye.
After promising to be on the other end of the phone, day or night, for absolutely anything, no matter how insignificant it might appear to be, and arranging a time to call again the following day to check on mother and baby, she left them to it. As she saw herself out and walked to her car, she let out a deep sigh of satisfaction. She hadn’t wanted Maisie to have a home birth, but the entire family had little in the way of transport options and had been reluctant to make an emergency dash to the nearest maternity unit when the time came, and so she’d had to agree to it. In the end, it had been uneventful and really one of her more pleasant births.
As she fastened her seat belt, her phone began to ring and was instantly connected to the car speakers.
Zoe smiled. ‘Hello, you.’
‘Hello, beautiful. I know you’ve been at a birth and I didn’t want to disturb you, but…’
Her pulse quickened at the sound of Alex’s voice. No matter how long they were together, she doubted that would ever change. ‘But what? Is it exciting news? You’ve had a booking for the camping field, right? Tell me you’ve had a booking!’
‘I have. Only a party of twenty people! How about that for our very first one?’
‘Twenty? But that’s almost half of the pods!’
‘Some kind of family celebration…I don’t know, and I don’t care. It’s amazing. We’re on our way, Zoe! This is going to work – I can feel it in…whatever you’re supposed to feel it in. Celebration tonight?’
‘Absolutely! What do you fancy?’
‘You.’
Zoe giggled. ‘Stop it! Be serious!’
‘I am.’
‘Billie might have something to say about that. Listen, why don’t I call at the shop and see if Magnus and Geoff have a nice champagne for sale? I’ll bring it up after work, and we can make a toast to the most brilliant camping pod manager I’ve ever met.’
‘That sounds good, but we could go out if you like.’
‘We want to include Billie, and I don’t think she’s quite ready for going out yet.’ Zoe’s tone was more measured now. ‘She’s finally getting on an even keel, and I’d hate her to be pressured into doing something she’s not ready for. It would be just as nice to get some food in; there’s a new Thai opened in Ambleside that might deliver as far as Thimblebury. I’ll check the website.’
‘You’re right, as you always are. That sounds perfect. Want me to check the delivery radius? I’m at home, after all, and you’re at work.’
‘You’re at work.’
‘But you know what I mean. Leave it to me. You fetch the champagne, and I’ll organise the food.’
After a couple more minutes of excited back and forth, Zoe ended the call, a broad smile stretching her face as she checked her schedule. It would be hard to concentrate for the rest of the afternoon, though she was as determined as ever to try. Life was a little bit brilliant for her right now, and she had to admit that having Alex in it was a huge part of that. Her place in Thimblebury felt perfect and right, and she firmly believed she was where she’d always been meant to be, but moving intoHilltop Farm with him and Billie was the icing on the proverbial cake.
She started the engine, but as she made ready to pull off the handbrake, she felt dizzy. Allowing a moment for it to clear, she opened the windows wide and let the breeze blow into her face to cool her. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but she’d been working hard, and the pace of life had been frantic all round.
The moment passed and, dismissing it as her body’s way of telling her she needed a cup of tea and some biscuits, she drove back to the surgery.
2
