“Oh, these are good,” Carole said. “There’s, er, quite a lot of icing on this one.”
Tom laughed again. “Evie doesn’t do things by half measures, least of all when it comes to her latest passion, which is cake decorating.”
“So, yesterday you said Evie was Lucy’s daughter? That made it sound like she’s not your daughter, too, is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right. When Lucy and I got together, Evie was already four years old. Lucy broke up with Evie’s dad when Evie was just a baby. He’s still involved in Evie’s life, well, when it suits him, that is.”
Carole couldn’t miss the disdain in Tom’s tone as he added that last remark.
“Lucy and I were together for three years and I spent a lot of time with Evie,” Tom said. “Although things didn’t work out between Lucy and I, there was no great drama when we broke up and we’ve stayed good friends. I adore Evie and would hate not to have her in my life. I’d miss her too much. Thankfully, Lucy understands that, and understands that Evie likes seeing me, too.”
He gave a wry grin and added, “Plus, when I’m not caught up at work, I’m usually always available for babysitting, which comes in handy. Actually, Evie and I have seen each other more than ever over these past couple of weeks as Lucy’s wedding day gets closer, because she’s run off her feet dealing with everything that has to be done.”
“It sounds like you and Lucy still have a great relationship after breaking up, especially if you’re going to her wedding and watching her marry some new bloke. Won’t that feel a bit strange?”
“I can see how it might look that way. But Lucy’s fiancé, Martin, is a great guy and they’re a great match, and he’s brilliant with Evie. I’m happy for Lucy, and happy for both of them. And Evie loves Martin, which seals the deal for me. Lucy wouldn’t be with him if he wasn’t great with her daughter and given how Evie chatters on about him whenever she visits, I know he’s a good bloke who’ll take care of them both.”
“Wow, that’s amazing, Tom. There aren’t many people who break up and stay friends the way it sounds you’ve done with your ex.”
“It works for us because we both love Evie and want what’s best for her.” He set aside his half-eaten fairy cake and gave her a thoughtful look over the rim of his mug. “You mentioned you’d just come out of a relationship lately?”
Carole nodded. “We’d been together for a few years, but things ran their course and it was time to move on. I’m glad to be back on my own after living with Greg for a long time. Knocking this place into shape and getting things just the way I want them is exciting, even if it is hard work. It’s all part of the brand-new start I promised myself after I broke things off with Greg.”
“Well, you’ve obviously hit the ground running,” Tom said, gesturing to the freshly painted kitchen walls and then getting to his feet. “Which, I’m afraid, is what I have to do, too.”
“You’d better finish the rest of that fairy cake before you go. It’d be a shame to waste it, and I ate all of mine, see?”
Carole showed him the empty cupcake case before rolling it into a ball and dropping it in the bin. With a resigned nod, Tom stuffed the last portion of cake into his mouth.
“You were supposed to eat these for me, not make me to tuck in alongside you,” Tom laughed when he’d swallowed his mouthful of cake.
“Well, you can tell Evie I think these fairy cakes are delicious, and if there’s any more baking on the go the next time she’s visiting you, be sure to share it with me.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Tom’s phone pinged just then and he glanced at the screen. “I’ve got a work call I need to make this evening and that’s my five-minute warning. I’d better get moving. Thanks for the tea.”
“Thanks for the fairy cakes.”
“Oh, and I thought I’d let you know that I’m away on a work trip for the next few days. I won’t be back until Thursday, and I figured it was worth mentioning in case you came knocking on my door with any final details about your cousin’s wedding next weekend and wondered where I’d disappeared to.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll text you with any info instead.” A thought occurred to her. “Do you need someone to drop by and water your houseplants or anything like that?”
They’d reached the front door, and Tom turned and gave her an appreciative look. “Thanks for offering. But I learned a long time ago that I only ever end up killing any plants that are unlucky enough to find their way into my house, so took pity on the poor things and stopped forcing them to come and live with me.”
Carole laughed. “Fair enough. Where are you going on your work trip? Somewhere overseas and exotic? Or am I being horribly nosy now?”
Tom returned her grin. “’Course not. I’m just heading up to Manchester. Nothing more exciting than that, I’m afraid.”
“Well, safe journey, Tom, and I’ll see you when you get back.”
With a wave, Tom strode off along her garden path and made his way back to his own front door. Carole gave a final wave goodbye as he fished his keys out of his jeans and went inside his house.
As she rinsed their tea mugs at the sink, she thought about their brief conversation. She’d learned a little bit about him, which was nice, and had solved the mystery of his relationship with the cute little girl, Evie, who often visited. Tom was the girl’s sort-of stepdad, in a roundabout way, and was apparently a decent bloke if he was eagerly remaining a part of the child’s life after his relationship with her mother had ended.
His confession that he was also a penitent murderer of houseplants made her smile, for some reason she couldn’t fathom.
Although he’d mentioned the work phone call he’d dashed off to make, and the work trip he was leaving for the next day, Carole realised she still didn’t know what he did for a living. Of course, Tom didn’t know what she did for a living, either.
