CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
It was the following day and after a wonderful evening at Carlo’s Italian restaurant, I woke up to the sound of Amelie running into my room in her pyjamas and demanding to know when we were going to see Danny again.
I smiled at her, my heart lifting with happiness. ‘Soon, my love. I promise.’
Danny was clearly her favourite person now, after last night!
‘I think we should see him very soon,’ she stated firmly. Her eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘Danny let me have his chocolate as well when you went to the toilet.’
‘Oh, did he now? Well, just wait till I see him!’ I grabbed her and tickled her and she shrieked with laughter.
‘Can we see his... hepperd’s hut where he goes to sleep?’ she wanted to know.
‘The shepherd’s hut? Yes, I’m sure we can.’
‘Yay!’ We fist-pumped enthusiastically. ‘Can we go now, Mum?’
I laughed, thinking that her enthusiasm for seeing Danny was quite convenient considering that I was also very much looking forward to seeing him again! I’d been so happy when he’d decided to extend his stay at the glamping site for another couple of nights.
‘Well, we can’t go right now because you have to go to nursery. And while you’re there, I’m going over to Ellie’s with some of her friends to help her with baby Isla.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Well, I’ll be cooking lunch with Maddy – one of my curries – and making sure Isla is happy. And Ellie will be having a nice time relaxing on the sofa while Fen gives her a special facial and Katja makes her nails all pretty.’
‘Ooh, can I have my nails all pretty?’
I chuckled. ‘You’re still a bit young for that.’
‘ Please ? Lois at school sometimes comes to school with nail polish still on!’
‘Does she?’
‘So can I? When it’s not a school day?’ she begged.
‘We’ll see.’
She frowned. ‘That always means no.’
I laughed. ‘Well, not this time. Maybe as a special treat at the weekend. Now, come on, let’s get you ready or we’re going to be late.’
*****
Over at Ellie’s I was surprised to see Maisie there.
‘Oh, it’s an inset day at school so we’ve got the day off,’ she told me airily when I enquired. ‘And soon it’ll be the holidays and I’ll have six whole weeks to not got to school!’
‘Wow. What are you going to do with all that free time?’
‘Mum says she’s going to take me and Amy to the leisure centre. They’ve got an inflatable obstacle course that’s really good fun if you don’t mind getting water in your eyes and I really don’t.’
‘That sounds great.’ I glanced over at Ellie who was reclining on the sofa in her dressing gown, being served chamomile tea by Fen from a cute china teapot. ‘Will you be tackling the inflatable obstacle course, do you think?’
‘Ha! No, I’ll just be having a quiet snooze in the corner of the spectators’ gallery I think.’
I grinned. ‘Sounds like a good plan.’
Later, Maisie joined Maddy and me in the kitchen, helping to set the table for lunch.
‘So, Maisie, you never told me what your secret plan was for the delightful Reuben.’ I smiled over at her. ‘Are you going to spill the beans?’
‘What beans?’ she asked, looking around puzzled.
‘It’s just a saying. It means are you going to tell us all?’ said Maddy, who already knew about Reuben and his shocking behaviour.
Maisie paused in her task of carefully laying out the cutlery, her eyes sparkling with glee.
‘Well... Amy pretended she’d changed her mind about going out with Reuben and of course he believed her because who wouldn’t want to go out with him.
’ She snorted to indicate she was joking.
‘So then Amy was all, Ooh, Reuben, I can’t wait to go on a date with you!
I hope you’re going to kiss me when the lights go down.
And all that stupid stuff, which was really funny. ’
Maddy frowned. ‘So Amy actually went on a date with him?’
Maisie giggled, shaking her head. ‘No, she just pretended she was looking forward to it.’
‘So she didn’t show up?’ I guessed. And that charmer Reuben ended up on his date alone? Which would absolutely have served him right after the way he behaved towards you.’
‘Oh, no. He did have a date with someone ,’ said Maisie.
‘But when he got to the cinema, our friend Fergie was there waiting for him instead of Amy. It was all Fergie’s idea.
Me and Amy were hiding just inside the cinema to watch, behind a life-size cardboard figure of Batman, and Reuben didn’t look very pleased at all.
Especially when we jumped out and took photos of him with his ‘date’ Fergie, and then sent them to all of Reuben’s mates.
They thought it was really funny and Reuben was so mad he turned a funny purplish-red colour. ’
Maddy and I started to laugh.
‘You are wicked, the pair of you,’ snorted Maddy. ‘That’s just the sort of thing I would have done when I was your age.’
‘Well, I was a model pupil. I’d never have done anything like that,’ I admitted. ‘But well done you, Maisie, for getting your own back on that nasty so-and-so.’
‘What are you all laughing at?’ asked Ellie, coming in with Fen at that moment.
‘Oh, nothing,’ said Maisie airily. Then she caught mine and Maddy’s eyes and started giggling, so of course then Ellie demanded to know what was going on.
So Maisie told her the whole story, and Ellie was horrified by Reuben’s behaviour but then she laughed more heartily than any of us at the pure style of Maisie’s revenge.
‘Who needs dates with stupid boys anyway?’ shrugged Maddy with a grin.
‘Quite right,’ agreed Fen. ‘You’ve got plenty of time for that.’
‘Oh, well, I do have a date, actually,’ announced Maisie, blushing.
‘Oh? Who with?’ demanded Ellie.
‘Well, Fergie, actually. He’s really funny and I like him. Plus he’s actually taller than me and he has a cute smile.’
‘He sounds like a good sport,’ said Maddy, ‘agreeing to meet Reuben at the cinema and playing along with your joke.’
She nodded. ‘Fergie thinks Reuben’s an absolute toss... um...’ She shot a nervous look at her mum. ‘I mean, he thinks Reuben’s not very nice at all. I thought his plan was sick.’
*****
Driving home later, after picking up Amelie from nursery, I was thinking about how much better it was to be truthful about your feelings.
Ellie was like a different person since she’d come out and admitted she wasn’t coping well as a new mum. And Isla seemed a lot more settled now, so maybe the constant crying had been because she was picking up on Ellie’s nerves and worry.
I felt like a new person myself.
I was genuinely happy and content for the first time in a very long time. Running away from your problems really didn’t work. They followed you wherever you went.
‘There’s Danny!’ shrieked Amelie excitedly from her car seat in the back as I parked outside the house. ‘Can he stay and have fish fingers with us tonight?’
I turned and smiled at her. ‘I daresay he could.’
Danny was just getting out of his car on the other side of the road and seeing him, my heart gave a little leap of joy.
As I got out, he walked across the road to join me.
‘Question. How do you feel about fish fingers?’ I said with a smile.
He looked surprised. ‘Is that a trick question? I’m assuming it’s not a euphemism?’
I chuckled. ‘No. Genuine question. Amelie would like you to stay for tea and that’s what we’re having.’ I shrugged. ‘I could cook something more grown-up later?’
He bent to kiss me briefly on the lips. ‘Fish fingers sounds good to me.’
‘With something more grown-up later?’ I murmured with a wicked gleam in my eye.
‘Mmm. Now you’re talking.’ Slipping his arm around my waist, he brushed his lips over my neck, sending the most delicious of shivers all the way down my spine. ‘But first, I need to confer with my sous chef .’
He walked round and helped Amelie out of the car. ‘We’re on cooking duties tonight, kiddo. We’re giving your mum a rest. So... are we having chips and peas with the fish fingers?’
She nodded solemnly. ‘With lots of tomato sauce.’
‘Of course. What else?’
Taking his hand, she led him over to our gate.
Danny looked back at me with a smile and a wink.
And with a spring in my step and a heart full of hope, I followed them up the path to the front door...