Chapter 26
The vase of flowers had been a last-minute thing.
Zoe had been determined to put her own misgivings about Virginia firmly out of her mind.
Whatever else she felt about Alex’s ex, Virginia was the reason he was so relaxed and happy again.
They still had worries, but the immediate, existential threat of them losing his business and possibly even their home was gone, and Zoe had been able to see the difference in him as soon as he’d opened the letter telling them so.
She was hopeful that now he was in a better place, he’d also continue to be positive about her fertility issues.
He’d brought up the subject of them trying for a baby a few more times since their initial chat, and she’d always countered with the same argument, but she liked that he hadn’t given up.
And she’d come to a decision. Simon had mentioned storing some of her eggs before they disappeared completely.
It wasn’t certain by any means that this could be done, but she would at least discuss it with her consultant when she went to her appointment.
She’d mentioned it to Alex, and he’d been full of questions that even she couldn’t answer, but he hadn’t been entirely against the idea, though he still seemed sold on doing things naturally.
She’d joked and said he’d been more interested in the endeavour than the end result, and even though he’d laughed, there had been a lick of guilt when she caught a faint look of hurt.
He wasn’t that shallow, but the only way Zoe could get through this was to try and inject some lightness into it, and she’d thought he might be the same.
She fiddled with a couple of the peonies so they looked evenly spread and then set the vase down on the table.
Alex came over with some napkins and cutlery. ‘I think we’re in the wrong game.’ He swept the table with a glance of approval. ‘We ought to have opened a restaurant instead of a camping site.’
‘No thanks,’ Zoe replied, tweaking the flowers in the vase again. ‘That’s enough work. I don’t think I could cope with a restaurant. But nobody’s stopping you if you’re feeling daft enough.’
‘You might be right.’ He put down the cutlery and offered her a light kiss.
‘Thank you, again, for this. It means a lot to me that you and V get along. I’m not saying she’s going to be a regular part of our lives now,’ he added hastily, ‘and we might even lose touch again when all this dies down, but she’s done a lot for us, and she didn’t have to. ’
‘I know. She can go on the Christmas card list at the very least.’
He smiled as he kissed her again, and then a voice came from the kitchen doorway.
‘Ugh. Why is it every time I walk into a room this week, I have to see that? I preferred it when you were arguing.’
They both turned to Billie with sheepish grins.
‘Sorry,’ Alex said. ‘We’ll try to spare your blushes in future.’
‘I’m not blushing; it’s you who’s blushing.’
Billie bounced Louisa on one hip. The little girl was holding her head up now, strong and alert, and she offered them a drooling smile.
‘I think she’s started to cut her teeth,’ Zoe said.
‘Probably,’ Billie agreed. ‘She slobbers more than Grizzle now.’
‘I hope he’s OK with Victor,’ Zoe said.
Alex chuckled. ‘It might be Victor we have to worry about, not Grizzle. I know he’s used to dogs, but I bet he’ll still be glad when we fetch him back tomorrow. It’s best he’s out of the way tonight, and he’ll have a better time over there than he will here.’
‘It’ll be like a spa day for him,’ Billie agreed.
‘Spa day…’ Zoe let out a dreamy sigh. ‘That sounds nice about now. I could do with a spa day.’
‘We’ll see about getting one then,’ Alex said. ‘When things calm down.’
Zoe laughed. ‘So I can expect it in about 2040? Can’t wait!’
‘I need to check on the joint,’ Alex said, laughing himself as he went to the oven.
Zoe picked up where he’d left off setting the table, the warm, herby smell of roasting pork and apples on the air.
She’d wondered if it was too rustic an offering for Virginia, who seemed to have far more cosmopolitan tastes, but Alex had reassured her that she’d always loved a roast dinner as a young woman when she’d come to his parents’ house, and so she’d been reassured that even if she didn’t eat roast pork now, perhaps it would be a welcome hit of nostalgia to eat it today with them.
She was keen now to hear more about their past, partly to show her support for the friendship and her trust in Alex, and partly because she was genuinely interested.
To see them both now, she couldn’t imagine how Virginia and Alex had become a couple because they seemed to have very little in common.
She wondered if that meant Virginia had changed a lot since then or whether there were hidden depths that Zoe was about to discover.
The sound of a text pinged on Alex’s phone. He went to check and then grinned as he strode to the door. ‘V is outside. Typical of her to text before she knocks on the door. Not sure what she thinks might be going on in here that she has to warn us she’s arrived.’
He opened up. Virginia was walking up to the house with a bouquet of flowers, far bigger and brighter than the modest peonies Zoe had set on the table.
After greeting them all, she handed the flowers to Zoe.
‘Thank you – that’s so kind.’
‘You’re welcome.’ She sniffed the air as Zoe took the flowers to the sink. ‘It smells great in here. I do believe we’re having a roast dinner? I can’t remember the last time I had Sunday roast… must be at least three years ago. Probably a Mother’s Day or something.’
Zoe frowned. ‘You don’t… Oh!’ She smiled. ‘Mother’s Day for your mum?’
‘Yes,’ Virginia said briskly as she took the seat Alex had just pulled out for her. ‘Although we’re not on the best of terms at the moment so we haven’t done the Mother’s Day thing for a while now.’
Zoe wasn’t sure if she was meant to ask what had happened, but when Virginia took the wine from the table and began to explain to Alex that there was another version of this grape she found superior and better value and that he ought to try it out, she decided that they’d moved on from the subject.
Perhaps more would come out later. She knew Virginia was divorced fairly recently, but apart from that fact, even Alex didn’t know much more about how the marriage ended or the exact timescale.
Or so he’d said. Zoe was trying hard to trust him, and she hated that there remained remnants of the doubt that had plagued her over the last few weeks, but sometimes she was still visited by it.
Was he telling her just enough to keep the peace, enough to stop her digging for uncomfortable truths?
Or did he really not know? Was he covering up a flirtation, even if it had only been on Virginia’s part, for fear of what feelings it might rake up in Zoe?
Billie fastened Louisa into a bouncy chair, but as soon as she did, the little girl started to complain. Billie rolled her eyes and took her out again. ‘I was going to help, but Louisa has other ideas apparently. I can’t do anything at the moment without having her attached to me.’
‘It’s a phase; I’m sure it will pass,’ Zoe said. ‘Want me to take her for a minute?’
‘But you’re busy.’
‘I think we’re almost done here, to be honest…’ She glanced at Alex, who nodded.
‘Go ahead. I can manage everything else.’
‘Then if there’s nothing to do, there’s no point in handing her over,’ Billie said. Then she looked at Virginia. ‘Would you like to hold her for a while?’
Virginia’s expression might have suggested to a casual observer that Billie had just offered to put a live wasp nest onto her lap. She shook her head. ‘I’m not very good with children, I’m afraid.’
‘That’s all right,’ Billie said. ‘Neither am I. But you can get used to them.’
‘I have this effect,’ Virginia said, reaching for the wine Alex had poured for her. ‘It’s sort of the opposite of baby whispering. If I so much as look at a baby for too long, they start to scream.’
‘Louisa isn’t like that,’ Billie said. ‘I mean, Dad looks at her all the time, and she doesn’t bat an eye.’
Alex laughed. ‘Thanks!’
‘No problem.’ Billie took Louisa to the table and sat down with her.
Virginia peered at the little girl and then looked up at Billie. ‘She’s very cute.’
‘Of course she is,’ Alex said. ‘She’s my granddaughter.’
Virginia sat back, appraising him with a wry smile.
‘Grandad Alex. Who would have thought? If you’d asked me way back when, I’d have said it was a crazy idea, and yet you were always very fond of children.
I don’t know why I’m surprised now. In fact, I ought to be surprised you’re not surrounded by them, that you only had one.
But then, I suppose it might be difficult to have more now, mightn’t it? ’
Zoe was halfway to the table with a jug of water. She froze and glanced up at Alex. What did Virginia mean by that?
‘Dinner’s ready!’ he announced in a loud voice. ‘Zoe, could you get the potatoes out? I hope everyone’s hungry because there’s absolutely loads!’
The kitchen was suddenly a whirl of activity.
‘This smells amazing!’ Alex continued as he got the meat from the oven. ‘This is Billie’s recipe,’ he added to Virginia.
‘I got it from Corrine, so it’s not really mine,’ Billie said. ‘And you cooked it.’
‘I cooked what you prepared, so I did the easy bit.’
‘Let’s call it a joint effort,’ Virginia said.
‘Joint effort!’ Alex gave a staged chuckle. ‘I see what you did there!’
‘Hilarious,’ Virginia said in a withering tone, though she was smiling. ‘I’m sure it will be delicious whoever deserves the credit.’
Zoe put the vegetables into serving bowls while Alex carved the meat and finished the gravy. After five minutes or so, they were all seated, tucking into mountains of food that would easily feed double the amount of people about to share it.