CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
It was the day of Ellie’s house-warming.
As it was such a lovely afternoon, I’d decided to get the bus over so I could have a drink. But when I finally arrived, who was the first person I should spy through the open garden gate – but Caleb!
He was walking around the garden, in earnest conversation with Maisie – and I recalled Ellie, after her tour round the eco house, saying that Caleb had offered to help Maisie design a ‘wildlife habitat’ in their new garden.
I flicked my eyes to the sky. This man really was too good to be true with his mission to single-handedly save the planet!
Not that I disagreed with him in principle, of course. Not at all. We all had to do our bit.
No, it was Caleb himself who got under my skin.
Right from the moment we’d met, I’d felt he was observing me and making judgements. And it made me... nervous. Whenever he was around, I’d get this weird swishy feeling inside – like I was about to sit an exam or something.
I really wished I didn’t get that feeling.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew what it meant. But it was extremely inconvenient , considering I’d only just come out of a long-term relationship.
The last thing I needed was to be attracted to someone else!
Pausing at the gate, I took a deep breath and blew it out very slowly in an attempt to calm my beating heart. Head held high, I walked through into the garden.
I would be polite and pleasant – Caleb had been kind enough to sponsor me, after all – and I’d totally ignore any rogue flutterings I might have when faced with those soul-piercing blue eyes of his...
‘It’s Auntie Katja!’ Maisie spotted me and ran over.
‘Hello, love. What are you up to?’
She smiled. ‘Caleb is going to help me make a wildlife tabitat... I mean, habitat .’ She giggled at getting the word wrong. ‘It’ll be so awesome and we have to do a project at school, and that’s what I’m going to write about.’
‘Wow. That sounds great. You can take photos of your progress as well.’
She nodded, looking flushed with excitement.
‘Brilliant.’ I glanced around the garden as if I was searching out a good place for a wildlife habitat.
I’d managed to avoid ‘the eyes’ so far, which was good.
In fact, I was feeling rather proud of myself for managing to carry on quite a sane and sensible conversation with Maisie – with no hint whatsoever of teenage-girl-in-the-grip-of-a-major-crush.
‘You finished the fun run, then,’ Caleb said. ‘Well done.’
So then of course I was forced to look at him.
‘Thank you. Yes. I had to walk for a bit. But I mostly ran.’
He nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement for some annoying reason. I hadn’t said anything funny, so what was amusing him? ‘I saw your group celebrating together at the end.’
I shrugged. ‘It’s not a group. Just some friends doing a fun run, that’s all.’
‘Right. I was quite surprised to see that a member of the male sex had been accepted into the group.’ He shrugged. ‘Judging by the motto on your T-shirts, I didn’t think a bloke would be allowed.’
I gritted my teeth. ‘It’s not a “group”,’ I repeated testily. ‘And the slogan on the T-shirts was Mo’s idea. The woman with the pink hair. The rest of us had nothing at all to do with it.’
He nodded thoughtfully.
‘Believe it or not, I’ve never thought men were fools – well, not all of them, anyway – and I’d certainly never tell a guy to... well, you know.’ I glanced at Maisie, who was crouched down examining an insect.
‘Well, that’s good to know.’
He was openly smiling at me now, the corners of his eyes crinkled in that maddeningly sexy way of his.
A ripple of pure desire zinged through me.
I cleared my throat. ‘Anyway.’ I glanced around the garden, frantic for something ‘normal’ to say to conceal my lustful thoughts, which I was sure must be flashing in bright neon yellow above my head for Caleb to see. ‘So... where exactly are you planning to have this wildhype habitwat of yours?’
Beside us, Maisie gave a peel of laughter and stood up. ‘You said wildhype habitwat! Instead of wild-life-habi-tat.’ She pronounced each syllable carefully.
‘I did, didn’t I?’ I grinned at her foolishly, as I flushed to the roots of my hair. And when I ventured a glance at Caleb, he was chuckling, and my eyes snagged on his and held for longer than was strictly normal.
With an effort, I dragged my gaze away. ‘Right, I’d better go in and see everyone. Are you two staying here?’
‘Caleb is going to build me a house for the hedgehogs and we need to find a place to put it,’ said Maisie.
Caleb smiled at her. ‘You haven’t shown me the back garden yet. Maybe we’ll find the perfect spot there?’
‘Okay. Follow me,’ she instructed happily.
I caught Caleb’s eye again and we exchanged a smile.
‘You’ve made one little girl very happy,’ I commented, watching Maisie skipping off and opening the gate to the back garden.
He looked as if he was about to reply. Then he glanced away.
‘See you inside,’ he said, raising his hand to me as he followed in Maisie’s footsteps.
I watched them in a trance until they disappeared into the back garden.
This was bad. Really bad. I was actually starting to like Caleb.
More than like him.
I had to stamp these feelings out otherwise I’d be in deep, deep trouble...
*****
Zak answered the door with a tea towel over his shoulder.
‘Hi! I said to Ellie I’d come early to help out.’
He grinned. ‘That’s great. Come on in.’
‘Thanks. Ellie was looking really tired the other day so I thought I could make myself useful? Is she okay?’
He gave me a rueful smile. ‘You know what she’s like. Always needing to be busy. I ordered her to lie down for a while before the party officially starts. We haven’t officially moved in yet but there’s a bed in one of the rooms. Can you taste this punch for me? See what you think? I’ve been trying to get the balance right but maybe it needs more orange juice?’
He poured some into one of the glasses that were lined up on the table and handed it to me. Then he poured more into his own glass.
‘Cheers.’ Smiling, I took a sip. ‘Nice.’ I nodded.
‘So I don’t need to add anything?’
‘No. It’s perfect.’ I glanced upstairs. ‘When did Ellie go up?’
Zak looked at his watch. ‘Is it that time already? I’ve been concentrating on getting things ready according to Ellie’s instructions, I didn’t realise. She went to lie down a couple of hours ago.’
‘Right.’ I’d been worried about her the other day on the cake run when she mentioned the spotting, but she’d assured me since that everything was okay. ‘Can I go up and see her?’
Zak whipped a pan of chilli off the hob and frowned into it. ‘Hope I haven’t burned it.’ He looked up. ‘Yes, go on up, Katja. Every time I check on her, I just get told to stop fussing so much.’
I chuckled. ‘That sounds about right.’
Upstairs, I listened outside the bedroom door that was closed, assuming Ellie must be in there. Then I heard a sound from along the corridor. A tap running. She must be in the bathroom.
‘Ellie? It’s Katja. I’ve come a little early to help out?’
There was only silence from inside.
‘Ellie? Are you okay in there?’
Still silence. But then I heard what sounded like the loo lid being put down.
Now I was starting to panic.
‘Ellie, love? Can you let me in? . . . No? Right, I’ll go and get Zak . . .’
I turned away. And just then, I heard the door click open.
She was standing there, looking so forlorn my heart lurched with worry. Her eyes were puffy with tears.
‘What’s wrong?’ I gazed at her in dismay. ‘Are you bleeding again?’
She nodded. ‘It’s happened again. But it’s worse this time. I was hoping it might stop and I wouldn’t have to worry Zak, but... oh, Katja, what if I’m losing it? What if we’re losing our baby?’
As tears started flooding down her face, I pulled her into a hug and she sobbed on my shoulder.
‘Ellie, you have to go to hospital... A&E,’ I murmured into her damp hair. ‘Come on. Put some loose clothes on and I’ll go down and tell Zak to bring the car round.’ I guided her into the bedroom. But when I turned to go, she called my name.
‘What, love?’
‘Will it be all right?’
I swallowed, a lump in my throat like a golf ball. She and Zak had been through so much trying to have a baby. She couldn’t lose it now, surely? Life couldn’t be that cruel.
I nodded. ‘It’s going to be fine,’ I told her, sounding far more certain than I actually felt. ‘Let’s just get you to a doctor. They’ll be able to put your mind at rest. You said yourself that spotting can happen in otherwise perfectly normal pregnancies?’
She nodded and attempted a smile. ‘I’ll get dressed. You go down.’
I ran downstairs and told Zak what was happening.
Immediately, he switched everything off. But then he glanced at the punch on the table. ‘Oh, no.’ He dug his hands into his hair. ‘I’ll be over the limit. I’ve sampled so much of that bloody punch trying to get it right!’ He stared at me in horror. ‘Taxi! We’ll get a taxi to A&E.’
At that moment, Maisie ran into the kitchen through the back door, closely followed by Caleb.
‘I’m going up to my new bedroom!’ she called, as she ran for the stairs.
‘What’s going on?’ Caleb asked, seeing the panic in our faces.
I explained the situation and he nodded. ‘I’ll take you in my car. Where’s my keys?’ He looked around and I spotted a set on the table.
‘Here.’ I lobbed them over to him.
‘Thanks.’
Zak had bolted upstairs to get Ellie.
‘I’ll go and get the car started.’ Caleb paused at the front door. ‘Will you stay with Maisie? And I guess explain what’s happened to the guests when they arrive?’
‘Of course. Of course.’
He smiled. ‘She told me you’re her favourite auntie.’
‘She did?’
‘Honorary auntie, I assume?’
I nodded, feeling a warm glow inside at Maisie’s lovely comment. I wanted children of my own one day, and I’d really thought Richard would be the father...
‘They’re coming.’ I glanced towards the stairs and Ellie appeared, supported by Zak.
‘You’ll look after Maisie for me?’ she said anxiously.
‘Of course I will.’
As Zak hurried her out to the car, she turned. ‘I don’t want her to worry about me. So can you tell her I’ve got a check-up with the nurse that I forgot about?’
I nodded, while privately thinking that Maisie was far too smart to be fooled by an excuse like that. She was so excited about having a little brother or sister. I’d have to try and convince her that everything was going to be all right.
But would it?
‘I’ll see you later, Ellie.’ I gave her a bright, reassuring smile, but when I shut the front door, after watching them drive off, my heart was in my mouth.
I hurried upstairs to find Maisie.