Chapter Fifteen
‘Thank you so much for this.’ Thea pushes the buggy into the hallway, navigating the small space with ease and parking up outside the bathroom.
‘You have no idea how grateful I am because now I don’t have to ask Mum to babysit.
’ She unclips her daughter and lifts her out of the buggy.
‘She’d only ask where I was going last-minute on a Friday afternoon.
’ She rests Frankie-Rose on her hip, and we head into the living room, where Asher is already emptying the box of toys Jonah keeps at the flat for when his niece and nephew visit.
‘I wasn’t supposed to be working today so I kept them off nursery, but I’ll only be a couple of hours. Are you sure that’s okay?’
I hold out my hands and Thea passes her daughter to me. ‘Absolutely. I’m not in work until four.’
‘You’re a star.’ Thea leans in to kiss Frankie-Rose before crouching to kiss her son, who seems oblivious to his mother’s imminent exit now he’s got his hands on the remote control of a plastic unicorn that is currently bashing into the leg of the coffee table. ‘Be good for Aunty Christina.’
I feel warmth spread out from my chest at the label. Aunty Christina. As an only child with no significant other, I didn’t expect to be bestowed with the title, but I like it.
‘You have my number if you need to reach me.’ Thea hesitates for a moment before she marches for the door, spilling information about snacks and pull-ups and other stuff that’s in the bag she drops off in the hall behind the buggy.
And then it’s just the three of us; me, a three-year-old and a two-year-old.
Nerves start to flutter but I ignore them.
I can do this. If I can wrangle a bar full of beer-soaked blokes after England lost the Euros, I can manage two small children, surely.
Asher soon grows bored of the unicorn and none of the other toys grab his attention for more than thirty seconds, so, as it’s a bright and breezy day with the promise that summer is just around the corner, I strap Frankie-Rose back into the buggy and we head out to the park.
It’s a ten-minute walk to Boyd Mill Park and Asher is starting to flag but he perks up as soon as we’re through the gates, running ahead in his eagerness to reach the play area.
We do the swings until my arms start to ache, and I manage to talk Asher into having a go on the slide instead, and we stop to snack on carrot sticks and apple slices before we have another bout on the swings.
I used to think taking your kids to the park would be quite idyllic, with the sun shining and the children laughing, but it turns out it’s pretty monotonous and I’m starting to clock-watch as I push the swings again and again. And again.
‘Shall we go back and watch Peppa Pig or something?’
Asher shakes his head. He would very much like to continue swinging back and forth, probably for eternity.
‘We could do painting? Uncle Jonah has got loads of crafty stuff.’ I’d even bust out the pots of glitter if it encouraged Asher off the swing. ‘We could paint Mummy a picture for when she gets back.’
Asher thinks about it for a second and then, blessedly, nods.
I stop the swing and scoop him out of the seat, setting him down on the ground before repeating the action with his sister.
With Frankie-Rose secured in the buggy, we set off back through the park, stopping off at the fountain when Asher nearly trips over and I notice his shoelace has come undone.
Popping him up on the fountain’s wall, I crouch down and fasten it, which isn’t easy when it feels like you’ve developed sausage fingers to deal with the tiny laces.
‘There. All done.’ I set Asher back down on the ground and stand up, frowning when I see someone familiar-looking heading towards us along the path.
‘Christina?’
‘Ally. Hi.’ I lift my hand in greeting at the art class’s model.
I almost didn’t recognise him with his clothes on.
It’s been a few days since the class, and we’ve arranged to meet up for coffee at the weekend, but it’s nice to have a little preview of the date.
I’d been distracted by Alejandro’s exposed area the other day and I hadn’t appreciated how gorgeous he is.
Because he is gorgeous, with intense brown eyes beneath heavy brows and a perfectly sculpted jaw shaded with stubble.
I’m not usually a hairy-chest kind of girl, but I feel a jolt seeing the fuzz visible above his scooped-neck T-shirt. I can’t tear my eyes off it.
‘Small world.’ Ally reaches his hands out to encompass the park. ‘I didn’t expect to run into you today.’
‘No, me either.’ If I had, I’d have done more than shove my hair into a half-up messy bun, and I’d have chosen a T-shirt that didn’t have Minnie Mouse on the front.
‘I was just passing through.’ He nods towards the gates at the other end of the park. ‘I need to get back for a Zoom call.’ He pulls an apologetic face, but I wave it away.
‘Go, go. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Yes. Tomorrow.’ Ally nods and lifts a hand in farewell before he hurries away for his meeting. I shake the image of his chest hair from my mind and, making sure Asher is holding onto the buggy, set off home. I have never looked forward to coffee more.
Frankie-Rose falls asleep during the walk home and remains snoozing in her buggy as Asher and I busy ourselves with painting masterpieces at the coffee table.
I don’t bust out the glitter after all, because that stuff is the devil in sparkly form.
It gets everywhere and you never truly rid your home of it once it settles.
‘You have been busy.’ Thea keeps her voice low as she crouches beside Asher at the table as his sister is still fast asleep.
‘Is that a dinosaur?’ Asher nods, and I’m impressed Thea was able to decipher the purple blob.
Perhaps you gain superhuman decoding skills when you become a parent.
‘That is amazing. Shall we put it on the fridge when we get home?’
Asher shakes his head and thrusts the painting at me.
‘For me?’ I place a hand on my chest as my heart melts. It may be an indistinguishable purple blob but now it is my indistinguishable purple blob and it was given with love. ‘Thank you so much. Shall I put it on my fridge, so Uncle Jonah can see it when he gets home?’
Asher nods before turning back to his artwork, splatting a fresh page with purple-tinged red paint. I head into the kitchen, with Thea following.
‘Tea? Coffee?’ I secure my painting to the fridge with a magnet Rhys brought back from a stag weekend he went on last summer (Rhys went to Greece and all I got was a lousy magnet).
‘Have you got anything stronger?’ Thea leans against the kitchen doorway and grimaces.
‘Tough treatment?’
Thea sighs. ‘Something like that.’ She glances back into the living room, where Asher is splashing green paint onto the purply red splat on his paper. ‘I’ll have tea, please.’
I flick on the kettle and grab a couple of mugs from the cupboard.
My phone pings with a message as I’m popping teabags into them.
It’s from Ally, letting me know he can’t make it to our coffee date tomorrow after all as something has come up.
I tap out a reply, suggesting we reschedule because I can’t let this exquisite, hairy-chested beast slip through my fingers.
Maybe we could go for a drink – just the two of us – after the next art class instead?
I place my phone on the side and grab the milk from the fridge. The kettle clicks off and there’s a new message by the time I’ve poured.
‘What? But…’ I shake my head, my eyebrows pulled down low as I comprehend the words.
‘Everything okay?’ Thea steps fully into the kitchen and places a hand on my arm. I pass her my phone so she can read the text for herself, which she does out loud.
‘Sorry, but I don’t date single mums and you really shouldn’t have deceived me. I am so sick of females wasting my time.’ There’s a frown on her face as Thea looks up from my phone. ‘Who is this from?’
‘A life model at the art class I went to the other day. We hit it off. He suggested we meet up for coffee.’ I point at the phone. ‘And now he’s blowing me off.’
Thea glances down at my phone and re-reads the message. ‘Because you didn’t tell him you’re a single mum? But you’re not a mum, single or otherwise, unless you’ve been keeping it a secret all this time?’ Thea scrunches up her nose. ‘Why does he think you’re a single mum?’
‘Because I bumped into him at the park this afternoon.’ I glance towards the living room and Thea groans.
‘And you were with Asher and Frankie-Rose and he assumed they were yours.’
I shrug. ‘He must have done. It didn’t occur to me to clarify. The conversation was done and dusted in twenty seconds.’
Thea squeezes her eyes shut. ‘I am so sorry, Christina. I’ve messed this all up for you. Here.’ She juts my phone towards me. ‘Text him back. Explain you were doing me a favour, that it was all a misunderstanding.’
I take the phone but I make no move to contact Ally.
‘Don’t you think he comes across as a bit of a dick?
So what if I was a single mum? I’d still be me.
He doesn’t appreciate being “deceived”.’ I use air quotes, because there was no such deception.
‘And I don’t appreciate being judged before he’s got to know me. ’
Thea scrunches her nose up again. ‘The use of females is a bit of a red flag too.’
I widen my eyes. ‘Right? I hate when men do that.’ I sigh. ‘He did have nice chest hair though.’
Thea pulls a face. ‘Ugh. I’m not a fan of chest hair.’
‘I didn’t used to be either.’ I picture the flash of manliness above Ally’s T-shirt and the corners of my lips turn down with regret.
‘Maybe he isn’t as much of a dick as his message suggests?’
I shake my head. Chest hair or no chest hair, that was a dick move and I think I have to go with my instincts with this one. ‘I don’t think we’re a good match, and I’ve been through that before with Alfie. There’s nothing worse than being with the wrong person.’
Thea makes soothing circles on my back. ‘And the longer you leave it, the messier it gets.’
I turn back to the half-finished mugs of tea. ‘Maybe we should have something stronger.’
‘Can’t.’ Thea rests her head on mine. ‘I’m on mum duty and you’ll be going to work soon.’
‘That’s true.’ I grab a spoon to finish the teas. ‘It sucks, but it’s true.’
I can hear the hum of the TV as I hang my jacket up in the hallway after my shift, and my spirits drop as I reach for the living room door handle, because I recognise the dialogue.
Jonah only ever watches P.S. I Love You when he’s feeling down as it gives him an excuse for a good cry.
I don’t say anything as I step into the room and perch on the arm of his chair.
We watch the film in silence for a few minutes before Jonah finally opens up about what’s prompted his evening’s viewing choice.
‘So Freddie has been seeing someone else.’
‘Oh, Jo-Jo.’ I lean my head against his and push down all the bad words I want to spew about his scumbag boyfriend, because Jonah doesn’t need to hear that yet. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s his friend, Jack.’ Jonah shakes his head, his brown curls ruffling against my cheek. ‘I should have known. I feel like such an idiot.’
‘Hey.’ My brow furrows as I sit upright and tilt Jonah’s chin until he’s looking at me. ‘You are not the idiot. Freddie is, for being a cheating twat weasel.’ Oops, that one slipped out. ‘And for not seeing that there really isn’t anyone as special and worthy as you.’
Jonah flicks his eyes to the ceiling, but there’s the tiniest hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
‘Yeah. Right.’ He shifts to make room for me on the chair and I slip down, wedging myself next to him.
It isn’t the comfiest of seating arrangements but it’s cosy and we watch the rest of the film, both crying buckets, as we always do.
‘Right.’ I take a deep, shuddering breath as the end credits roll. ‘You’ve got until my cousin’s wedding to mourn Freddie and then you’ve got to be ready to move on.’
Jonah pulls his chin back. ‘Keisha’s wedding? That’s oddly specific.’
I de-wedge myself from the chair and grab the remote from the coffee table, turning the film off.
‘There’s six weeks to go, which should be enough time to get over that…
’ Scumbag. Shithead. Utter prick. I swallow down the insults before they burst forth.
‘…to get over Freddie, and you’re my plus-one. And what have we learned from romcoms?’
‘That weddings are the perfect place to meet the love of your life.’ Jonah is already shaking his head at the prospect, but I won’t let him rebuff the idea.
‘You, Jonah Jackson, are the loveliest, most special man I have ever met in real life. You deserve to be head-over-heels in love with your one true love.’
‘And I’m going to find them at Keisha’s wedding?’
I lift a shoulder and quirk the corner of my lips upwards. ‘Who knows? And maybe I’ll find my one true love there too and we can both live happily ever after.’ I lean down and plant a loud smacker of a kiss on Jonah’s cheek.
‘I hope so, because I want you to be happy more than anything, Jellyfish. Right.’ Jonah shuffles to the edge of the chair and reaches for the remote. ‘The Object of My Affection?’
‘Are you going to cry again?’
Jonah shrugs. ‘Probably, but only towards the end.’
‘Me too. Put it on.’