Chapter 7
Nina pulled the lever on the bath tap and swished hot water around with her left leg as she revelled in hot, bubbly water and the storm continued to rage outside. Resting her head back, she looked out over the harbour via the funny little floor-level window, watching the craziness going on outside. The window shook so hard, it felt as if at any given moment, it might fly off and take off across the harbour on its own.
She stared out at the angry-looking sea and couldn’t quite believe the storm was as bad as it was. As she watched boats rocking back and forth on their buoys, she was surprised at the severity of what was taking place right in front of her eyes. Part of her had thought that the whole preparation for the storm everybody in Lovely Bay had partaken in was rather over the top. She’d eye-rolled to herself a little bit. Now, as she watched the boats, at some points looking as if they were about to capsize or fly from their moorings, she realised that the people of Lovely Bay knew what they were doing when it came to storms. She could hear the wind absolutely howling outside, and every now and then, a clap of thunder made the old property seem to shake to its core. A flash of lightning lit up the sky and flashed on the glass. Inside, Nina felt safe enough, if a little concerned. She was very glad Robby was home.
She picked up her phone as it pinged with a notification from Sophie, who asked if she was free for a chat. Lying in the tub of hot water with the storm raging outside, she pressed the green button to call Sophie, who answered on the first ring.
‘Hey, how are you?’ Sophie asked.
‘Yeah, I’m good. Not too bad at all.’
‘How’s the weather going? It’s absolutely howling outside here. I haven’t seen weather like this for a long time.’
‘Yes, same here,’ Nina replied. ‘It’s some storm!’
‘Where are you? It sounds echoey.’
‘I’m currently lying in the bath with my feet hanging over the edge, watching the boats outside and lightning cracking the sky in half.’
‘Ahh, right. I might have to follow your lead. I’m downstairs. The huge thunderclaps sound like they could take the roof off any second.’
Nina laughed. ‘It’s that bad here, too. I feel as if the windows could shatter at any time. They really are rattling a lot.’
‘Yes, same here.’ Sophie agreed. ‘Anyway, what have you been up to, apart from getting ready for the storm? Anything else interesting going on with you?’
‘Not much, really.’
‘What’s happened with Robby and that Singapore thing?’
‘He’s put the tender in, so it’s just a case of wait-and-see now. From what’s been said, though, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion. This is just the red tape bit.’
‘Ahh, I see. Sounds good.’
‘So, yeah, he’s been busy.’
‘And what about the baby thing?’ Sophie asked, referring to the fact that, after many discussions between Nina and Robby not long after they’d got married, they had decided to try for a baby.
Nina hadn’t really realised before that it had been something she wanted. Even though sometimes she’d daydreamed about it when she’d seen people with babies or when she was with Sophie’s children, mostly it had been something that she’d put aside after her first husband, Andrew, had died. But when Robby had brought it up and told her it was something he wanted, it had made her really confront her feelings. It hadn’t taken long for her to realise how she’d put it to the back of her mind and left it there to wither. After Andrew had died, she’d thought it would not be something that ever happened to her. That had changed.
Once Robby had flicked the switch and she’d started to consider it, it was as if she’d gone from one extreme to the other; sometimes, having a family was all she could think about. The problem was, despite quite enjoying the many trips to the moon and back to aid in the making of said family, nothing had happened. Despite having plenty of practice, which she couldn’t deny she’d enjoyed, there was no little line on a white plastic stick.
‘What about it?’ Nina asked with a little chuckle.
‘Any news on that front? I don’t want to ignore it when I know how important it is to you. But then, on the other hand, I don’t want to keep asking you when it’s none of my business, if you see what I mean.’
‘No, no, it’s fine. I like that you’re interested in my sex life,’ Nina joked. ‘That’s what best friends are for, isn’t it?’
Sophie laughed. ‘I don’t want all the details. It has to be better than mine at the moment, truth be told.’
‘What will be, will be. I’m just thinking about it like that.’
‘Right.’
‘Nothing on that front so far, just lots of practice.’
‘Ha.’
‘You obviously made it look a lot easier than it is.’ Nina noted with a laugh.
Sophie also laughed. ‘I don’t know about that. Let me tell you one thing: it won’t be happening again. I’m officially done in that department. The shop is closed. Mumma Bear is over it.’
Nina laughed back. ‘Don’t tell me that. You’re meant to tell me how good it is. I only want to hear the lovely bits.’
Sophie backtracked. ‘I’m not telling you it’s not good. It’s just that having three is hard work, and it seems to be getting harder by the day. I am exhausted nearly all the time.’
Nina shook her head. She knew Sophie’s husband, Nick, didn’t help Sophie one iota. He seemed to spend a lot of time away, as far as she was concerned. It seriously irked her. ‘I’m always here if you need help.’
‘No, no, it’s all fine. I didn’t mean that,’ Sophie insisted. ‘Anyway, I was just asking to see how you are. How are you feeling about it?’
‘No change, really,’ Nina replied, her tone thoughtful. When she’d first been talking about trying for a baby with Robby, she’d decided not to let herself get disappointed if it didn’t happen quickly. She was determined to keep that front and centre. ‘So far, so good. Even though it’s been ages and nothing has happened, I’m not letting it get me down. Robby hasn’t said much about it either, so it’s just been something on the back burner.’
‘Time will tell, I guess, as they say. Probably when you least expect it.’
Nina agreed. ‘Yes, I was reading the other day how that tends to happen.’
‘You’ve had a lot on the last few years what with starting a business, moving into a new house, etcetera. Plus, you know, everything before that.’
‘I guess so, but I don’t think that’s got anything to do with it,’ Nina mused, the sound of water splashing as she shifted in the bath.
‘What about IVF? Have you had further thoughts on that?’ Sophie asked cautiously.
‘No, no. I’m not going down that route,’ Nina replied firmly, then added, ‘Never say never. I’m not saying definitely, but right now, I can’t be doing with all that. It’s not been that long, really, and I’m not even sure if we’re ready for it or if we would qualify to have it yet. And it’s really expensive.’
‘Money is not really a problem though, is it? With Robby’s business and all,’ Sophie prodded gently.
‘No, it’s not that. It’s just... I don’t want to spend a fortune and throw it down the drain on something that’s not going to happen. It’ll get my hopes up all the time if you get what I’m saying.’
‘Yeah, yeah, true. From what I’ve gathered, that route is no walk in the park. A friend of mine had a journey with it, and it’s not as easy as they say.’
‘No. I’ll just play it by ear for now.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’