Chapter 16
Zoe pushed open the door, hoping to find Alex grateful for her early return from work and the extra help she knew that would be.
The greeting froze on her lips as Alex looked up at her with a smile that seemed far too hesitant and a little guilty, like a kid who’d been caught drawing a masterpiece on his parents’ fridge.
Across from him, a hand curled around the stem of a wine glass, was a woman Zoe had never seen before.
Her presence might have been confusing enough in itself, as would the fact that she was in their kitchen drinking wine at teatime, and that Alex had a glass in front of him too.
But that wasn’t the reason Zoe stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move.
The woman was incredibly attractive and well groomed, her glossy chestnut hair tied into a low ponytail, with piercing blue eyes and cheekbones that could draw blood.
She was around Alex’s age and obviously comfortable in his presence.
There was no doubt in their body language – they knew one another well.
‘Hi…’ Zoe looked from one to the other, wondering what explanation she was going to get and whether she’d like it.
She hadn’t warned him she was going to be home early, but she’d always thought the old home-from-work-catching-the-husband-playing-around scenario was the stuff of sitcoms and tawdry novels.
‘Zoe… this is Virginia. She’s a solicitor.’
‘Oh…’ Zoe managed to relax into a smile, though she knew instinctively that a solicitor was not all Virginia was to Alex.
‘And an old friend.’ Virginia prodded him playfully.
‘Or is a solicitor all I am to you nowadays?’ She got up to offer Zoe a perfectly manicured hand.
‘You must be Zoe… Alex has been telling me all about you.’ She ran a curious gaze over her.
‘Have you come straight from work? You’re a nurse, aren’t you? ’
‘Midwife,’ Zoe said. ‘And yes, I have. I live here now… as I’m sure Alex has mentioned. I always come straight from work when I’ve been to work.’
‘A midwife?’ Virginia didn’t respond to Zoe’s frosty correction.
‘I’m sure that must be so rewarding. I was never much interested in having children.
If Alex and I hadn’t split up when we did, I’m sure we would have done sooner or later because he always wanted a child…
didn’t you, Alex? Even when you were a young man who ought to have been more interested in having adventures.
And then you met Jennifer, who was so obviously far more suited to you than I ever was.
’ She turned to Zoe. ‘And now he has you. I suppose you two will be making lovely babies before too long…’
And there it was – the killer punch to the gut. Had this woman been sent armed with supernatural powers to hit every single nerve Zoe had? It was like she’d been given a dossier of all her worst fears and told to come and do as much damage as possible.
‘So you and Alex dated?’
‘For about a year, as I recall…’ Virginia turned to him. ‘It was a year, wasn’t it?’
‘Thirteen and a half months.’
Zoe turned sharply to him. Who gave timescales like that unless the timescale in question had really mattered to them? He’d been in love with her? Who’d ended things? Zoe would put money on it being Virginia’s doing. She wasn’t the sort of woman who got dumped.
‘He’s never mentioned you,’ Zoe said, her tone full of caution and a confusion that wasn’t getting any better.
Virginia laughed. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t.
Why would he tell you stories about his old flames?
I’m sure I wouldn’t either. Well, here I am and very pleased to meet you.
It’s funny what comes out of the blue, isn’t it?
A phone call on an unremarkable morning and a couple of hours later you’re sitting in a farmhouse in the Lake District with a man you haven’t seen for close to thirty years.
It seems like fate that I didn’t have much work on today, or I might not have been able to come at all. ’
‘Oh, your boss must be very understanding even so,’ Zoe said.
‘She is…’ Virginia’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she ran a hand down herself. ‘You’re looking at her. It’s my law firm.’
‘That’s…’ Game, set and match. Zoe pushed a smile across her face. ‘Well, that’s very cool. Is it… are you very busy?’
‘Busy enough,’ Virginia said.
‘You want some wine?’ Alex asked.
Zoe shook her head. She wanted to tell him no, she didn’t want wine before six in the evening and ordinarily neither would he.
She wanted to remind him that their thing now was to sit and chat over tea and maybe even go out for a walk with Billie and Louisa before they cooked and settled down for the evening, and that she’d thought he liked things that way.
But that would have sounded petty and jealous, which would have been ridiculous, and rightly so.
Just because there was a beautiful, successful, probably rich ex in his kitchen right now, it didn’t mean Zoe could go full green-eyed monster.
Frankly, if Zoe had been watching anyone else she knew acting like this, she’d have taken them aside and given them a stern talking-to. It wasn’t like her.
‘Where’s Billie?’
‘She’s keeping out of the way – trying not to give her flu to anyone.’
Zoe glanced at Virginia, who didn’t seem troubled by the revelation that the house was infected, so presumably already knew and was happy to be there regardless.
How Billie might have felt about the arrival of her dad’s ex – if she knew about any of that – was something Zoe would find out later, she supposed.
‘I’m looking forward to getting to know her,’ Virginia said. ‘She sounds remarkable… and, of course, a chip off the old block.’
‘I don’t think she’s that much like you,’ Zoe said to Alex. ‘More like Jennifer… at least you always say so.’
‘She is,’ Alex agreed. ‘More resourceful than I ever was. Smarter too.’
‘Now then…’ Virginia wagged a finger at him. ‘You’re doing yourself a disservice. I always thought you were more intelligent than you did.’
‘Intelligent, maybe, but smart… that’s Billie. She’s the one who kept my head above water after I lost Jennifer. Without her…’
Alex’s sentence dissipated like smoke on the breeze – Zoe could almost see it lose form as it sailed into the distance.
The smile he gave them both now was far too bright.
Zoe didn’t know if Virginia was well acquainted with his struggles after his wife had died, but Zoe was.
She knew that although he was able to talk about it, he felt the pain keenly if he stopped long enough to remember what it was like.
‘I should go and look in on her and Louisa,’ Zoe said.
She wasn’t sure whether she was wanted here or not because Alex hadn’t told her why Virginia was there.
He’d announced that she was a solicitor, and in light of what had happened at the camping field, Zoe had to assume her presence was something to do with that, but Alex had never mentioned contacting her.
He hadn’t even mentioned her existence, so to find this, frankly, perfect woman in his kitchen was something Zoe could never have seen coming, and it certainly didn’t help that they’d once been an item.
‘Have some wine with us,’ Virginia said with such ease that a casual observer would think they were in her house.
‘It’s a bit early for me,’ Zoe said.
‘Ah…’ Virginia let out an annoyingly charming laugh. ‘I’m afraid it’s one of the downsides of my job – by the time I’ve completed a day’s work, I’m ready to crack open a bottle and quite often capable of finishing it before I’ve ordered a food delivery.’
‘I’d better go and get changed and check on Billie… Unless you need me here for anything?’
‘I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘We’re just going over the particulars of the accident on the field at the moment.’
‘But you might need me later?’
‘I’m sure we don’t need to bother you at this point,’ Virginia cut in as she retook her seat at the table. ‘You must be tired, and I’m sure you want to do whatever it is you usually do after work.’
Zoe was tempted to remind her that what she normally did after work was cook and talk to Alex and Billie, like the family they were becoming.
But she’d already alluded to that, and Virginia hadn’t seemed concerned by the fact she was an obstacle to Zoe’s preferred evening at home.
She wanted to be more understanding than she knew she was.
Alex had clearly panicked at some point during the day and made an impetuous phone call to the first person he’d thought of – perhaps the only person he knew who might possess the knowledge to ease his mind.
It just so happened that this person was a gorgeous, successful woman, with charm, grace, ease and the sort of proportions that would make your average supermodel green with envy.
Zoe wished he’d seen fit to call and at least warn her this goddess would be here, and that he and the goddess had history.
Perhaps then she could have got her head around it before she’d arrived home, and perhaps she might not have been feeling so irrationally insecure about it.
‘Thanks,’ Zoe said, not knowing what else she was meant to say. ‘Will you…?’ She eyed the wine glasses on the table, both still half full, and the bottle sitting between them. ‘Will you be staying? I mean, for long? I mean, will you be eating with us?’
‘Oh no.’ Virginia showed her perfect teeth in a dazzling smile. ‘I don’t think so. I’m here on business, really. I was tempted by a teeny drop of wine, but once I’ve had this, I’ll be on my way. I have a long drive.’
‘Where to? Perhaps we can…’
‘Alex already offered me a spare bed, but I wouldn’t hear of it. If the roads are quiet it will only take me a few hours.’
‘You live in Essex?’ Zoe asked, suddenly realising that she would have known Alex in his youth and that he’d lived in Essex then.
‘Not now. I moved to Nottingham for… well, it doesn’t matter why. My office is in Nottingham.’
‘That’s…’ Zoe’s brow furrowed. It was a long drive, as far as she knew. She was about to say so when she decided it was none of her business. Virginia must have known how far she had to go, and she must have been content to make the journey, and Zoe wasn’t about to go out of her way to stop her.
She was turning to leave when it struck her…
she’d call it humanity, ordinarily, because the impulse was far more charitable than she wanted it to be.
The fact remained that, however awkward she found Virginia’s presence, she didn’t like the thought of her driving all that way at night to get home. ‘It’s too far.’ She glanced at Alex.
‘I agree,’ he said. ‘I really think you should stay here, V.’
Zoe baulked at the use of a nickname that he’d obviously had for her when they’d been together. It was too cute and too familiar, but what could she say without sounding unreasonable?
‘I have to be at my desk at eight tomorrow morning.’
‘Do you?’ Alex asked. ‘I thought you were the boss.’
She laughed. ‘Yes, and the boss says so.’
‘Is there no way you can rearrange your workload tomorrow so you can drive back in the morning?’ Zoe asked.
Virginia regarded her with some curiosity now and held her gaze for a moment before finally shaking her head. ‘I could, but I’m not going to. Thank you both for the offer, but I’m happy to wrap this meeting up, finish my drink and take the case back with me to look over tomorrow.’
‘If you’re sure,’ Alex said. ‘Listen, V, I do appreciate you helping me with this. I know it’s not your area of law, but—’
She held up a hand to stop him. ‘You know I’d do anything for you.
As soon as you picked up the phone, I was always going to come, and you don’t have to keep thanking me.
You’re right, it’s not my area of expertise, but I’m sure I can put it in front of someone who knows more than me, and between us we should be able to help. ’
Alex gave a grateful nod, and as they both reached for their wine glasses, Zoe felt oddly surplus to requirements.
‘I suppose I’ll go and get sorted then,’ she said.
By this point, they’d both turned back to some photos Alex must have taken of the accident site on his phone. Next to him he had a map that showed the boundaries of the land Hilltop stood on, and some other bits of paper.
He looked up with a distracted smile. ‘Yeah… Sorry I haven’t cooked.’
‘You’ve been busy – I wouldn’t expect you to. Maybe we can order something in… or have some toast or soup or something? I’m sure…’
He’d already turned back to his papers. Virginia gave Zoe the most cursory of acknowledgements before she resumed her examination of his photos.
And Zoe, now being roundly ignored by both of them, decided she might as well see if she could be of use to anyone upstairs because she sure as hell wasn’t useful to anyone down here.