Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Flora
Heading back to the kitchen with the children, my overriding emotion was relief.
Relief to have left the drama of Maurizio, Sophie and Carmella behind.
That feeling was short lived when I heard footsteps behind me a few minutes later and I knew it was Sophie.
Facing her, she smiled at me and I returned it, at least I hoped I had as I turned away again.
This was probably the first time I had been in the company of the other woman without Maurizio being there.
I didn’t even have Bea to act as a kind of bolster since she was taking a couple of days off.
The previous day, Sophie had been out when I woke up and I had finished for the day before she returned.
Maurizio had been to see me last night and we’d chatted, but he had work to do so it had been brief.
This morning both he and Sophie had been at breakfast along with the children which was weird more than anything and then they had disappeared to his office.
And now, well, now I was in the kitchen with her again while the children sat at the table, colouring and chatting to one another about the trip to the park I had offered them for a picnic lunch with Carrie, Bea and Ash.
I briefly wondered if Bea knew that Sophie was back as they had remained in touch.
I hoped she didn’t or else that might indicate that she was more Sophie’s friend than mine.
“Sorry.” Sophie broke the silence, causing me to spin and face her with a startled expression that matched how I felt.
“For what?” My tone was sharper than I had intended as I spun to face the other woman, but my system was high on anxiety and confusion, with a heavy side order of jealousy based on the happy family sights and sounds I was currently being subjected to.
She laughed and if that didn’t rile me up a little more.
“Sorry,” she repeated. “For the laughter this time, but my original sorry was for that, back there in Maurice’s office.
Carmella is protective and although I may not have been her first choice of daughter-in-law, we did get along until I left.
I knew she would be hostile, however, it was still a surprise to see her. ”
I nodded. She wasn’t saying anything I didn’t believe.
Suddenly, I wondered if she was blaming me for allowing Carmella to interrupt and unleash her obvious anger and disapproval.
Well, if she was expecting an apology, she’d be waiting a long time for one from me.
“I work here. This is not my house and as such, when a family member arrives, I have no right or compulsion to control their movements.”
She looked stunned and then with a slight smirk, a raised eyebrow, and a cock of the head she nodded. “I wasn’t accusing you of anything. I was apologising for putting you in that position.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else to say if she was genuine, which she seemed.
“Flora. Mo and I are old news and I am no threat to you.”
She sounded nothing but reasonable and her use of Mo pissed me off a little. I refused to acknowledge that I called him Maurizio so why wouldn’t she use his shortened name that was favoured by his friends.
“He is a good man and deserves to be happy, and although we were happy for a time, we were both unhappy, too. I love Mo as my children’s father and the good, kind man that he is, someone I would like to be able to call a friend in the future, but no more.
Aside from the fact that sexually . . .” She whispered the last word, presumably to protect the children’s ears “. . . I am not attracted to him, we don’t want to be married, well, not to each other, but right now, I need him, his friendship, and my children.
” Emotion seemed to choke her as she uttered that word whilst casting a glance in Rosie and Craig’s direction. “I need my children.”
Seeing her crestfallen expression and total conviction with which she’d spoken of her need, I believed every word she said.
“I want to believe you.”
“You should, and more than anything, I want you to make Maurice happy, he cares, really cares for you, as do the children.”
Her eyes filled with tears, causing even more confusion to swim around my mind as I wondered why the idea of Maurizio and the children caring for me made her sad.
Briefly I replayed her words, he cares, really cares for you.
What did that mean? Could she be suggesting care as in love, like I loved him.
No. I refused to be drawn into that particular minefield whilst standing in the middle of the current one of my boyf– lover, boss, whatever he was, his allegedly soon-to-be ex-wife and his angry mother. That was all kinds of messed up.
“Sophie, I don’t know that this conversation is appropriate.” That was the best I could come up with.
“Okay, if that’s how you feel, but I needed you to know that I am not a threat to your happiness with him.”
“Thanks.” Again, that seemed a little lame, but I was becoming uncomfortable and wishing lunch was minus the children and with alcohol. Perhaps I could arrange a night with friends, wine and talk, minus little ears.
Sophie laughed. “I am sorry for earlier and for turning up here and disrupting things . . . it won’t be forever, I promise.”
As I debated asking how long won’t be forever was, the sound of Carmella interrupted. “Where are my beautiful babies?”
The children giggled as their grandmother moved closer to them, offering Sophie a curt nod and a very brief, tight smile, but at least there were no raised voices and as she came to rest between Craig and Rosie who were chattering about their picnic lunch, she spoke in English.
I busied myself by packing lunch into a bag.
Maurizio moved alongside me and covered my hand that held a tub of strawberries and grapes with his larger hand.
“Okay?” He sounded nervous.
“Of course.” I forced the words out in a voice that carried a tremble of nervousness and confusion before pulling my hand free and addressing the children.
“I just need to freshen up if that’s okay, and then we can go,” I said louder than was necessary and without waiting for a response, I was heading out of the room, rushing for the stairs that would carry me to the safety of my rooms.
I successfully avoided any kind of conversation or actual interaction with any other adult before leaving the house with the children and as we arrived at the park, I was relieved to see Ash, and the children he cared for, as well as Carrie, Charlotte, and Bea waiting for me, but then I noticed someone else standing with them, Maddie.
It couldn’t be and yet it was. The next few seconds were a blur and I wasn’t sure where the children or the picnic were as I flew across the space that separated me and my sister.
Throwing myself at her, hugging her, holding her to me, then pulling back to look at her face so I was sure it was really her, I realised just how much I had missed her.
“Flora, are you sad?” Craig’s startled voice drew my attention to him and away from my sister.
“No, sweetheart, I’m happy.” Crouching down, I looked between him and his sister as I wiped away a couple of tears. “These are happy tears. This is Maddie, my sister.”
Maddie dropped down, held out a hand to the children and smiled. “Hi.”
“I’m Rosie,” Rosie was already stepping closer before introducing her brother.
“I’ve heard all about you both,” Maddie told the children, her gaze moving between them both, then seeing their expressions questioning who she had heard about them from, she laughed. “Flo, Flora talks about you both and how great you are, and clever, and how much fun you all have together.”
“And Daddy? Does Flora talk about Daddy because Daddy is great too and clever, isn’t he Flora?”
I didn’t even get a chance to respond to Craig’s question before Rosie threw in her own little cluster bomb of a question. “And Flora has so much fun with Daddy, don’t you?”
No amount of overenthusiastic laughter and bustling detracted from the sound of my friends and sister giggling rather immaturely. One of them, possibly Carrie, added a muttered I bet she does.
“Picnic,” I shrilled, looking around for the picnic bag that Ash held in one hand, a hand I pulled it free from and with the children following me, I hoped, I headed for our preferred picnic area.
The children were happy to run off and play together, leaving the adults alone and that is when they all launched into questions about what was going on in my life with me and Maurizio.
It seemed ridiculous to keep up any pretence regarding our relationship, so I didn’t.
Instead, I told them that we had fought the attraction and desire for weeks that turned into months until we couldn’t fight it anymore.
When I told them that he had rescued me from the storm, only Maddie understood the significance of that.
Carrie and Bea made comments about our feelings being obvious to everyone at the baby shower, and Ash nodded his agreement while Maddie watched on.
They were almost up to date with developments when I added the most recent event of significance. “Sophie is back.”
Aside from Ash who already knew, the faces looking back at me wore expressions of total shock.
“What do you mean, back?” Carrie asked, shuffling closer to me. “If he has led you to believe there was something between you and then cast you aside in favour of the runaway wife, I will–”
“Cut his bollocks off, slowly and one at a time,” Maddie interrupted but sounded scarily serious.
We all laughed as we watched Ash wince and cross his legs.
“Not a joke because if he had no true intentions towards you then he shouldn’t have encouraged you and made you feel things for him,” my sister added, while my friends all nodded their heads.
“Sophie is back?” Bea finally spoke and looked and sounded more shocked than anyone at that fact.
“She is. We went home after the baby shower and hadn’t even gotten out of the car when she turned up unannounced and totally unexpectedly with a suitcase.”
“But she never even mentioned that she was considering coming home.” Bea sounded hurt and a little angry to be hearing about this turn of events second hand when she and Sophie had maintained contact.
“I told you that this was a risky game you were playing, Bea. Clearly you value your friendship more than she does.” Carrie sounded cross on Bea’s behalf whereas I was unsure how I should feel.
“If we can bring this back around to Flo.”
Ash sniggered at my sister’s short and to the point comment.
Bea mouthed a simple sorry that I waved off.
“So, what’s the current state of play?” Maddie was on a mission.
“She’s not back for Maurizio. She wants to spend time with the children, and they are finalising the divorce details.”
Maddie and Ash wore identical, dubious expressions while Bea frowned as Carrie smiled. She really was a romantic despite her protestations to the contrary.
“Says who?” Ash reached across and took my hand.
“Both of them. Sophie went to great lengths to reassure me that her return is nothing to do with any romantic feelings for Maurizio.”
“She could be lying,” Bea suggested with a nod of agreement from my sister who I was still unsure why or how she’d gotten here.
“She’s not!” I protested. “She’s told me that herself and Maurizio and I are still seeing one another.”
“Seeing one another?” Carrie asked. “As in, well, you know.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Hang on, let me get this straight; he is shagging you while his wife is living back in the house with him and their children?”
“Maddie, it’s not like that.” I mean, it was exactly as she described, but not in the inferred context.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on because he hasn’t told me and neither has Sophie, but I believe her and him.
I love him.” Admitting that to other people opened the floodgates of my emotions.
“I love him,” I repeated between sobs and tears.
Around me I heard muttering, curses, Maddie making more threats against Maurizio, and Carrie telling me that she and I had more in common than we thought and that it was okay because it was meant to be. I wished I shared her conviction in that, but really hoped she was right.