Chapter 20
Disappointing as it was, Zoe was forced to admit as the sun went down and Ritchie showed no signs of leaving that she wasn’t going to make it to Alex’s fields to help him search for his treasure.
What was worse, as lunch wore on and spilled out across the afternoon, she realised she wasn’t going to get much else done either.
She’d been prepared for that to an extent – she hadn’t invited her ex over with a strict time slot in mind, after all – but she still marvelled at how little awareness he had for etiquette.
Like all their interactions these days, he behaved as if he was still entitled to her time in the same way he’d been before they’d split.
He couldn’t seem to see that things were different, that the way they were had to change.
And every conversational topic she opened up left her wishing she hadn’t.
His redundancy, his job hunt, the new couple who’d moved in next door, the potential struggle with his buy-out of the house they’d once shared (though she’d reassured him that she could wait as long as it took for him to get back on his feet), his parents, her parents, people at the pub…
no subject was too insignificant to provoke an opinion, usually a negative one.
It brought back complicated emotions for Zoe, reminded her of feelings she’d had when they’d first started to drift apart, feelings she’d somehow forced herself to forget.
Was she clinging on to a friendship based on wanting to keep a man who no longer existed in her life?
It made her remember how changed she’d found him during that time.
Though she’d always put that down to their loss, she had to wonder now if he’d been changing all along.
Even without the death of their baby, would their marriage have ended just the same?
By the time Ritchie had sloped off at around nine, Zoe had been so exhausted from his company she’d watched some television and then gone to bed. And then Monday morning came around once again with alarming speed.
Magnus was wiping down the counter as Zoe walked in. The sound of the bell at the door made him look up, a broad smile on his face as he saw who was coming in.
‘Here she is!’
‘Oh,’ Zoe said, trying her best to be wittier than she felt. ‘That sounds ominous. What have I done?’
‘You’re only guilty of loveliness,’ Magnus said. He balled up his cloth and put it to one side. ‘What can we do for you this morning?’
‘Just milk and biscuits for the surgery. Oh, and I’d better get teabags; I think we might be low.’ Zoe went to the shelf. ‘Have you got those ones in the gold pack? Ah, here…’
After collecting what she needed, she went to the counter and gazed absently around the shop as Magnus scanned her shopping.
‘Good weekend?’ he asked.
‘Yes, it was nice.’
‘What did you get up to?’
‘This and that.’
Magnus gave a knowing look that threw her momentarily. What did he know? There wasn’t even anything to know, so why was she concerned?
‘This and that,’ he said. ‘This and that always makes for the best kind of weekend, don’t you think?’
As he bagged up her goods, the door opened and Alex came in. His gaze went straight to her, and then he seemed to jump, as if someone had pinched him, before collecting himself and greeting them both.
‘Morning.’
‘Hello,’ Magnus said. ‘Come for more chocolate?’
At this comment, Alex seemed even more awkward. ‘No, just milk and bread. And do you have lemons? Billie wants to suck on lemons…’ He shrugged at Zoe. ‘You have to get her what she’s craving, right?’
‘You do,’ Zoe said, offering him a warm smile that he didn’t return. The memory of his face as she’d tossed his flowers to one side came back to her, and she felt as awkward as he seemed to be. He was annoyed by it. Offended. Hurt.
‘There you go.’ Magnus pushed a bag across the counter at Zoe.
‘By the way, there’s a film club on Thursday.
You’re more than welcome to join us. We’re watching Wicked – have you seen it?
If not, it’ll be worth coming down for. It’s ever so good.
We have food and drinks afterwards’ – he wafted his arm towards the rear of the shop – ‘in our private cinema. It’s a good night.
If you’ve got nothing else to do, of course… ’
‘I’m not sure if I’m free yet, but I’ll keep it in mind, thank you.’
Magnus looked as if he didn’t believe her, but then he turned to where Alex was pulling a bottle of milk from the fridge. ‘You’re welcome too, of course,’ he said.
‘Sorry?’ Alex turned with a vague look.
‘Film night on Thursday. We’re going to watch Wicked .’
‘Oh, I don’t think so; it’s not really my sort of thing…’ Alex glanced at Zoe. ‘Billie might want to come down. She might if you were there.’
Zoe couldn’t imagine Billie wanting to go to Magnus and Geoff’s film club, even if she were to go, but she simply nodded. ‘If she wants to, tell her to message me and I’ll go with her.’
‘Thanks,’ Alex said, but although his words expressed gratitude, he still seemed off.
Zoe picked up her bag. ‘I’d better go.’
‘Have a good day!’ Magnus called after as she left the shop, though afterwards she couldn’t say whether she’d replied or not. Her mind was full of Alex and how angry she was at herself for being the cause of that look on his face. She couldn’t exactly name it; she only knew it made her feel bad.
The last appointment of Zoe’s morning clinic was Petra, who waddled into her room with such effort that Zoe promptly decided she’d make a home visit for the next one.
‘Seven months and look at the size of me!’ Petra grumbled as she dropped into a seat. ‘People keep asking me if I have my bags packed for the hospital. I tell them I’ve got two months yet and they’re in shock. I’d be in shock too.’
‘You are having twins,’ Zoe said with a smile. ‘Do you tell them that bit?’
‘Of course, but I’m still massive even with twins, aren’t I?’
‘I’m sorry to break it to you, but I think you’re about right.
You’re quite tall, and you said your husband is tall too, so I expect your babies will be a good size.
Which isn’t a bad thing, considering they’re twins, because the last thing we want is for one or both of them to be underweight.
Now then, let me have a look at you. Apart from feeling massive, how are you doing? ’
Petra launched into a litany of complaints from swollen feet to constant overheating to the smell of melted chocolate making her feel sick to how she was going to cope when the twins arrived because she already had a toddler at home, while Zoe took measurements and made notes.
Despite the outward appearance of health, Petra was one of Zoe’s worries.
Twins were often complicated, and those challenges sometimes cropped up in unexpected ways.
She was relieved to see that, on this occasion, all seemed to be progressing as it ought to.
‘Who’s looking after your other little one today?’ Zoe asked as she took Petra’s sample bottle from her.
‘Jason. He’s got the day off. Good thing too because that little monster’s into everything at the moment.
She’s like the Tasmanian devil – if I’d brought her with me, you’d have had nothing left that wasn’t broken.
And she keeps slapping my belly. It’s like she knows what’s in there and she’s not happy about it. ’
‘I’m sure she’ll be made up when her sisters arrive.’
‘I’m glad it’s more girls so I don’t have to buy a load more clothes. I saved Isabel’s just in case. Jason said it was taking up too much room in the loft, but I think he was secretly hoping for a boy and he didn’t want to tempt fate by saving girls’ stuff.’
‘It’s always a good move if you’re planning to have more,’ Zoe agreed. ‘I’m sure Jason is happy whatever you have.’
‘He’s all right now. He says if we have two more, he can start a girls five-a-side team.’
‘Next time I see you, I’ll come to the house,’ Zoe said. ‘Save you the journey out here. Will that be better? I can say hello to Isabel at the same time.’
‘Next time you see me, I don’t think I’ll be able to walk under all this weight so a home visit would be great.’
Petra pushed herself out of the chair, and Zoe could see it was taking some effort.
‘Anything else you want to ask me before you go?’
‘Don’t think so. Unless you know a way of hurrying this all up? I’ve had just about enough of being pregnant now.’
‘I’m sorry, I’m good but not that good. I wouldn’t wish it along too much – from what you’ve said about Isabel, it sounds as if you’ll have your hands full.’
‘Ah well, it was worth a try.’
Zoe showed her to the door, and as she left noticed that Ottilie had returned from a home visit of her own.
‘All good?’ she asked.
‘I was about to ask you the same thing. I didn’t have a chance this morning to ask you how it went with Ritchie.’
Zoe’s face must have given away more than she’d intended because Ottilie gave a sympathetic grimace. ‘Oh dear. Want to talk about it over lunch?’
‘I don’t think it’s that deep. Anyway, there’ll be too much else going on at lunch – at least, there usually is.’
‘I’m going over to Stacey’s later if you want to come. We can talk about it on the way. And Stacey’s a good listener if you want to share with her.’
She didn’t have much else going on and decided it would be nice to have some female company, and so she nodded. ‘Thanks, that sounds lovely. Let me know what time you’re going, and if you’re sure you don’t mind me tagging along, I’ll come.’
‘Of course we don’t. I’ll warn you that Chloe might be in, but you can cope with her, can’t you?’
‘I doubt she’ll have much interest in talking to me anyway,’ Zoe said wryly.
‘She doesn’t have the time of day for me as her midwife, so I’m sure she won’t want to socialise with me.
At appointments she’ll ask for my opinion or advice on something and when I’m giving the answer, she looks as if she’s not listening at all. ’