‘He’s different, Lexie. It wasn’t all about him; in fact, he was very hands-on with the boys and he encouraged Maisie to organise some games. He joined in, and at one point all three of the kids were bombarding him with little plastic balls and he was loving it. Brooke was very friendly and spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen with Mum, giving her a hand. I decided to leave them to it.’
‘So, what’s the story, then? Big house, big job, big plans? I hope it’s worth him coming back for, because he’s walked away from what many would think of as the ultimate dream.’
‘None of that came up, as it was crazy with three kids running around. At one point, Jake disappeared and when he returned, I noticed him talking to Drew for a couple of minutes. I’ll find out tomorrow what they were talking about. When Drew and I got back home, I think we were in shock and, after putting Maisie to bed, we sat down with a large G and T and feigned watching a film. Everything has happened so quickly, it’s difficult to know quite what to think about it all.’
‘It is a lot to take in, isn’t it? I still think it’s a huge mistake for Mum to sell up, though. Okay, I can understand she wants to help out, but even so… It’s a cheek turning her into a live-in nanny, don’t you think?’
There’s a soft ‘hmm’ on the other end of the line.
‘The trouble is, Lexie, she’s more than willing. The boys are cute, and Brooke seems like a really nice person. I honestly don’t feel that Jake is putting on a front – he really has changed.’
Throwing my head back against the cushions, I stare up at the ceiling.
‘I wish I could believe that, Shellie.’
‘I do know where you’re coming from, but you had to be there to witness it for yourself to be able to understand. Anyway, I’ll get my chance to quiz him on Sunday and I don’t intend to go softly. Pity you can’t pop back and join us for the weekend. Now there’s a thought.’
Oh. I wonder if Mum put her up to this?
‘I can’t, I’m afraid. I have plans.’
‘Plans? You aren’t working?’
‘No. Um… Ronan’s mother and her new husband are here for the weekend and I’ve offered to help out.’
‘Help out? Are you and Ronan—? Oh, my goodness, you ARE!’
I push away a tinge of guilt, knowing that I should have said something before now, but where do I start?
‘It’s early days, Shellie. Yes, we are involved but neither of us have any real idea where it’s going. All I can say is that Ronan is an amazing guy and he makes me laugh.’ I have my fingers crossed as I speak. Now is not the time to bare all to Shellie, not least because I don’t want to jinx anything.
‘Now you’re trying to play it down – that means it’s serious. Well, it’s about time and it’s good to hear you sounding so upbeat. Honestly, Lexie – is there anything else you haven’t told me? Like Grandma Viv had a hunky French boyfriend who broke her heart?’
She’s being sarcastic, of course, because she’s annoyed with me. What is it with our family at the moment?
‘Sorry, sis. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind and I’m still trying to take it all in myself,’ I reply, trying to impress upon her that there isn’t a lot to say as yet. Ronan and I are moving forward but who knows for sure where we will end up? All I can do is keep to the facts. ‘I can tell you that I think we’ve discovered the place where Grandma lived when she was here, though. It’s a little flat above a florist’s shop. I’m sure it will turn out that she lived her dream for a year, and, having got it out of her system, she came home to settle down and have a family. End of.’
‘Well, I hope that proves to be the case. I don’t think I could take any more startling announcements right now. Anyway, the good news is that Maisie is coming around to the idea of a little brother, thanks to the twins. That’s something, I suppose.’
‘You know for sure?’
‘As good as. Mum did the pendulum test over my tummy with a crystal on a string. She says it’s always been accurate. Besides, with Maisie I put on tons of weight all over and this one is like a neat little football. But the morning sickness continues, even though I’m past the three-month stage now.’
‘Poor you, but how exciting – one of each!’
‘Seeing the twins did make me quake a little. I hope that gene came from Brooke’s side and not ours! Anyway, I’m off to bed. Take care, Lexie, and I’ll call you on Sunday.’
I’m going to be an aunt to four kids. FOUR. Guess that really lets me off the hook with Mum now, as she’s going to have her hands well and truly full.
19
Coming to the Rescue in More Ways than One
Ronan and I ended up going a little mad. With our arms full of shopping bags, we each had to do three trips to carry them in. Admittedly, some of it is food, as our last stop was a supermarket, but first we drove to a lovely shopping mall named Parly II. It’s near to the Avenue Charles de Gaulle and had a wonderful range of shops.
We went to pick up a few things and then got carried away playing house.
‘Did we overdo it?’ I ask, as Ronan and I stand in the sitting room staring at the pile of bags.
‘The house needs it, but I didn’t really know what would look right. I’m excited. For me this is like having a makeover.’
‘I could tell. I thought you’d never stop picking things up and shouting across at me, “What do you think of this?” and that’s why I steered you to the checkout. If you want to take some of this stuff back, you know you can.’
I feel bad, as we only went to get some scatter cushions and a couple of things to brighten the second bedroom.
‘No way. That’s the longest I’ve ever spent shopping. I had no idea there was so much choice and I enjoyed it.’
I give him a look of disbelief as he throws out his arms, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I mean it. Now let’s get all of this unpacked and let the transformation begin.’
And what a transformation. Ronan isn’t into twee little designs, but instead he loves colour, so we’ve gone bold. His sofas are quite a traditional style and have been re-upholstered in a dark grey linen. With deep buttoning and a roll-top back, they have period legs with castors. I begin pulling the cushions out of their plastic sleeves and throw them across to him. He places the first one at an angle, and as I keep them coming, he sets them up in a line.
He alternates the lime green, which has a skeleton leaf in a darker shade to add interest, with an equally vibrant fuchsia pink. I do love a man who isn’t afraid to choose pink.
‘Good choice. You learnt fast. I’m impressed.’
Ronan turns round to look at me.
‘Hey, if you point me in the right direction then I can run with it, but I do have a tendency to overthink things. Then not a lot happens. This might sound a bit odd, but even when I was clearing out the house and doing it up, I felt my grandmother was standing by patiently waiting for the messy bits to be over. Since then I’ve been in limbo, I guess. Like I’m waiting for her to return to tell me what she wants me to do next. I’ve been living my life one day at a time for so long now that it’s become second nature to me. I stopped noticing what was around me because without her here it feels like a shell.’