nappies seemed the two most obvious things to ask for. Something to input and something to catch the output. Anything else she could improvise.
‘There are… couches dans le sac et le lait dans la kitchen principale. J’ai fait des bouteilles. Demandez Monique,’ he explained quickly.
‘Nappies in the bag and milk in the main kitchen. Monique knows where,’ Emma translated.
‘Thank you,’ he said.
She put her arms around him and held him close.
‘Don’t worry about Luc. I’ll look after him. We’ll go for a walk. I’ll keep him out of the sun and I won’t read him too much Chaucer,’ Emma promised.
‘I have to go,’ Guy told her.
‘Go! Go and get a place on the team! Good luck! Bonne chance!’ Emma said.
He picked up his rucksack and waving, hurried past the gate and out of the campsite.
‘So then, Luc. I hope you’re going to be good because I know less than nothing about babies. And I don’t have one in my life plan until at least 2013,’ she said, looking in at the wriggling infant.
She pushed the pram back and forth and looked at the little boy. Thick dark hair and innocent eyes gazed up at her. How could a mother of such a beautiful baby not make herself capable to look after him? How could she expect her teenage son to do it for her?
‘I don’t think Bram Stoker’s going to be your thing, Luc. How about a bit of Jane Austen?’ she said, smiling down at him.
A bubble of sound from his bottom gave her the answer.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Present Day
‘Good morning,’ Madeleine greeted as Guy entered the kitchen.
He’d hoped she wouldn’t be there when he came down. He was certain she had an appointment at the beauty salon. He’d actually paid attention to something she said. Had he really not listened properly?
‘Good morning,’ he responded. He opened the fridge and took out the orange juice.
‘You didn’t come to bed last night,’ she remarked. She didn’t lift her head from the magazine she was reading.
‘No. I was late. I didn’t want to disturb you,’ he lied.
He couldn’t bear to be in bed beside her when all he could think of was his kiss with Emma. He had slept in one of the guest rooms and let all the memories wave over him as he drifted off to sleep. He wouldn’t let this end like before. Even if he was not Dominic’s father, even if she had lied to him in the past, the connection they had together was undeniable.
‘You are going to training?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’
‘I will be out all day.’
‘OK,’ he responded.
‘Please be back before four. The dry cleaning is arriving.’
*
The very worst thing about the note was he hadn’t said a time. This would impact on her whole day. She would be on edge, waiting for him to arrive from the moment the school day started until it came to an end. She almost combusted in front of her class when the receptionist came into the room and informed her someone was waiting for her. The bell for morning break had gone and her stomach had sunk to the floor. Even the iced bun Ally had brought with her didn’t make up for the unneeded shock.
‘You should know you can’t call me and ask for an alibi without giving me the full story. Are we still fighting by the way? Because I’d rather not.’
Emma ushered her into an empty classroom and closed the door.
‘Coffee? Machine’s all fixed and it only took me six minutes to drive here so it’s still hot,’ Ally said, holding the cup out to her.
‘Thanks. Listen, I’m sorry about what I said on the phone before. My head’s all over the place,’ she said.
‘Tell me what’s going on? Why did I have to split up with Jonty? I haven’t yet by the way. He’s taking me to Amsterdam for the weekend.’
‘I went for the dinner with Guy. I couldn’t tell anyone that, could I?’
‘You could tell people that if it was just two ex-lovers meeting up to catch up. You couldn’t say that if it was two ex-lovers meeting up to reengage in the loving bit,’ Ally replied.
‘I had no intention of anything happening…’ she started.
‘But something did?!’
‘I’m so ashamed. I’ve left everyone down. I’ve let myself down. And Chris…’
‘What happened?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it really. I just want to forget it. It was one moment. A stupid moment when my brain wasn’t switched on properly. We kissed,’ she admitted.