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‘I’m afraid not, young man, but you can water it and help it to grow.’
Miraculously, both kiddos remember to say thank you before they lose interest completely and abandon the miniature trees for more time with their pals inside. Jared offloads the saplings and actually doffs his cap at Celeste before he heads off.
‘I love cherry blossom,’ I say as we head back in.
‘Japan in cherry blossom season is on Sophie’s holiday bucket list,’ Joe explains to Celeste. I’m shocked that he’s remembered this fact from our early getting-to-know-you dates. He shoots me a quick smile before finding himself cornered by one of the dads.
‘Well then,’ Celeste leans in conspiratorially, ‘these trees will be perfect for your blended families, won’t they? Just imagine when you and Joe move in together. Sidney and Lila can have matching ones in their garden!’
I’m so caught off guard by the thought that I’m momentarily speechless. A garden with two cherry blossoms in it. Our garden.
I bite my lip. I’m still a little unsettled by Joe’s hug from earlier. And just like that, I think I’ve figured out what’s going on. Joe’s going to suggest we let our fake romance fizzle out before the end of the summer, isn’t he? That would make sense. It has been a bit ridiculous that we have hardly been seeing each other and pretending to be dating too. But I suppose it was always going to happen. And perhaps it’s not a bad thing. We can stop pretending and actually focus on our friendship. It might help us clear the air.
‘Let’s not marry us off just yet, Celeste. Ha ha! Gosh, there’s a big queue at the tattoo station, I’d better get back,’ and I scoot away.
The party is a roaring success. We’ve had the occasional low point – one child sugar-slumped so hard she ended up face down in a tray of cupcakes, and there was an altercation between the twin boys in Lila’s class over who got to play with the only remaining yellow balloon dog – but other than that it’s been surprisingly stress-free. It’s funny seeing Lila amongst her class peers. She’s such a confident little girl and my heart swells as I watch her. I realise that she didn’t need my help making friends. But I do feel so grateful to Joe for coming into our lives back in February. I know we can work things out because even though we’ve argued a couple of times now, we do manage to fix things. I’d still be getting sidelined at the school gates if it weren’t for him and yet now Celeste is turning up at my child’s party with her head gardener in tow to lavish Lila with a cherry tree. I mean, I do know that Celeste is borderline bonkers but still, it’s really lovely to feel like part of the club.
I find Frankie sat on a jigsaw mat breastfeeding her youngest, baby sling hanging off her body, two half-empty mugs of tea next to her.
‘You all right?’
She sighs. ‘I can’t stop worrying that we got her name wrong.’
‘Baby Helen?’ I ask, kneeling down and looking at the gorgeous little thing.
‘It’s started to sound weird. Baby Helen. Is Helen a good name for a baby, Sophie?’
‘Helen’s a beautiful name, Frank. Do you think you’re a bit sleep deprived?’
‘Is it possible to be sleep deprived when you haven’t had any sleep for actual years?’ She yawns. ‘I’ve got three kids under five and it is hell.’
‘Jesus.’ I wince, settling down next to her on the mat. ‘Does Dave help at night?’
‘Dave’s really good,’ she sniffs. ‘But Dave doesn’t have breasts – well, actually he does but his don’t contain milk – so I take on Helen duties while he deals with the other two.’
‘It’s a lot.’
‘It’s a lot,’ she agrees with another yawn. ‘Is everything okay with you and Joe? You two don’t seem as tactile as you used to be. It’s like you’re not having as much of a laugh together anymore?’
I stare off at Joe. Frankie’s right, we have lost our spark. Suddenly and much to my dismay, I’m tearing up.
‘Oh love.’ Frankie pulls me in for a cuddle before finding a scrunched-up old tissue for me. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘It’s fine,’ I sniff, trying to pull myself together. ‘Truth is we’re having a bit of a time of it.’
Frankie frowns.
‘Want me to have him killed?’
I laugh. ‘Don’t think it’s quite that bad just yet but thanks, Frank.’
‘Wanna talk about it?’
I desperately do, but then I’d have to admit that Joe and I are a pack of lies in the first place. And I’m not brave enough to do that, besides, Lila’s birthday party is not the time.
‘It’s a long story.’ I shrug, scooping up baby Helen and giving her a cuddle.
‘Okay, well, I’m here for you always,’ says Frankie. ‘Is she making you broody?’
