He chuckles. “You told her we were getting married?”
“Well, she guessed something was up from the way I was struggling to form sentences.”
He glances at me. “How much did you tell her?”
“I didn’t say it was a marriage of convenience.”
“Because it’s not.”
“No… because…” I hesitate. “I’m not sure why. I just don’t want everyone to know, that’s all.”
“Did she know you’ve been to a fertility clinic?”
“No. I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Not your mum?”
“Definitely not my mum.”
“No friends?”
“No.”
“I thought all women told their girlfriends everything.”
“I have a lot of friends. But I’m a private person, I guess.”
“Did you make any close friends in Australia?”
“Not that I could confide in.”
“That must have made it hard when you broke up with Cory.”
I look out of the window. “Yeah, it was very tough. I’m not sure I ever adjusted to being in a new country. I felt… adrift. Ididn’t want to stay, but it was hard to come back. It felt like a failure.”
“Life’s all about chapters. They come to an end, and you have to turn the page and move on. You didn’t fail at anything. He cheated on you.” His voice is hard. “I admire you for having the courage to leave him and move back to New Zealand. I’m glad you did.”
For some reason, his words make tears prick at my eyes. I swallow hard and clear my throat. “So… what should I expect today?”
“Well, a thousand questions, obviously. It’s entirely up to you how you want to answer them.”
“Will Caesar be there?”
“Yes, and Aurelia. It’s just lunch. Very informal.”
“My definition of informal is eating baked beans out of the tin in my pajamas while watchingBridget Jonesfor the hundredth time. I’m guessing your definition is a bit different.”
“A tad. But I’d like to see your pajamas.”
“I bet you would.” I roll my eyes as he chuckles. “Where do they live now?”
“Takapuna. On the coast.”
“Where’s the old family farm again?”
“Down in the Waikato. I was thinking…” He pauses. “About our honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” I hadn’t even thought of that.
