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CHAPTER 7
“Hello! Did you all have a fun time?”
Four children, each with their faces painted, and two worn-out grandparents trudged through Maya’s front door. Emma was sitting in Maya’s kitchen, nursing a glass of Prosecco. They’d headed to The Mall at Cribbs Causeway on the outskirts of Bristol after the running club, having showered and changed.
“I’ve got pizzas in the oven. Mum, Dad, did you want some?” Maya asked, as the kids slipped off their shoes in the hallway. Maya already knew what the answer would be. Her parents, Fern and Doug, shook their heads, leaving on their coats. “I can do you something else, if you don’t fancy pizza.”
“If you don’t mind, love, we’ll head home. It’s been fun, but a long day,” Fern said, giving Maya a hug.
“I understand. Thank you so much.” Maya kissed her parents. “I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”
Maya’s parents were great at giving her some respite from the kids. Single mums with willing ex-partners got a day or a weekend off, when the kids went to visit their dads. Maya didn’t have this luxury often. She really had her children twenty-four-seven. Of course, she loved them, but sometimes she wanted more from life than just being a mum. And her parents, particularly her mother, understood that. When things got too much, with everything piling on top of her, all Maya wanted was someone to ease the burden, to make life that bit warmer, more loving and pleasant. Someone to tell her she was doing a good job, and to love her for it, flaws and all. For now, her own mother fulfilled that role.
“It’s never a problem, and we enjoy the special time with our grandchildren,” Doug said, squeezing Maya’s shoulder. “It’s all about making memories.”
“Anytime, love, but we’ll skip pizza. We’re going to grab a takeaway, aren’t we, Doug?” Fern winked at her husband. “And we’ll put our feet up in front of the telly tonight.”
“And not move, I hope!” Maya said. “Sounds like a plan.” She kissed them both, then waved her mum and dad off. “Thanks again!”
Emma also shouted through her thanks, although she could hardly be heard over the excited children. Maya returned to her small, busy kitchen. She’d left Emma in charge of the pizzas in the oven.
“Wow, I handed over a son and a tiger returned,” Emma said ruffling Owen’s hair. Lewis had chosen to be Spiderman. The girls had delicate butterflies on their cheeks. Pretty and tasteful, and a little bit more grown up. Hopefully Chloe’s dad wouldn’t go ballistic.
With four impatient, hungry children around the kitchen table, Maya got the pizzas out of the oven while Emma topped up her Prosecco. She had bought enough pizzas so that she and Emma could tuck into a few slices and not have to worry about cooking later. The Prosecco was starting to go to her head, so Maya made sure she ate plenty of food.
The doorbell rang as the kids were finishing up their bowls of ice-cream. Luckily, Maya had had a Walls Viennetta in the freezer on emergency standby.
“It’s probably Lucas,” Emma said, finishing her drink. “I texted him ten minutes ago. I don’t fancy walking home in the dark and the rain.”
With her Prosecco flute in hand, Maya left Emma in charge as she went to open the front door.
“Your wife awaits… Oh! Hello…” Maya said, her tone changing from jovial to surprised. Internally she cringed. “Sorry, I was expecting Emma’s husband.”
“No, sadly it’s just me, Chloe’s dad.” Sam gave an amused smile.
“Yes, of course.” Automatically Maya held out her hand, switching the glass to her left, and he shook it. “As you can see, this time, I’m in. Supervising.” What was she saying? She became conscious of the glass of Prosecco in her hand — it wasn’t even seven o’clock.
Sam let out a nervous chuckle and his gaze dropped to the ground.
“Is it Lucas? Tell him we’ll be five minutes. We’ve just got our second bottle of Prosecco to finish!” Emma shouted from the kitchen, laughing.
Maya blushed. She thought it best not to shout back to Emma. What would Sam think? He already thought she was a bad mother for allowing her daughter to plaster her face in make-up and leaving her unsupervised in the house. Did he now think she was irresponsibly getting drunk while looking after his daughter?
“Erm … did you want to come in for a minute? Chloe is just finishing her ice-cream.”
“I can wait here — if that’s easier.” He stood awkwardly, hands in his pockets.
Maya frowned. “I’m not sure how long she’ll be. Come through.” Before realising what she was suggesting, the words escaped her. She just hoped Emma left with four kids hadn’t allowed carnage to happen in the kitchen.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” Sam spotted the pile of shoes in the hallway. “Do you need me to remove my shoes?”
Maya shook her head. “No, you’re quite all right.”
She had no idea what to say to this man as she took in his appearance. He was wearing jeans and a casual grey shirt with the top buttons open, revealing the hollow of his neck. Taller than she’d realised, he had short, wavy, dark brown hair with a sprinkle of silver through the sides. His eyes were the colour of roasted chestnuts, with crow’s feet creasing at the corners, giving him away as in his early forties. She realised he was actually quite handsome in a Colin Firth type of way.
Don’t be deceived by his appearance, Maya, she thought. Head up his arse, remember.
Sam cleared his throat. “Look, um, I’m sorry about before…” he began.
