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Chapter Twenty
Dale lifted his hand to knock on the front door of Zoe’s mother’s house in Hermanus. From here he had a beautiful view of Walker Bay. The greyness of the clouds was picked up by the water, turning the sea into a dark mass that seemed to go on forever. It echoed what was going on inside of him.
Without Zoe there was no colour in his life. Why had it taken him so long to realize that?
The door opened before his knuckles could connect with the panel.
“Hello, Dale,” Zoe’s mother said, the smile he was used to seeing on her face gone for the moment.
He opened his mouth to start his apology, but she pinned him down with a look that made him forget his words. For minutes she stared into his face. And then, miraculously, her smile appeared and she held out a hand to him.
“Now I see. You love her?” she asked simply.
Relieved, Dale nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Come in,” she said and opened the door wider. “You remember the way?”
Dale nodded and walked down the short corridor to the big lounge overlooking the ocean.
“You look as if you could do with some tea. Or do you prefer something stronger?”
Dale turned back to her, shaking his head. “I don’t want anything, I just want… Zoe.”
She smiled. “Of course you do. She’ll be back soon, she went for a walk. Please sit.”
Dale sat down but couldn’t relax. He had to explain. “I’ve hurt Zoe. I’ve said terrible things to her and—”
“Are you here to apologize or are you here to tell her how you feel about her?”
“Both,” Dale said.
“I’ve told you before that the man who wants Zoe will have to make her understand how deeply he loves her. She will have to believe the guy is in it for the long haul.”
“I love her, I do.” Dale said, frowning. “But other than telling her that, I’m not sure what I can do. It’s up to her whether she believes me.”
“If it was any other woman, I would’ve agreed with you. But we’re talking about Zoe. Their dad left when they were little. It affected all three of my girls in various ways. Caitlin had trust issues, which she had to sort out before she could trust Don, and Zoe doesn’t believe she’s worthy of anyone’s love.”
“So, what do I do?” he asked. “Please tell me, because I need her in my life. Permanently.”
Her smile lit up the whole room and her eyes glittered. “This is why I write love stories.” She sniffled. “You know what to do, I’m so glad and, of course, you have my blessing.”
Dale frowned, not quite sure why he needed her blessing.
“I hear her footsteps,” Zoe’s mother said and got up.
With his heart nearly jumping out of his chest, Dale slowly got to his feet. He made huge deals every day of his life, he took risks, he negotiated and bargained with hardcore businessmen, but he had always been sure of himself, sure about what he was putting on the table. But today, his love for Zoe was the item on the agenda, his heart the currency, and he wasn’t sure about his bargaining powers at all.
Zoe was nearly at the gate before she noticed the car. Dale’s car. Her heart skidded to a halt before it began beating to an erratic rhythm. She combed her fingers through her hair. She was a mess. Her eyes were probably red-rimmed, she was wearing an old pair of jeans and an ancient jersey underneath her parka.
What the hell. He’d probably thought up some more nasty things to say to her, so what she looked like was not important.
She hung the parka on the hook near the front door and slowly walked towards the lounge.
Both her mother and Dale were standing, her mother was smiling broadly. Dale looked as if someone had punched him in the gut. Hard.
Good.
“Zoe, guess who came looking for you,” her mother said and waved her in. “I’m making tea. Dale wants to talk to you.” She walked towards the kitchen. Just before she walked through the door, she made big eyes at Zoe behind Dale’s back.
