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‘You have to be joking?’ He scoffed. ‘You know no one tells me anything, right?’
As much as Holly wanted to talk about something different, like the plans for the next four days, and what Jamie and Fin’s friends were like, every time the conversation shifted, her mind would bring it straight back to Ben again.
‘It’s serious isn’t it?’ she said, as they turned onto the M5. ‘You don’t introduce someone to your child unless it’s serious, do you? But when’s he been seeing her? That’s what I want to know. I mean, he’s either away working, or he’s got Hope overnight. It’s not like he has endless free time.’
‘He works nights away in London.’ Michael kept his eyes on the road. ‘Sounds like a perfect excuse for hook-ups, if you ask me.’
Without missing a beat, Caroline bent over from the passenger seat to thump him on the shoulder.
‘Ow! What was that for?’
‘Because.’
Holly couldn’t even muster a smile because as much as she didn’t want to think about it, Michael was probably right. Late nights in London with someone in the same job as you, attending the same functions, all dressed up and glamorous, were bound to bring people closer together. All while Holly was at home covered in sicked-up milk and dubious coloured sludges.
Silence filled the car, although, as was often the case in such situations, Caroline was quick to fill it. She twisted over her shoulder to look at Holly.
‘I know I don’t like to ask this, but you’re not… you know…’
‘Not what? I don’t know what you’re saying.’
‘You know, regretting stuff. Regretting how it ended with Ben?’
Holly sniffed. She and Ben may not have had the easiest ending, but she had never once doubted that it was the right decision. And while she couldn’t deny there was this niggling feeling eating away at her, it wasn’t so much about the fact that Ben had moved on, but more how easy it had been for him to do so. No matter how much she would like to believe it, finding someone else to spend time with wouldn’t be so straightforward for her. The sweet shop wasn’t exactly a hub for single men and even if Mr Perfect strode into her life right now, she wouldn’t even have time for him. Until this week, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d shaved her legs – although judging from the state of the bath afterwards, it had been a while. The truth was, she didn’t feel like she’d ever have time for anything in her life besides Hope and the shop for a very long time.
‘Remind me who else is going on this hen and stag do again?’ Michael’s over jovial tone was a clear attempt to distract from the fact that Holly still hadn’t answered Caroline’s question. ‘Anyone I know?’
With a deep breath in, Holly forced her thoughts away from her eternally single future and answered.
‘Besides Sandra, Jamie’s mum, I don’t think there’s anyone any of us know,’ she said. ‘It’s going to be strange, hanging out with so many people we’ve never met before.’
‘I can’t wait to meet Jamie’s old school friends,’ Caroline joined in, having dropped the comment about Holly and Ben. ‘I can’t imagine what they’re like. Jamie says they’re nothing like her, but they’ve been best friends since primary school.’
‘Nothing like Jamie,’ Michael responded. ‘That could mean anything. Girly, quiet…’
‘Hey!’ Caroline thumped him for the second time.
Holly laughed to herself. She really had landed on her feet with finding friends in Bourton. Two years ago, she hadn’t even known Jamie; now she was flying off to the south of France for her hen do. And reconnecting with Caroline had felt like one of the best turns of events she could have taken.
Her head was still filled with soppy sentimentality when her phone buzzed with a message from Ben.
Her heart spiked as she fumbled to open the text. She hadn’t even been gone an hour and he was already messaging. There was no way he would manage four days away.
‘Crap, this can’t be good.’
Steeling herself to tell Caroline she wouldn’t be coming, Holly swiped right to open the message – an image of Ben standing in the middle of the river paddling Hope’s feet in the water.
Have fun Mummy
‘Everything all right?’ Caroline asked.
Holly continued to stare at the wide smiles that shone up at her through the glass of her screen. Ben, with his nephew and niece, and countless young cousins, had already had far more experience with young children than she had when Hope was born, and it all came so naturally to him. They were going to be fine. They were going to be just fine.
She, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.
5
They reached the airport just before ten and had strict instructions from Jamie to head straight through to departures and meet them at a café for brunch. However, first they had to drop off their luggage. Given what a luxury this trip abroad was, Holly had considered buying a new suitcase. She and her ex, Dan, had never been big on holidays and had never needed proper luggage. As such, the only suitable suitcase she had was the one she’d taken to university over ten years ago. But the wheels still worked, and it was big enough to fit everything she needed in, so there was no need to spend extra money when she didn’t have to. And so she rolled her small, black and moderately scratched suitcase to the baggage drop.
