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“She’s mature for her age. And she’s a very confident person.”
“She acts confident.” Hugh picked up his mug to swill the cold dregs. “Which is different to her actually being confident.”
“I just don’t think you need to worry about her flying alone. She knows the drill, and the independence is good for her.”
“Good for you, more like,” Hugh said, before he could stop himself. “Now you don’t have to fly over here to collect her or drop her off.”
“I told her I was happy to come if she needed me to, but she said she’s fine. I know you offered to bring her, so it’s not as though the option wasn’t there if she wanted an escort.”
“I know.” He rubbed at his temple. “Can you please just let me know as soon as you’ve got her?”
“Sure. I told her to get a taxi from the airport, so I’ll let you know when she gets to my place.”
Hugh’s heart rate shot up so quickly that he felt mildly dizzy. “She’s getting a taxi? Why can’t you or Louise pick her up? And why are you only telling me this now? You can’t just decide stuff like that without—”
“Oh, Hugh,” Nancy giggled. “That was too easy.”
His shoulders dropped immediately. “You’re winding me up?”
“Yes. Even though I think she’d be fine getting a taxi. Lou and I are both going to collect her. We do like having her here, you know? I’m excited to see my daughter.”
“Good.” His breathing felt slightly uneven and he wanted to get off the phone. “Just let me know when you have her.”
“I will. I also needed to talk to you about something.” She went silent for a moment. “Actually, I’ll call you another time. I have to leave for the airport soon and I’ve got a couple of things to do first.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Have you got anything planned for your child-free time?” she asked before he could end the call. “Emmy said you were out on a date the other night. How’s that going?”
“Good,” he said automatically.
“Glad to hear it. It’ll do you good to have something to focus on that isn’t Emmy or work.”
He opened his mouth to argue that he did have a life aside from work and Emmy, then stopped himself. His mind whirred back to his evening with Allie and how he’d struggled for other topics of conversation. There was more to his life than Emmy and work though. He also had good friends and was perfectly content with his life.
“So is it serious?” Nancy asked. “Between you and … what was her name?”
“Allie.” He should probably confess that they’d only been on one date that wasn’t even really a date, but decided not to get into it. He was fine with Nancy thinking there was more to it.
“I presume it’s serious,” she remarked. “I can’t imagine anything else with you.”
His jaw tensed. “I don’t know what it is,” he said, trying not to get riled up. “We’re just having fun and seeing where it goes.” He grimaced at the lies.
“That’s great. So you’ll be making the most of the time while Emmy’s away?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I’ll be having fun, going on dates and stuff. Why are you so interested?”
“Because,” she said lightly. “I worry about you.”
“You don’t need to. I’m perfectly happy.”
“I have to go,” she said. “I’ll message you when I have eyes on Emmy. You enjoy the time for yourself.”
“I will,” he said more gruffly than he’d intended.
After ending the call, the conversation swirled in his mind, making it impossible to focus on work. He lingered for another hour, drinking more coffee and waiting until Emmy messaged to say she was on the plane and everything was fine. Only then did he venture to his car and settle in for the two-hour journey back to Hope Cove.
It seemed like no time at all until he pulled up outside of the house. His phone showed messages from both Emmy and Nancy to say she’d arrived safely in Paris. He felt as though he could breathe easier, but the conversation with Nancy continued to niggle at him for the rest of the afternoon. Work was only a moderate distraction, and when he powered down his computer for the day, he pondered how he was going to kill the time without Emmy.
