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“I’m sorry to spring that on you,” he says. “I should have told you that Finn was practicing walking with crutches, but we thought it would be a nice surprise for you to see him do it.”
I just nod.
“You’re not angry?” he asks.
I shake my head.
Outside, the kids careen around the playground like ball bearings in a pinball machine, yelling and laughing. The sunlight spills across the desks like melted butter. I can smell whiteboard pens and mown grass and Alex’s cologne. I stifle a groan. The classroom is going to smell of him for the rest of the day.
He glances around again. “Nice room,” he says. “I like the bird.” He gestures to the picture of a fantail that we made in our art lessons. Every child painted a different feather with their own pattern.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He looks back at me.
“For what you’ve done for Finn,” I add. “For THOR, for helping him walk, for Zelda, for everything.”
“You’re welcome,” he says.
“You’ve gone to so much trouble.” I’m unable to stop my mouth moving. “You really shouldn’t have.”
He slides his hands into his pockets. “It’s my job.”
Of course it is. I’m reading too much into it.
And now I’m tongue-tied. His gaze is level and calm. I can’t tell what he’s thinking. Does he like me? Maybe I should just ask him. But the words won’t come.
I’ve been going to Kia Kaha for something like nine months now. All that time ago, Juliette told me he wasn’t dating, but is that still the case? It’s possible he does like me, but no guy is going to wait nine months or even longer for a woman he hardly knows. We’ve never discussed whether we’re interested in each other. He has no idea that I still dream about him. That my pulse picks up whenever I smell his cologne. Or that one look from those steady dark eyes makes me weak at the knees.
The door opens and a teacher sticks her head in, sees him, and says, “Oh sorry,” and goes out again.
“I’d better go,” he says.
I nod, disappointed, but I can’t think of a reason to ask him to stay.
“I’ll see you tomorrow for Finn’s physio?” he asks.
“Yes, okay. See you then.”
He hesitates. Then he walks across the room and heads back to the office block.
I sit hurriedly on one of the tiny chairs before my legs give way, and fight against the tears that prick my eyes.
Chapter Seven
Alex
Gradually, November slides into December. The weather grows warmer, and Christmas displays dominate the shops. The sliding doors in the offices at Kia Kaha are open most of the time, letting in the aroma of the fresh water of the Avon, the smell of mown grass, and the scent of flowers that reminds me of Missie’s perfume.
Zelda gets bigger every day. She’s now seven months old, and I’ve been training her daily, so she’s a good girl, and happy to sit in her bed in my office during the day providing she gets regular walks and is allowed to greet anyone who comes in.
Despite the better weather, I’m not keen on this time of year. It holds bad memories for me, and I always feel relieved when New Year arrives with all the promise of a fresh start. It’s what earned me the titles of both Scrooge and Oscar the Grouch, because I’m reluctant to join in the festivities. And it usually gets me out of all sorts of social events.
This year, however, the presence of a certain dark-haired minx gets me into all kinds of trouble.
It starts one afternoon early in December when the boardroom telephone rings while we’re in the middle of a meeting, and Rebecca announces that Missie’s here, and she’s wondering whether she can talk to all of us. Surprised, because it’s not one of Finn’s physio days, I say, “Send her in,” and we all exchange puzzled glances as we wait for her to arrive.
I watch her walk along the glass-walled corridors and approach the boardroom. She’s wearing navy capri pants and a white tee with a picture of a daisy on the front that has the words ‘You are my sunshine’ in a semi-circle over the top. It makes me smile even before she reaches the automatic doors.
