‘I suppose,’ Rob said. ‘She’s certainly set me a challenge, although I think I’ve got a couple of allies in class who will keep the rest in check.’
‘I bet you have them wrapped around your little finger.’
When he kissed her again, his daughter demanded attention. ‘Frey-ya too,’ she said and planted a sloppy kiss on her daddy’s lips.
‘Hmmm, blackcurrant-flavoured.’
‘My juice!’ Freya cried and began wriggling until Rob put her down. She raced back to where she had abandoned her sippy cup on the windowsill.
Rob took the opportunity to pull Vikki closer. ‘If you won’t tell me how you’re doing, maybe you could tell me how your mum got on.’
‘The operation went well,’ Vikki said, surprised that her voice could sound so matter of fact. Everything had happened in a blur and Vikki almost wished Rob and her mum had kept their secret that bit longer. She would happily trade blissful ignorance for sleepless nights and restless days, and today had been the worst so far. ‘I’ll find out more later, but the nurse I spoke to said something about the surgeon taking more surrounding tissue than they were planning.’
‘That might be a good thing, less chance of leaving anything nasty behind.’
‘But longer for Mum to recover from the operation,’ Vikki said. ‘She’s going to struggle on her own for a while.’
‘Is there any chance Lesley could help out more?’
Lesley was a friend of her mum’s who helped out with the holiday cottages during the busy season. She would do all she could, but it wouldn’t be enough. Besides, it wasn’t the suggestion Vikki had wanted Rob to make.
‘I doubt it, she has so many other jobs to juggle.’ Vikki clung tighter to Rob, as if it would squeeze the correct response from him.
When she bit her lip, he must have guessed what she was after. ‘If you’re asking if you should stay with her when she gets out, then say it, Vikki.’
‘No, I don’t want to leave you. Unless you could come with us …’
‘The three of us in one bedroom and your mum in the room next door? What do you think?’
‘If I did go, it wouldn’t be for long, maybe just a week,’ she said.
Rob didn’t look completely convinced. ‘But are you sure you could cope with looking after your mum, and Freya too?’
‘I … don’t know. But I’d hate to look back and regret not helping her more.’
The only time Vikki and Rob had spent apart since they were married had been following her dad’s death. She had gone to stay with her mum for a couple of weeks under the guise of offering support, but it had been Vikki who had needed her mum as much as anything, and Rob had probably been relieved that someone else had to cope with her bawling her eyes out every two minutes. Vikki wasn’t so sure she would cope any better now, and from the look on Rob’s face, he was thinking the same.
Rob’s body sagged a little when he sighed. ‘Yes, of course you should stay with her.’
His answer should have made Vikki feel relieved, but she burst into tears. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, burying her face in Rob’s shoulder. ‘I’m a rubbish wife and a rubbish daughter.’
‘Of course you’re not. You’re doing amazingly well,’ he whispered. When her sobs subsided, he lifted her chin so she was looking directly at him. ‘I won’t say I’m not going to miss you, but stay as long as you need. Don’t worry about me.’
‘Are you sure?’ she asked, and with one small hiccup, swallowed the last of her tears.
‘Yes, Vikki, whatever you want. You’re the boss as always. I’m yours to command.’
She gave him a tentative smile. ‘In that case, do you think you could do something else for me?’
‘Hmm,’ he said, raising his eyebrows. ‘What are you after now, Victoria?’
‘I’ve had a go at writing something and I need you to check it for me.’
Rob laughed. ‘That wasn’t exactly the suggestion I was expecting,’ he said. ‘What is it?’
‘An objection to Sarah Tavistock’s planning application,’ she said, and then, seeing Rob’s expression, added, ‘Will you look at it? Please, Rob.’
‘But why bother? Elaine doesn’t think it’s worth it, especially now you know all the details.’
Vikki’s original assumption had been that the land in question was in the green belt and should be protected. She had been dismayed to discover that it was classed as a brownfield site and had been in industrial use up until fifty years ago. It had been an old pottery and when the buildings had been demolished, the land had been soiled over rather than cleared, which explained why it had been left fallow for so long. The new plans included the removal of all the industrial waste, which would actually improve the land.
‘I still want to try. It’s what Dad would expect one of us to do, and obviously Mum’s not up to it. So will you?’ Vikki asked again.
‘OK, OK, if it keeps you out of trouble.’
When Vikki hugged Rob tightly his hands moved gently over her hips and bottom.
‘So there was something else you were after,’ he said in a hushed tone.
Sex couldn’t be further from Vikki’s mind, but she responded by pushing herself against him. ‘I love you,’ she told him.
‘And I love you,’ he replied, before pulling away with a groan. Freya had been watching them quietly. ‘But I’m afraid some of your particular gratifications are going to have to wait until bedtime, or this one’s bedtime at least.’
Despite the shadows hanging over her, Vikki felt a small sense of victory as she watched Rob scoop Freya up into his arms.
I remember the first time I realized exactly what effect I had on him. No way was I expecting him to, you know, get excited and I swear I didn’t know what to do. When I think back, it was so embarrassing. I was such a child.
Mum had dragged us out for Sunday lunch with her friends Sarah and Miles. I didn’t want to go, but sometimes it’s just not worth the argument. I was the youngest there, so obviously they all treated me like a kid. Miles actually asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up.
When – I – grew – up?
I’d already grown up, for God’s sake, and I’m pretty sure he’d noticed. Sarah definitely had. She made some comment about everyone looking while I was putting on my lip gloss in the restaurant, as if I hadn’t worked that out for myself.
Anyway, after our main course, I sneaked off to the Ladies so I could put on more lip gloss without Sarah’s bitchy comments, and after that I went outside to escape for a while. The restaurant backed on to the canal and had an outdoor dining area, but it was teeming down so luckily it was deserted.
I stayed close to a wall that had an overhanging roof to give me some shelter, and the sound of the rain hammering against the tiles was so loud I didn’t hear him come outside, not until he’d sneaked up next to me.
‘Looking for an escape route?’