Page 95 of Just Say (Hell) No
“Spit it out, mate,” Marko said. “No second thoughts, no, if that’s what it’s about. I’m here to stay.”
“Nah,” Hugh said. “This one’s personal.”
Marko eyed him warily. He wasn’t talking about Nyree. That was nobody’s business.
“Your cousin,” Hugh said. “Ella.” And Marko thought,What?
“Yeh,” he said. “What about her?”
“Koti says she’s pregnant. Well, I saw she was. But—putting the baby up for adoption, eh.”
“Yeh,” Marko said.
“Oh.” Again, the hesitation. “Josie and I are on that list, you know. Hoping for a baby.”
Now Marko was the one to say, “Oh.” He thought a minute more and said, “I think Ella’s chosen somebody. We’re meant to meet them tomorrow.”
Something changed on Hugh’s tough face. “Right,” he said. “Thought I’d take the chance to put it out there, that’s all. Josie can’t have kids, you see. It looms pretty large for her. So if it doesn’t work… we’re an option. Of course, it may be too close for Ella. Too close to home, eh.”
“I can’t say for sure,” Marko said, “but you’re not wrong. Close to home could be hard.”
Hugh nodded and stood, his hand gripping Marko’s shoulder for a moment. “I reckoned,” he said. “Thought I’d say something anyway, though. I won’t tell Josie.”
It was a pity, Marko thought as he finished his beer, got dressed, and got ready to go home to Nyree, that life wasn’t simpler. That every triumph came with pain, even if it wasn’t your pain.
On the other hand, laying out Angus Hamilton had been sweet.
The next morning, Markowasn’thaving a sweet, sexy lie-in with Nyree. He was driving north, all the way to Orewa, saying, “Remind me of their names again.”
“Carol-Anne and Adrian Hopkins,” Ella said. “They seemed awesome on the phone. Well, she did, because I didn’t talk to him. Super excited, though. Her.”
The house, when they got there, was white, single-story, and impeccably tidy. Not enough greenery around it for Marko’s taste, but no question, it was an upscale address. North Shore, with a little sleepiness to it. A little suburban, and a lot family.
Ella put a hand on the door handle, then stopped and said, “How do I look?”
“Good,” Marko said. “But remember—you’re the buyer, not the seller.”
“Huh?” she said. “I’m totally the seller. Except not, because I’m not selling the babies.”
“No,” he tried to explain. “You’re in the power position. You’re deciding ifthey’regood enough to get the babies. You’re not trying out for the team. You’rechoosingthe team.”
“Oh,” she said. “Right. Except it doesn’t feel that way.”
“I know,” he said. “That’s why Nyree and I are here. Just remember—no promises. It’s a meeting.”
He didn’t say more. She wouldn’t have listened, and the front door of the house had opened and a woman had come out. An absolutely tidy brunette, her hair glossy and swinging around her shoulders, wearing a wrap dress and high-heeled sandals. The fella was behind her, hair cut short and trousers cut conservative. A business type, Marko decided, or a lawyer, and the missus was probably one of those things as well. Both of them pretty dressy for Sunday in Orewa, but then, this would be as big an occasion for them as for Ella. Bigger, because whether she realized it at this moment or not, there were heaps more couples out there who’d want these babies. For them, it might be their only chance.
Don’t,he told himself.You’re the objective one. It’s about what’s best for Ella and the boys, and that’s it.
The interior of the house was as tidy as the outside. White walls, posh kitchen, fresh flowers, black leather, chrome, and art prints under glass. A bit like his house pre-Nyree, other than the flowers. It had felt like a pretty lonely place back then. He tried to imagine this one with two little boys in it, and failed. But then, probably nobody was ready for a baby, let alone two of them.
“So,” Carol-Anne said after glasses of water and cups of tea had been fetched from the perfect kitchen and a couple minutes of small talk had been disposed of. “We’re so excited that you chose us. When you sent your photo, we couldn’t believe we’d been this lucky. And you’re a pupil at St. Heliers? That’s a good school. Do you plan to go to University?”
“Yeh,” Ella said. “In Maths, probably. That’s my best subject. But I’m only here—in Auckland, I mean, at St. Heliers—because of Marko. My cousin. I came to stay with him, you know, because it was hard in Tekapo. Where I’m from.” Neither Carol-Anne nor Adrian had recognized Marko. Just as well. That would only have got in the way.
“I’m sure it was,” Carol-Anne said. “Have your parents had a hard time with this, then?”
“It’s my mum, that’s all,” Ella said.
