Page 69 of The Village Midwife
Corrine had threatened to send the cute little apron Zoe was currently wearing to charity, but Zoe had been in the kitchen of Daffodil farmhouse when she’d mentioned it to Victor and had snapped it up. It was printed with lemons on a white backgroundwith frills at the hems. Corrine had received it as a Christmas gift and although she liked it complained that it covered her so inadequately she might as well not bother wearing one at all. Zoe, on the other hand, thought it was perfectly serviceable and very pretty, and was only too happy to take it off her hands.
She wiped her hands down it and set the pan onto the stove, and then was annoyed at herself for dirtying it because she liked it almost as much as the top she had on underneath. There was chicken roasting in the oven, and the kitchen was glorious with the scent of the lemon and thyme she’d stuffed it with. The potatoes were parboiling, and she’d just peeled the accompanying carrots and parsnips, while broccoli waited on the worktop to cook last. She was bang on schedule and stopped for a mouthful of wine. Dutch courage, perhaps, but it slipped down nicely all the same.
She wanted this meal to go well, to mark a new phase in their relationship – the start of a proper platonic friendship – and she planned to use the occasion to make that clear. They could do this every once in a while, have a nice time, catch up, but this was also a way of setting a boundary, a time and a place they could agree on for contact that meant dipping in and out when it wasn’t wanted was off the table. She was going to make that bit especially clear – no constant messages, no turning up unannounced, no wanting more than she was willing to give. She would be there for Ritchie as a friend, but there would be rules.
There was a knock at the door. Putting the wine down, she frowned at the clock. Ritchie was half an hour early and she wasn’t yet ready, and this was exactly the sort of thing she meant. It was a small matter to anyone else, but they didn’t know Ritchie.
But she opened the door, and her frown turned into a look of consternation as she found not Ritchie but Alex in the porch.
‘Have I come at a bad time?’ he asked, looking her up and down. She wondered how flushed her face was – she certainly felt hot.
‘I, um…’
‘I’m sorry, I should have messaged first. I only came to give you these…’ He produced a posy of autumnal flowers. ‘To say thank you. For sticking by Billie and me when I know we’re not the easiest of projects.’
‘It really wasn’t like that at all…I like spending time with you and Billie…’ Zoe took the flowers. The polite thing to do would be invite him in, but Ritchie was due, and she was up to her elbows in goose fat and herbs. ‘Thank you, but there was no need to go to all this trouble.’
‘I was wondering…’ he continued, seemingly unaware of her snub. ‘I might do some more detecting up on the field later…did you want to come? I mean, say no if you’re busy, but I felt like we had fun yesterday and…’ He took a step back from the porch. ‘I can see it’s not a good time. Forget I said anything.’
‘It’s not that…I’d love to ordinarily, but I’ve got someone coming over for lunch.’
‘Right, of course, that’s why there’s such a good smell coming from your house. Well, I hope you enjoy it, I’m sure you will.’
He looked so crushed that she wasn’t sure what to think, but she hated the way it made her feel. What was this? Flowers to thank her for helping them out was one thing, but the look on his face was saying more than that. Why had he come? Was there something more he wanted to say? A minute before, she’d been only too happy to welcome Ritchie in, but now she wished he wasn’t coming. Now, she wanted nothing more than to invite Alex in and have him sit at her dining table to eat the food she was cooking, to be in his company and to hear what he had to say.
‘Maybe another day?’ she said.
‘Another day, yes. That would be good.’
‘Will you go up there later anyway? I mean, if I finish here and it’s not too late, maybe I’ll come and find you.’
‘I think so. The sooner I feel I’ve searched everywhere, the sooner I can go back to getting the foundations for the pods in.’
‘And maybe I can come in to see Billie too.’
‘I think she’d like that.’
Zoe was about to make a tentative date, already running through excuses in her head to get rid of Ritchie straight after lunch, when his car stopped at the end of the path. She let out an involuntary groan as he got out with flowers of his own and a look at Alex that was rife with distrust. Without thinking, she tossed the flowers Alex had just given her behind the front door and painted on an innocent smile for Ritchie, but her heart sank behind it as she realised Alex had seen what she’d done.
Ritchie strode up to the door and gave her the bouquet, all the time staring at Alex. ‘Afternoon…You’re Zoe’s neighbour, right?’
‘Yes…’ Alex stuck out a hand and Ritchie gripped it so hard as he shook that Zoe noticed his knuckles whiten. Ritchie was slightly taller than Alex, with darker hair than Alex’s chestnut and broader shouldered too. But if his actions bothered Alex, he didn’t show it. Despite being at a slight physical disadvantage, Alex still held his own. He simply returned the handshake with a courteous nod. ‘Alex Fitzgerald.’
‘I’m Ritchie, Zoe’s husband.’
‘Soon to be ex,’ Zoe reminded him with a sudden rush of vexation. She didn’t have a clue what was going through his mind, but he had no right to go around making it look as if they were still together. At least Alex knew the truth, and he gave a strange, knowing smile, as if he had the measure of the other man from that short interaction.
‘But we’re good friends,’ Ritchie added, still staring Alex down. ‘We’re still close.’
‘I’d better go,’ Alex said, turning back to Zoe. ‘I only wanted to tell you about Billie’s ultrasound.’
‘Oh, right, yeah, thanks.’ Zoe gave a taut smile, all at once grateful for his accurate reading of the situation and his quick excuse, but mortified that he’d been forced to do that. And as she ushered Ritchie inside and caught sight of Alex’s discarded flowers, she felt sick with shame. How had she been so unforgivably rude? No matter what the sight of them might have stirred up between her and Ritchie, she should never have done that.
She told Ritchie to go through to the kitchen and sit at the table, retrieved them and then opened the front door again to see if Alex was still within hailing distance. But he’d been too quick. Wherever he was heading for, he’d gone there fast and she couldn’t see him. With regret like a stone in her gut, she closed the door again. Before she went back to the kitchen, she hurried upstairs and put Alex’s flowers into the little vanity sink in her bedroom before taking Ritchie’s downstairs to a vase in the kitchen.
‘This looks amazing,’ Ritchie gushed as Zoe finished putting the food out.
‘It’s only Sunday roast.’
