Page 20 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘I’m sure Mrs Crisp would disagree with you there.’
‘Oh, that old cow! She’d disagree with anything that came out of my mouth – she hated me.’
‘It might have been something to do with the impression she caught you doing of her…?’ Zoe lifted an eyebrow, and Georgia began to laugh again.
‘Maybe.’
‘So, I don’t even know where we start, but how are you?’
‘Well, we’ve got quite a lot of years to cover, so in answer to that question, I expect we’ll need a decent night out together to get to them all. But in summary, I’m fine. Life throws its usual curveballs, but…’ She shook her head, as if the thought of those curveballs had shaken her mood for a fleeting moment, before smiling again. ‘How about you? Last I heard, you’d got married. You’re still with him?’
‘Actually, no. Ritchie and I split last year.’
‘Zoe…I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘Don’t be. I’m not – well, I was at the time, obviously, but I’m not now. It wasn’t meant to be, and I’m seeing someone else and he’s lovely, so I think it worked out in the end. Emilia tells me you’re married. Is your husband with you?’
Georgia nodded towards the van. ‘Brett!’ she called to one of the men who was moving things around inside it. ‘Have you got a minute?’
‘Yep, just— Careful with that!’ he snapped to a crew member. ‘It’s over a hundred years old, and I can’t just go to IKEA for another!’
Zoe tried not to frown, and she was too distracted by her current situation to dwell on what she’d later note with more curiosity. He’d told them to be careful with a side table that he’d claimed belonged to him. But if it was Emilia moving in properly and Georgia was only here on holiday, why was Brett moving his own furniture in?
Brett was blessed with thick dark hair, cut short and shot through with cables of steely grey. Zoe had never been very good at guessing ages, but she thought he looked older than Georgia,perhaps by ten years or so, though it may have been the grey hair giving that impression. There was some evidence of a fondness for beer hidden well beneath a thick sweater, but other than that he seemed strong and fit. Wiping his hands down his trousers, he leaped from the back of the van and strode towards the gate.
‘Brett,’ Georgia urged him over. ‘Come and meet Zoe! I told you about her – remember? We were friends in primary school, and how crazy is it she’s here? Like, in Thimblebury, where there’s only about ten other people and Zoe just happens to be one of them!’
Brett offered a surprisingly formal hand for Zoe to shake. ‘Ten other people and not one decent shop,’ he said in a tone that seemed quite uncharitable to Zoe. ‘How do you do? Pleased to finally meet you after hearing of nothing else for the past week.’
Zoe sensed some reservation, but she tried not to let it throw her. He knew nothing about her, other than the fact she’d been friends with his wife many years ago, so she supposed it wasn’t as weird as she felt it was. And she had a history with Georgia that he might have heard all about, and Zoe couldn’t be sure how Georgia had reported their falling-out. To Zoe it was all water under the bridge, and it seemed Georgia felt the same now, but it was hard to say how Brett might have viewed it.
‘Georgia’s really been looking forward to meeting up with you again,’ he added.
‘Me too,’ Zoe said with a warm smile for her old friend. And then Brett took the opportunity to go back to the van.
‘Have you got time to stick around?’ Georgia asked her. ‘We’ve got a bit to do here, but as I’m banned from carrying anything, I’m sure Em wouldn’t mind if we have the kitchen for an hour to catch up.’
‘I’d love to, but I’m meeting friends for a walk. I was on my way there when I happened to see you, so I’m afraid I really onlymeant to pop across for a minute. In fact, I’m probably already running late.’
‘Oh, of course…’
Georgia’s reaction was not what Zoe had expected. Mildly disappointed would have been normal, but Georgia’s tone was suddenly so flat, if she hadn’t thought it an overreaction, Zoe would have said she seemed almost crushed by her refusal to stay. And it wasn’t really a refusal at all – it was simply that she didn’t have the time at that moment.
‘But I can totally do another day,’ she added quickly. ‘Just name it and I’ll clear a space in my diary.’
‘Oh, I will! How about tomorrow night?’
‘Tomorrow…?’ Zoe paused. It was sooner than she’d meant, but that didn’t matter because she had nothing else planned, though she’d hoped to see Alex. Then again, she always hoped to see Alex, and Georgia looked like she really wanted to catch up. ‘Tomorrow sounds good. Great. I’d like that. Shall I come here? Kestrel Cottage – where I’m living – is quite a trek, especially with all the snow, so it might be better for me to come to you. Or we can go out, if you’re worried about being a bit upside down here. There’s a lovely pub nearby, the Happy Greyhound. I expect it’ll take a few days to put everything in order and?—’
‘Here is great; I’m sure we can make space…right, Brett?’
He stopped on the way past them with a lampstand in one hand and a box balanced on the other arm. ‘Huh? Fine…whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine.’
‘Perfect!’ Georgia beamed at Zoe as he went on his way. ‘About seven? Is that too early for you? Because I can?—’
‘Seven’s fine. It’s a date.’
‘I can’t wait to find out everything you’ve been up to since we last saw one another!’
