Page 53 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘I think he might be right. Anyway, the surgery is already about to be down one member of staff on maternity leave; I don’t want to add to that.’
‘When is Ottilie going to leave?’
‘I wish I could tell you, but I can’t get a straight answer out of her. It can’t be long now, though – she’s only got six weeks to go.’
‘It’s just like Ottilie to keep working.’
‘It is. Maybe you can have a word with her to slow down because she doesn’t listen to me.’
‘I…’ Magnus frowned slightly as he noticed Geoff beckon him. ‘Sorry, Zoe, I have been summoned.’
‘Looks serious too,’ Zoe said.
Magnus grinned. ‘I’ve seen that look before. Itisserious – he can’t find the corkscrew.’
Zoe laughed as she watched him go. She’d never been to one of Magnus and Geoff’s famous parties, but she had a feeling she was going to get a crash course in how they rolled today.
An hour later, Zoe watched as Magnus ushered Alex inside. He was wrapped in his padded coat, his thick, dark hair peeking out from beneath a knitted beanie. He swept off the hat and mussed up his hair to unflatten it, throwing a brief, warm smile her way, those huge brown eyes melting her in an instant. She wanted to rush over to be folded into his arms, but it would have to wait. Instead, she allowed a moment for those who’d noticed to greet him before going to claim him as her own with a lingering kiss.
‘How was the bank meeting?’ she asked.
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Not as exciting as your day, obviously, though it was good of their business manager to fit me in on a Saturday at short notice, so I don’t suppose I can complain.’
‘You’ve seen Billie?’
‘For a few minutes. She was on her way to have a bath and a lie-down when I got home. She seems happy.’
‘You should have seen her! Way more than happy – I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so proud. I wish you could have been there – you’d have loved it.’
He stroked a stray hair from her face and smiled down at her. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For persuading her to do it. For introducing her to so many people who are having a positive impact on her. For being a good friend to her.’
‘I like her; I want to be a friend to her.’
‘I know that, but even so. It’s all making such a huge difference. I’m not sure I’ve felt this optimistic about the future since I lost Jennifer, and it’s because of you.’
‘It’s not just because of me,’ Zoe said. ‘It’s because of Thimblebury. It’s done the same to me too. Everyone here is so welcoming.’
He raised his eyebrows playfully. ‘Everyone?’
‘Well, everyone who doesn’t mind your camping field. But,’ she added, standing on tiptoes to kiss him briefly again, ‘that’s what we’re going to try to fix today, isn’t it?’
‘I wish I had your faith, but I’m willing to give it a go. So where do I start? Who’s the first person I need to attack on this charm offensive?’
‘Be chill about it, that’s what I say. There’s no need to target anyone – just spread your natural good humour as you mingle and that ought to do it.’
‘Mingle, eh? Does that mean I can’t spend the entire afternoon gazing at you?’
‘Sorry, but it does. Worthy causes demand great sacrifices, you know.’
‘They do!’ he said, laughing. ‘God, how did I get so lucky? I…’ He paused, flushed and then took a breath. ‘Almost said it then, like it was nothing, but it isn’t nothing, is it? I wanted to do it properly, and here I am, blurting it out in the middle of all this.’
‘Blurting what out?’
‘I don’t know if it’s too soon to say it, but I feel it. Zoe Padbury…I love you.’
