Page 100 of Love Is: Two Bodies One Soul

Emi’s arrival startled the pelican, which flapped its wide wings, sideswiping Lexie before it flew the few yards to comparative safety beyond the lakeside railings.

Owen raced over to the bench, caught Emi before she could follow the bird, and said to Lexie: ‘Are you all right?’

‘Fine, just a glancing blow.’ She smiled. ‘I’d been waiting for something like that to happen, or perhaps a snap from that vicious-looking beak. I may add pelicans to my list of things that scare me—’

‘You can’t be frightened of pelicans. They’re my friends,’ Emily protested.

‘All right, then.’ Lexie smiled at Emily. ‘If they’re friends of yours, I’m sure I’ll be safe with them.’

‘She was only looking after you while Daddy was telling me about you.’

‘How do you know she was a lady-pelican?’

‘I don’t. She just looked like a girl. But all the pelicans are friendly.’

‘Emi, you just said pelican,’ Owen said.

‘Yes, Daddy … I’m talking to Lexie,’ she replied, as if her logic was obvious.

Owen shared a moment of secret laughter with Lexie while Emily climbed onto the bench to take the space vacated by the pelican and have a closer look at her daddy’s new friend.

‘Are you my sister now?’ Emily asked, leaning in and looking up to inspect Lexie’s face with open curiosity.

‘Not really … more like a friend.’

‘Daddy said you’re his girlfriend.’

‘Did he? Is that okay with you?’

‘Oh, yes.’ Emi looked serious. ‘Daddy’s very lonely when he’s not with me, so it’s good he’s got a new grown-up friend at last.’

Out of the mouth of babes. A lumps forming in Owen’s throat, he moved away from the bench to leave his two most important girls to become better acquainted without him.

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