Page 118 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

“I’d love to, Nan.”

Nan stood. “Good. You can tell Alex you had them. They’re one of his favourites.”

“Nan…I think everything is his favourite.”

Nan chuckled. “You’re not wrong.”

Two hours later, Zoe handed Chaya a glass of crisp Viognier. “Cheers.”

“I’m glad you said what you said to Nan. About Alex. I guess we were all too close to think of it as anything other than his dad being a dick and made allowances for him. Have you told Alex?”

Zoe shook her head. “Not yet. Figured I’d let him get tonight’s gig out of the way first.” She hoped he wouldn’t be mad. “I asked Iz if she’d consider planning a fundraiser for Simply Create. Currently, he’s planning to fund everything himself, or through the band. But I figured it could help even more children if it was properly funded. It could be open all day instead of after school. I’m hoping she says yes before I have to speak to him.”

Chaya grinned. “Good strategy. She’ll say yes.”

“Hopefully before eleven o’clock when I speak to him. What about you and Ben, Chaya?”

“What if I told you I was going out for a fourth date with Asher?”

“You are? Tell me everything.”

“He’s a surgeon. Jewish, which would make everything so much easier for me, not to mention my dad won’t have a coronary if they meet. Here.” Chaya opened a photograph on her phone of an attractive man, a little older than Chaya, dressed in dark pants and a crisp white shirt.

“He’s not like Ben,” Zoe blurted, without thinking her comment through.

Chaya shrugged. “I need to embrace that I have to marry someone Jewish. I need to fall out of…whatever Ben and I are. For my sake. For Ben’s. And Asher’s. He asked who bought me the artwork in my bedroom, and it was Ben. And then I kept getting all these texts while we were at dinner, and it was Ben. And when we were booking our third date, I couldn’t go on the date he suggested because I was going to see Ben. I don’t think Ben wants us to shift from this unit we are. Backwards or forwards. I’m making it worse by wanting something I know I can’t have. And Asher is asking questions about my feelings for Ben. It’s complicated, and I’m a mess trying to decide whether to do the right thing or do the thing I want.”

Ben…Ben…Ben… Asher… Questions.

“They’re different?” Zoe reached for her friend’s hand.

“My faith is important, to me and my family. Ben isn’t Jewish.”

“That must be a tough spot to sit,” Zoe said. “Would it be better to give yourself some time? Grieve the idea of you and Ben first before you dive in with Asher?”

“I guess I feel like I’ve been grieving what we don’t have for the last year, and it’s not helped. I’m not over him. I need some space from him, I think.”

“Well, I’m around tomorrow if you want to grab a movie or something. We could treat ourselves to a sofa at the cinema in Heaton Moore.”

“I’d like that.”

But as Chaya searched up what movies were playing, Zoe felt a ripple of cool air sneak down her spine. She glanced towards the living room window. It felt as though someone was watching her again, she could feel it. Cautiously, she stepped up to the window and peered through the lace curtains the landlord had hung for privacy. It was too dark to see anyone.

She took a step back and pulled the curtains tight.

Instead of the Holyhead ferry terminal at the tip of the island of Anglesey in Wales they were meant to be heading to, the bus pulled up outside a hospital.

Willow shifted in her seat. “I know this is the absolute worst of the worst timing, I’m sorry, guys.”

Alex squeezed her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry about the timing or any of this.”

“Cletus, you’re not fully baked yet,” Luke said frantically to Willow’s bump. “Stay in there, bud.”

“He’s fine,” Willow said, breathing deeply. “Lungs are good from thirty-six weeks-ish.”

“It’s the -ish I’m bothered about. You are only just thirty-six weeks.”

“It doesn’t feel like contractions.”

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