Page 25 of Here You Are

When Charlie returned, a cute little boy walked beside her, gripping her hand. Joy radiated from Charlie’s face as they chatted to each other. She looked happy, and sexy, in a mum-at-the-school-gates kind of way.

“Here he is. Jacob, this is my friend, Elda.” Charlie popped him onto a booster seat and fixed his seatbelt.

“Hello, Jacob. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello.” Jacob studied her through his blond eyelashes. “What’s that?” He pointed to her sling.

“Oh, I hurt my arm, and it’s just making itself better. I have to keep it very still while it heals.”

His eyes twinkled, as if he was taking in every word. “I hurt my finger. It was ouch but Mummy made it better.”

“Yeah? Mine was a bit ouch-ey too.” She couldn’t remember the last time her mum had made anything better. “Are you looking forward to going to the park with us?”

He squeaked his response and swung his legs against the back of the driver’s seat.

“I have a surprise for you when we get there.”

Charlie’s sing-song lilt was new to Elda, a whole different side to the sexy lawyer vibe she gave off most of the time.

“What is it? What is it?” Jacob wriggled with anticipation.

“Wait and see. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

Charlie shot her a conspiratorial grin, which tugged at Elda’s heart. She warmed under Charlie’s attention and unzipped her jacket.

By the time they got to the park’s gravel entrance, Elda was more upbeat about the afternoon. Charlie hopped out first and helped Jacob down from his seat. As she opened the boot, Jacob clapped his little hands together with glee.

“A scooter!” He jumped on the spot and created dust beneath his boots. “Is it mine?”

“Yes, it’s all yours. You need a helmet on before you can try it.” Charlie beamed at them both.

“What a brilliant gift. He’s so happy.” Elda stepped closer to Charlie and nudged her arm. “You really know how to make people’s day, don’t you?”

Charlie wrinkled her nose, as if she couldn’t take the compliment. “I don’t know. All kids love riding around, don’t they? I thought it’d be easier to teach him to scoot than to ride a big bike.”

“Yeah. It’s perfect.” Elda bit her lip. She wanted to hug her right there in the car park. Charlie was so much more than she’d first assumed.

“Can we go yet?” Jacob tugged at Charlie’s hand, pulling her out of Elda’s reach.

“Yes. Let’s hit the trails.” Charlie grabbed a tiny red helmet from the car. “Safety first though. Pop this on your head.”

He complied before he was off again, leading them to the park’s entrance. Swinging the scooter under her arm, Charlie looked into Elda’s eyes, and they shared a moment of deeper connection than ever before. Maybe it was the innocence of the situation. Perhaps being chaperoned by a small child wasn’t such a killjoy after all.

Elda had known Charlie had a caring side. She’d been on the receiving end of it that first night at the hospital. But seeing her with Jacob had brought out a whole new level of nurturing. And maternal Charlie was seriously hot. Charlie skipped after Jacob, holding her hands at his side to protect him from a fall. Elda tilted her head, glimpsing a version of a future that made her heart skip.

Jack’s voice rang in her ears. But he could no longer accuse Elda of rushing into anything. She and Charlie had spent weeks getting to know each other as friends. Could they have something more together?

***

Elda finished her shift at the office and thought about doing a stint at the exhibition. Artists were expected to cover the opening hours when they could, to draw visitors in. But she couldn’t face the glare of an audience. Tonight, she craved time alone to digest the last few days and create.

She’d been caught in a whirlwind. On the outside, she’d been darting from work to the mill, flashing her smiles and playing the part of enigmatic artist. She’d barely slept between shifts. Inside, she’d been tossing and turning over her growing attachment to Charlie. Every time she closed her eyes, she conjured a new, more enticing fantasy of them together. After yesterday afternoon’s jaunt to the park, she had a fresh vision of them creating a family.

Daydreaming her life away while the reality drifted past was typical. But this time, the drift was more of a rush. The pace of the exhibition and the demands from Francis were coming thick and fast. She’d done three more interviews with trade magazines since the TV station collared her at the launch. Part of her relished the opportunity. But it drained her energy levels, and she needed to retreat for a while.

She flicked the kettle on in the studio and pondered the space before her. It had been a long time since her easels had been empty. With the trio gracing the walls of the mill gallery, she was left with a void to fill. Elda found her sketch book under a pile of rags and newspaper. With a full mug of tea, she settled on the sagging sofa.

Allowing her pencil to drift across the page, she took a slow, deep breath into her diaphragm. The past few weeks had carved familiar paths in her wandering mind. They all led to Charlie. Curved, soft lines appeared in graphite on the white paper, tracing the sweep of Charlie’s brow, the cut of her cheekbones, and the fullness of her lips.

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