Page 52 of Starting Over at Halesmere House
‘Zac, I’m off to Hayley’s tomorrow.’ Neil cleared his throat. ‘She said it wasn’t fair on you, having to look after me, so I’m going to have a few days with them.’
‘Dad, you don’t need to do that.’ Zac glanced at Alice, and she flushed. Was this their fault? Had they been too obvious, made it seem like he was in their way? ‘Alice has been very generous, and I know you’re comfortable here.’
‘She has.’ Neil gave her a smile and the glimpse of understanding in his gaze made the colour on her cheeks a little brighter. ‘But I was meant to go back to my place tomorrow anyway, and Hayley said it’s not a problem. I’ll have the weekend with them and then I’ll go home. It’s another chance to see the kids as well.’
‘I thought you said Hayley didn’t have a spare bed?’
Neil coughed. ‘Well, apparently that new sofa in their living room is a bed as well so I’ll be fine.’
‘Was this your idea?’ Zac’s eyes narrowed. ‘Or did Hayley just come up with it out of the blue?’
‘Does it matter? Sandy’s going to drive me down. You two need some time to yourselves and she’ll keep my place on the pottery course for another visit.’
‘Dad, look…’ Zac tailed off. ‘It’s not…’
‘Life changes, Zac, just remember that. Even when you’ve made all your plans and you think you’re sorted. Sometimes you just have to go with it. Thanks for everything, Alice – you’ll never know how much I appreciate it. Time I went to bed.’
Neil closed the door quietly and she looked at Zac. ‘Are you staying tonight?’ Her voice was a breathy whisper and he nodded.
‘If you’re okay with it? But I was thinking I’d be back in there with Dad,’ he murmured, hooking an arm around her. ‘Next time you and I share a bed, I’d prefer us to be alone.’
‘So would I.’ Alice knew where they were headed as well, and she didn’t want to be skulking around her own home. ‘Because then we could eat breakfast naked or stay in bed all day.’
She didn’t know where these words or the startling new assurance was coming from. Understanding Zac’s history and his reticence to have another relationship after throwing himself into his previous one made them on some level the same. It had been a while for him, too.
The groan he uttered had her confidence leaping another level, his voice a murmur on her neck. ‘That’s assuming I’ll be able to let you get out of bed at all. You feel incredible to hold and I don’t want to let you go.’ His hands tightened on her waist, and she leaned into him. She wouldn’t be able to sleep for thinking about him beside her, wanting him. ‘Alice, you can trust me with this, I promise.’
‘I know. I do.’
‘I want it to be wonderful for you.’
She had to gulp back the emotion his words produced. ‘Wonderful for us.’ She needed to make her own promise, to let him know that he could trust her too.
Chapter Fifteen
Before they’d reluctantly gone their separate ways last night, Zac had asked Alice if she’d like to spend a couple of hours with him, Lily and Arlo today, and she’d quickly said yes. He’d promised to look after the children while Max went to the hospital to see Ella and Isaac, giving them a run around, and Ella’s mum a break for a bit. Zac had a plan and he’d told Alice to wrap up. She dressed accordingly and when she met him at Halesmere, he was wearing an unzipped coat over a T-shirt and walking trousers. They’d already said goodbye to Neil, who’d packed up his things and set off with Sandy down to his daughter’s house.
‘I’m worried now.’ Alice made a point of looking to the skies. ‘You’ve brought a hat. Are you expecting extreme weather?’
‘I thought you might need two, that’s all.’
She grabbed his hand, tugging him close. ‘I feel much warmer these days,’ she murmured. ‘Can’t think why.’
He’d already sorted a packed lunch and Stan was bustling around, almost beside himself with excitement at the thought of seeing Ella and baby Isaac, hopefully coming home on Monday. The other inhabitants of the courtyard were also busy, with Ana opening her jewellery studio after an early morning yoga session in the barn for the guests staying in the house. Marta was in her studio too, pouring candles ready for her spring collection. Ella’s dad was on his way down from Scotland to join the family, ahead of a removal lorry so they could settle into their new house.
At the cottage, Alice shared a celebratory hug with Max before he left, delighted to be able to congratulate him and the children in person. Lily and Arlo’s disappointment over not going to visit again until this afternoon with Ella’s mum was tempered by the promise of a woodland adventure with Zac, and Alice loved that they didn’t question her inclusion in the outing as well. Lily collected Prim and they set off, stopping to check on Arlo’s sheep and feed the chickens and the guinea pigs on the way.
Lily and Arlo knew the wood well and they raced on ahead with Prim as Alice and Zac strolled behind them. The air was crisp, the ground carpeted with faded leaves still falling. Alice had learned to take her time in nature these past eighteen months, and they halted when a rare red squirrel shot across a branch in front of the children, making Arlo squeal with delight before Lily shushed him.
The wood was readying itself for winter, hawthorn saplings thin among the more established silver birch, narrow trunks glistening white against the brown of alder and rowan, and glossy green holly leaves sharp with spikes. Alice and Zac watched as the children leaped with Prim across a shallow steam, the water burbling busily over uneven, slippery stones beside a crumbling stone wall smothered in soft green moss.
‘It’s a perfect day to be day out, Zac. Thank you for asking me to join you.’ Much as Alice liked Ella, Max and the children, Zac was their friend, part of their family too, especially with Isaac’s birth and his new role as godfather. He hadn’t needed to include her in this walk. She bumped into him on purpose as they walked, stepping over twisting tree roots poking up from the ground.
‘I’m glad you came.’ Zac slung an arm around her shoulders. ‘Two lively kids and an energetic dog notwithstanding, I wanted to have the time with you as well.’
‘I’ve never been down this path before.’ She’d spent more time in the meadow and her longer walks were snatched in between work and the weather. ‘How far does the wood go?’
‘We passed the boundary of Halesmere at the stream; this land is in different ownership. It’s about another six acres and the footpath runs all the way through it.’
