Page 31 of Sorry, Not Sorry
‘Green tea for me, babes,’ she replied cheerfully, crossing long slim legs and gazing up at him with a loving smile that tore at Delilah’s heart.
As soon as he’d left to fetch the tea, Zazie leaned across the table and lowered her voice. ‘Noah reckons you can help his mum and me get along, but I can’t lie. That woman is the devil! She’s so sarky when she even bothers to talk to me, and I can’t seem to do anything right with her.’
Zazie’s accent was pure London and despite the unfairness of the woman winning the lottery on looks and bagging her ex, Delilah found it impossible to dislike her.
‘You know what they say about mothers and their sons,’ she said with a genuine smile. ‘No one’s ever good enough for their precious boy, and—’ She stopped before she said too much and blew her cover. As a friend of a friend, she couldn’t possibly have met Noah’s mother. ‘What I mean is some mothers take a bit more persuading when it comes to accepting their son’s girlfriends, but I’m sure you can win her round.’
‘I hope so. Noah’s so close to his mum that if she doesn’t like me, I know he won’t – you know – set a date,’ Zazie confided, her dazzling smile dimming at the prospect.
A frisson of shock passed through Delilah. ‘Oh! So you two are that serious, then?’ She tried to sound nonchalant despite the sharp stab of pain between her ribs.
‘Well, we’ve been going out for over a year, and I’m not getting any younger. Don’t want to be stuck on the shelf at thirty!’ She chuckled throatily.
Noah reappeared, balancing a full cup, which he placed carefully on the table. Zazie looked up at him with a teasing smile. ‘Thanks, babe. Delilah said she didn’t realise we were serious… I thought you’d told her everything.’
Noah hesitated and then said gruffly, ‘Well, yeah, we’ve talked, but I was waiting for you to get here so we could explain everything properly.’
Zazie took a quick sip of tea and turned her attention to Delilah, who was trying to absorb the crushing news.
‘So, how do you two know each other again?’
Noah jumped in before Delilah could speak. ‘I told you, Zaz. Delilah’s a good friend of…’ He paused for an agonising moment and Delilah quickly interjected, ‘Martin.’
‘Chris!’ Noah exclaimed at the same time. He glared at Delilah while Zazie looked from one to the other curiously.
‘Silly me, of course it was Chris!’ Delilah said apologetically. ‘I always get him mixed up with his brother.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Um, Zazie, why don’t you tell me more about your relationship with Noah’s mum?’
For a moment Zazie’s dubious expression had Delilah convinced she’d messed up just as Noah had warned, but it was soon clear his girlfriend had other concerns.
‘What relationship? His mum hates me! Noah introduced me to his parents after we’d been together a few months and right from the off, it was like she had it in for me, wasn’t it, babe?’ She looked appealingly at Noah, who shrugged, looking uncomfortable.
Come on, Noah! This is what we’re here for, isn’t it? Delilah pleaded silently. She watched his hands play with his empty mug, and her eyes lingered on his forearm, wondering once again if the crown tattoo was still there under his long-sleeved shirt. She looked up to find him watching her and her heart picked up its pace.
‘Noah, you know your mum best,’ she asked, trying to keep her voice even. ‘What do you think is holding her back from welcoming Zazie?’
‘What do I think?’ he echoed mockingly. ‘I think Mum’s seen me get hurt in a past relationship and, in her own way, I suppose she’s trying to protect me.’
Delilah’s chest constricted, and she struggled to get her words out. ‘What do you think you can do to help your mum know Zazie better so she can appreciate how’ – she gritted her teeth – ‘different she is from the women you’ve dated?’
‘I’ve tried really hard to be nice to her, haven’t I, babe?’ Zazie chimed in. ‘I even offered her the sample designer bag I got from the B.B. Cartwright people after the fashion shoot.’
‘B.B. Cartwright!’ Delilah raised a brow in astonishment. Even she knew their bags cost hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. ‘That was very generous. What did she say?’
‘She looked at it like I’d offered her some cheap tat from Primark and then she goes, “Oh, that’s very nice of you, dear, but it’s not really my style.”’ Zazie sniffed. She sipped her tea delicately, somehow managing to make the green water look delicious.
‘It sounds to me like you and Noah’s mum need to find some common ground to build your relationship on,’ Delilah said tentatively. ‘But before I say any more, Zazie, and just so you know, I’ve told Noah I’m not allowed to officially counsel you because it’s against the rules for me to work with a… a friend. But I am happy to offer a few suggestions for you two to consider, if you think it would help?’
Hoping against hope Zazie would respond with a ‘thanks but no thanks’, Delilah groaned silently when the girl’s face lit up.
‘Honestly, Delilah, anything you can do will be amazing!’ She knocked back the last drops of tea and pushed her chair back. ‘I’m really sorry but I’ve gotta dash. I’m running late for a photo shoot, but I’ll get your number off Noah and call you so we can have a proper heart to heart, yeah?’
Before Delilah could reply, Zazie gave Noah a lingering kiss and then grabbed her coat and bag from the back of her chair. Blowing a cheerful kiss in Delilah’s direction, Zazie raced out of the café.
23
‘So you finally met Zazie! Okay, go on then, spill the beans. What happened after she left?’ Salome demanded.
Delilah absently stroked Arin’s fine baby hair as he sat quietly on her lap with his thumb stuck in his mouth. ‘Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Noah and I sat there for about five minutes in an awkward silence you could have cut with a knife. Then I got up and left.’
