Page 42 of Sorry, Not Sorry
Zazie’s silver-framed eyes glinted with a shrewdness Delilah hadn’t seen before. ‘Let’s just say I’m not making a big deal about the whole kids issue until I’ve got Noah locked in.’ The sudden steeliness in her voice was in marked contrast to the earlier bubbly sweetness.
‘Don’t get me wrong,’ she added. ‘I don’t have a problem with other people’s kids, but my career’s taking off and I’m in high demand. I’m bloody good at what I do, and my agent swears I’ll be making big bucks modelling, especially abroad. When Noah and I are married, I’m gonna be travelling all over the world, and I want him by my side. He’ll see for himself it makes no sense to even think about kids. But, until then, mum’s the word, Delilah. Alright?’
She giggled at her own pun and then put down the juice box she had sucked dry. ‘So listen, that’s why I asked you to come over. I want this sorted out asap and I need your help. What do I have to do to get the old cow onside?’
Stunned by Zazie’s casual attitude to telling such a monumental lie, Delilah was about to protest, and then stopped, reminding herself that this was none of her business. Zazie’s bouncy puppy façade was doing a great job of hiding her inner bitch, but it didn’t change the painful truth that she was the woman Noah had chosen. Delilah’s only job, she told herself grimly, was to help the girl mend fences with her mother-in-law to-be and secure Noah’s forgiveness. With that, she could persuade Arne and – by extension – Polly, to allow her back to work and finish her counselling qualification.
Delilah tamped down ruthlessly on the voice in her head telling her Noah deserved better. Even if she was mad enough to risk telling Noah that Zazie was lying to him, there was every chance Noah wouldn’t believe her or – worse – accuse her of being jealous of his girlfriend and deliberately causing trouble between them. Whatever she thought about Zazie’s behaviour, it wasn’t Delilah’s responsibility to act on it. Focus on what you’re here for, Del!
Zazie was waiting for an answer, and Delilah forced a smile. ‘Well, first of all, it would help if you didn’t call her an old cow. Words are powerful and affect our thoughts and emotions. Here’s my advice: try not to see her as an obstacle… Think of her as a concerned mother who’s just trying to do her best for her son.’
Zazie pouted prettily, but Delilah ignored it. She was completely over the other girl’s superficial charm. ‘I know it’s hard, Zazie, but you have to put your ego aside and try to empathise. Unless you make the effort to see where she’s coming from, you’ll keep getting resistance.’
The irony of her own words wasn’t lost on Delilah, who had made no effort to put her advice into practice. For the past three years, it had been easier to hate Noah’s mother for rebuffing her attempts to apologise, rather than put herself in the other woman’s shoes.
‘I could try, I suppose,’ Zazie said dubiously.
‘Here’s an idea, let’s try an exercise in positive affirmations.’
‘What’s that mean?’ Zazie stared at her blankly.
‘It’s about framing how you communicate in a positive way,’ Delilah said patiently. ‘Now, imagine yourself arriving at Mrs West’s front door. You’re walking in and she’s coming forward to greet you. What can you say to her?’
‘That she’s a stuck-up snob?’
‘No! You’re only allowed to say something positive. Think of a compliment you could give.’
Zazie’s expression screamed scepticism. ‘D’you know what? If you’d ever met the woman, I swear you wouldn’t make this all sound like a piece of cake.’
‘I have – I mean, I have a good idea of what she’s like from what you’ve described. Look, you have to try something different if you want a different outcome, right? Trust me, it’s a tried and tested exercise. If you lead with positive statements, it’ll give Mrs West the incentive to reciprocate.’
‘Hey, Zazie!’
Startled, both Zazie and Delilah turned to see Tony holding up his arm and tapping his watch. ‘We’ll have to call it a day, love. Even if it stopped raining now, there’s no way we can set up outdoor shots today. It’s just as well Sinbad paid for two days.’
Marc nodded in agreement. ‘We’ll pack up the equipment now and hit the road. See you back here tomorrow morning at eight, yeah?’
Zazie’s face clouded, and she stamped a sandalled foot on the concrete floor. ‘It took me ages to do this make-up, and I wanted to wash this stuff out of my hair tonight,’ she grumbled. She turned to Delilah and her face lit up. ‘Hey, Del, me and you could go for a drink now, if you like? It’ll be fun and we can practise the whole affirmations thing.’
Hanging out with Zazie was the last thing Delilah wanted to do. She had seen a different side to Noah’s girl today and there was no guarantee she’d be able to hide her feelings if she was left alone with her too long or avoid any more slip-ups. Walking across the room to pick up the damp jacket she had draped over the back of a chair, she slipped it on and gave Zazie an apologetic smile.
‘I’m really sorry, but I have to go. I’ve… um… just remembered I have to call a client before the end of the day, and it’ll take at least an hour to get home. Maybe another time?’
Before Zazie could object, Delilah picked up her umbrella from the floor and waved at Tony and Marc, both of whom were too preoccupied with packing their equipment to notice. Flashing Zazie a brief smile, Delilah backed out of the room and closed the door. Turning, she ran through the building, only slowing when she was outside the main door.
The rain was still pelting down as Delilah hurried down the uneven pathway, afraid to stop and catch her breath in case Zazie caught up with her. Despite her frustration with Noah, her heart ached at the idea that the woman he loved could deliberately deceive him about something as important as having children. Knowing how much damage she herself had inflicted on Noah, was she really prepared to stand by and watch another woman destroy him?
28
‘Can I come in? Please?’ Delilah could hear the quiver in her voice, and she cleared her throat and took a breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach.
Farhan studied her in silence, and then nodded. Stepping back, he held the door open, and Delilah crossed the threshold into the house. It was only three weeks since her last visit, but it felt more like three months as she scanned the familiar hallway nervously.
‘Um… where’s Sal?’ she asked hesitantly. Salome’s text had been brief, asking her to come over, but there was no sign of her, and it was hard to read her brother-in-law’s expression.
‘She’s taken Arin out for a walk,’ Farhan said flatly. ‘She won’t be long, but she wanted to give us a chance to talk alone.’
Delilah slipped off her jacket and slowly hung it on a peg while her mind raced through a succession of worst-case scenarios. What if Salome was still so angry with her, she’d left it to her husband to break the news that she didn’t want to see Delilah again? Wiping her suddenly damp palms down the sides of her jeans, she turned back to stare at Farhan in mute appeal.
