by Jill Mansell
Which had been both miraculous and a little bit weird.
‘You can’t imagine how it feels.’ Gloria had run her hands lovingly over her watermelon-sized stomach. ‘You just have to wait until it happens to you.’
And for the first time – the very first time – the idea of it didn’t fill Sophie with terror.
Everything felt different now. It was incredible. She felt as if she were starting a whole new life of her own.
Arriving at Mariscombe House, Sophie glanced down and stopped in her tracks. Oh brilliant, so much for calm and in control. From the ankles up she was OK, wearing a sleeveless lilac dress and a bit of make-up, no problem there. But from the ankles down … well, one orange flip-flop and one purple one probably was a bit of a giveaway.
How had that even happened? Oh well, never mind, too late now. She pushed open the door and made her way through the hotel out on to the broad terrace at the back, boasting the best views in St Carys.
She waved at Dot and Lawrence, sitting at a table at the other end of the terrace. Home from hospital now, Lawrence was recuperating nicely, and he and Dot were inseparable. It made your heart sing to see them together, reunited at last.
There were plenty of other guests out here too, eating and drinking and enjoying the early evening sunshine. Sophie spotted the ones she was looking for and went over to them.
Back from the beach, Theo and Lorna each had a twin on their lap.
‘Hi.’ Sophie opened her turquoise and silver bag and took out an envelope. ‘Can’t stop, but I just wanted you to have this. I took it earlier, kind of by accident. Thought you might like it.’
Theo slid the glossy enlarged photo from the envelope. He studied the picture of himself smiling and gazing lovingly into his daughter’s eyes as she lay cradled in his arms, clutching a shell and giggling with delight.
‘Wow.’ Leaning over to take a look, Lorna said, ‘That’s fantastic.’
Sophie shrugged. ‘I couldn’t help myself. You just looked so happy.’
‘I am.’ Theo nodded. ‘You know, you’re pretty good at this. You should think about taking it up professionally.’
‘I may just do that.’ Sophie turned to leave, smiling at Lorna and waggling her fingers at the girls. ‘See you later.’
Back inside, she stopped at the reception desk and said, ‘Hi, is Josh around?’
The new receptionist shook her head. ‘He isn’t in the office.’
‘Oh.’ Sophie’s heart was clattering around inside her ribcage like a church bell; please don’t let him have gone out.
‘He’s busy upstairs in his apartment, said he had some very important work to be getting on with.’ The girl was new and hesitant. ‘I could call him if it’s really urgent, and ask him to come down.’
There was no going back now. Sophie said, ‘It’s OK, I’ll head on up.’
‘But … do you know him?’
‘I do.’ And I’m about to get to know him even better.
The receptionist said helplessly, ‘Should I give him a ring first?’
‘No, let’s make it a surprise.’ Sophie was already halfway up the first flight of stairs.
‘Um, excuse me, you’ve got different-coloured flip-flops on!’
‘I know,’ Sophie called over her shoulder. ‘It’s a style statement.’
She reached the door on the third floor and knocked straight away. Here I am, here we go, it’s happening at last.
Josh looked surprised when he opened the door. ‘Hi. I thought you’d call first.’
Ah, look at him, look at that face, those incredible eyes …
‘Couldn’t wait.’ Her mouth curved into an unstoppable smile. ‘Besides, I wanted to see what you were up to. The receptionist says you’re busy doing some very important work.’
With a whiffle of delight, Griff bounced off the sofa and trotted over to see her. She bent and tickled his ears.
‘Hey, sweetie, what’s this incredibly important work that’s being dealt with up here, hmm?’
The TV was on, showing an old film starring Frank Sinatra. Josh’s computer was also open and she got to it before he could shut it down.
‘Ah-ha, Angry Birds.’ Sophie nodded triumphantly. ‘Very busy, very important work.’
Josh closed the lid of the computer and gave her a long look. ‘It’s all right for you, you’ve had something to distract you. I’ve spent the last three hours wondering when you might turn up or even if you’d turn up, and what you might say if you did.’ He paused to take a steadying breath. ‘Because that’s the thing about you … I never know what you’re going to say. Apart from no, rather more often than I’d like.’
Sophie gazed up at him. Josh Strachan, impulsive and impatient by nature, had been infinitely more patient than she deserved. A lesser man would have given up on her months ago.
But that was the thing about Josh, he wasn’t a lesser man. He was strong and honest and knew what he wanted. He was also a problem-solver, and somehow, miraculously, he had managed to sort out her problem.
He’d freed her from the cage she’d built around herself.
‘I’m going to say thank you,’ said Sophie. ‘For everything.’
She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth. Oh wow, and there it was, happening again, fireworks exploding and every molecule in her body fizzing with adrenalin … The sensations were just overwhelming and it felt like coming home.
Was it possible to be happier than this?
‘You see?’ When the kiss finally ended, Josh held her face between his hands. ‘That’s the kind of answer I like. It’s the kind of answer worth waiting for.’
He smiled, and the look in those glittering dark eyes made Sophie’s insides melt with love.
‘Thanks for finding Theo and making it happen. Thanks for understanding how I felt.’ She had never felt so elated, so helium-filled with joy. ‘Thanks for hanging in there. It means the world to me. You’re everything I ever wanted.’ Her eyes were prickling this time, with tears of happiness. ‘And everything I thought I could never let myself have.’
‘You’re worth it.’ Josh tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed at her. ‘Honestly? I didn’t even know the kind of girl I was looking for. And then you came along, and you were it. You were just perfect. So I really didn’t have any choice.’
‘I’m not perfect.’
‘You are to me.’ He paused and frowned. ‘Apart from one slight problem …’
‘Oh?’ Were her boobs too small?
Josh moved back, glanced down at her feet. ‘Want to tell me what happened? Or are they meant to be like that?’
‘I was on my way here to see you.’ Sophie smiled and slid her arms around his waist. ‘Obviously I was distracted. Don’t worry, I didn’t do it on purpose.’
‘Good. Glad about that.’ His smile broadened. ‘It does look a bit … you know, eclectic.’
Griff, his tail wagging, was still dancing excitedly around them. They’d reached the stage, Sophie felt, where some alone-time might be preferable. Bending down, she eased off the flip-flops and sandwiched them together, then offered them to Griff. The little dog, who loved all footwear with a passion, gave an ecstatic wiggle and grabbed them, cigar-style, between his teeth.
‘What are you doing?’ Josh watched as she crossed the room and opened the door to let Griff out.
‘Sometimes,’ said Sophie, ‘three’s a crowd.’
They heard the clatter of claws on polished wood as Griff disappeared downstairs with his fabulous treasure of one orange flip-flop and one purple one.
‘You’re mad,’ said Josh. ‘He could take them anywhere; you know what he’s like about burying things. You might never see them again.’
Sophie closed the door and turned the key in the lock so they couldn’t be interrupted. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ With a playful smile, she made her way back to Josh. ‘I’ve got another pair just like them at home.’
Jill Mansell, The Unpredictable Consequences of Love