Page 93 of All Yours

Robyn stood to hug her friends, wondering how everything had changed so much and whether she’d be up for the role. Because she felt none of those things right now. Not a single one.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Fox

‘Hi,’ Fox said, pulling a stool away from the bar to allow Erin to sit. A waft of apple shampoo hit him as she shrugged off her coat.

‘Hi,’ she replied, her eyes scanning the bar. It was low lit, grown-up, with just a few tasteful fairy lights rather than full-on Christmas decorations.

‘Wine?’ Fox asked and, when she nodded, he poured her a glass from the waiting bottle in the ice bucket.

‘This is a gorgeous place. How did you hear about it?’

‘My sister-in-law recommended it,’ he said, thinking of the delight he’d heard in Millie’s voice when he asked if she knew of a place suitable for a first date near his office, for drinks and maybe some small plates. She’d been only too happy to pass on a few ideas.

‘Tell her she has great taste,’ Erin said, piercing an olive and popping it in her mouth. She moaned. ‘And these are to die for! I always think you get the best olives on the Greek islands, but these are pretty special.’

Fox’s ears pricked up.

‘Have you been to many? Of the islands?’

‘Rhodes and Kos, but I’d love to go to more. They’re my idea of heaven.’

‘We’ve been going every summer for the last four years. My sister-in-law and the boys and me.’

He saw her eyes light up and she touched his wrist lightly where he’d rested it on the bar, before her hand flitted away.

‘Then you know exactly what I mean then. The morning light, the clear blue water. The heat! And who needs to go anywhere else when there are that many islands to explore?’

He laughed. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

‘We haven’t booked for next year yet, but we were thinking Zakynthos,’ he said.

‘Yes! That’s on my list too. Have you heard about the famous shipwreck there?’ Searching on her phone, she showed him a photo of a rusted wreck on white sands. ‘I’d love to see that.’

‘Have you travelled widely then?’

She wrinkled her nose, and shook her head with a smile. ‘Not really. Not long haul, and never for a long time. I’m a bit of a homebody really.’

Fox found himself relaxing. He liked the sound of that.

‘So where is home then?’

‘Born in Ireland. In case you hadn’t noticed the accent! And we moved to Appley Market when I was ten,’ she said, naming a town about half an hour from Honeybridge.

‘What brought you to England then?’ he asked.

‘My mum got a job here as a district midwife and my dad started teaching at the local primary school. We’ve never moved since.’

‘I’m in Honeybridge,’ he said. ‘Not far at all.’

‘I love Honeybridge!’ she exclaimed. ‘I came to that pole-a-thon earlier this year, when the fire service broke the world record.’

‘You didn’t!’ Fox exclaimed. ‘I was there too. It was my friend Walker that organised that! My boys loved it.’ They grinned at each other in surprise. It felt nice that they’d been in the same place at the same time without knowing it. It felt more than coincidental. It felt like a connection.

‘So, are the boys with the nanny tonight?’ Erin asked, taking a small sip of her wine.

‘No, Fiona’s taken over in the day times, but she’s not able to do night times yet. And Robyn’s . . .’ He stumbled, felt his mood drop. What was Robyn doing? He really didn’t know. ‘Robyn’s moving on now, so I didn’t ask her.’ Well, that much was true. ‘The boys are with a babysitter.’