film. She must have banged her head. Wake up, wake up. She jolted herself back to the moment.
‘Oh, stop. Sorry, down this track here,’ she told him, pointing to her right, ‘and drive to the end. My house is at the bottom.’
That was a lie. It wasn’t really her house was it, it was Seb’s. For Charlotte. What did she have? What had she done for herself and her child?
Ben ruffled his curls with one hand and looked at her thoughtfully. ‘I know you’ve just had a terrific blow, but when you feel better perhaps we could chat some more.’
Evie swallowed hard. It was real! She’d barely got off the ground as a journalist before having Charlotte, so this was way over her head but… what a great opportunity, as well as a personal challenge.
‘Yes, it sounds exciting. Oh, just pull up here.’
Ben slowed and steered his large vehicle between a wall and some shrubs. ‘I’ll get the bike sorted out and returned as soon as I can. I’ll bring it back here, yes?’
‘Yes, I definitely need that. Thank you.’ Evie said as he parked at the end of the leafy track. She opened the door as the car halted in front of the gate and swung her legs out, and before she’d jumped down, Ben was there taking her hand. Stepping down, she could have been floating.
‘Here’s my card,’ he said sliding it into her hand. ‘Ring me if you are worried about anything and think you need to see a doctor. And, when you’re fit, I’d love to talk. Again, my apologies for what happened.’ His hand slid naturally to her arm, patting it gently to reassure her. Blood rushed to her cheeks and her skin shivered warmly at his touch. She stepped back, pulling away her hand, scared by her reaction.
‘No really, I should have been paying attention.’
His mouth twitched as he hesitated, then turned with a wave of his hand. ‘Take care.’
Tucking his card in her shorts pocket, Evie just managed to maintain her balance and dashed across to her neighbour Suzanne’s, unable to contain the excitement, not just at the insane bubble of film glamour this man had welcomed her into but also at seeing her daughter. Thank God she was alive. More alive than before in fact and feeling… well, just feeling!
Suzanne drew back the door with a smile. As soon as Evie stepped in, she raced to the floor by Charlotte’s side and whisked her into her arms.
‘My baby, Mummy’s back and safe. We’re together.’ She smothered the little girl’s flaxen hair and bewildered face with kisses. ‘I’m so glad to see you.’
Suzanne closed the door and rushed up behind her. ‘Whoa, what happened to you?’
Evie got to her feet, cradling Charlotte. ‘So sorry Suz. I am just crazy right now. Crazy with love for this little lady. I’m so lucky. I will explain once I get to grips with the fact that I am still here, with my daughter.’
Suzanne stood rubbing her shoulder and looking confused at her friend’s extreme animated behaviour. ‘I’ll make you a drink,’
‘You’re a sweetie. Thank you.’
‘I’m mystified.’ Suzanne blazed a quizzical frown and marched off.
Evie kissed Charlotte’s hair again and watched her friend. The only person she’d got to know since moving into Seb’s villa over two years ago was the diminutive titian-haired neighbour. They’d met when Charlotte began walking at eleven months. Suzanne and her husband Bram were Dutch. They lived in a sweet little cottage, next door but one, and they’d been converting the run-down cottage adjoining them to rent out. Bram, a local chiropractor, had often swapped his work-whites for old jeans in his spare time whilst Suzanne spent most of her Fridays and weekends cleaning holiday lets close by. Only married for two years, and not having children of her own, Suzanne took great pleasure in having Charlotte around; even looking after her once or twice. Evie was quite proud and didn’t like to put on her. Not that she ever had anywhere to go, alone. And, as Charlotte and Suzanne adored one another, she preferred it when they could all spend time together. She enjoyed having someone to talk to, particularly an adult. It was hard to admit, but her relationship with Seb wasn’t turning out to be all she’d dreamed, and when he’d texted this morning, once again letting her down, Suzanne intuitively rushed over, hearing her shriek. It was Suzanne who had insisted she go out for some fresh air this morning after seeing her upset.
Once Evie’s exhilaration subsided, she wiped tearful eyes and sat down with Charlotte on her lap. Suzanne brought her a tall glass filled with homemade lemon and ice and sat beside her, listening as Evie recounted the drama.
‘Oh my dear, now I understand,’ Suzanne reached out and embraced her. ‘You must have been so frightened.’
‘Yes. It really shook me up. Thank God I didn’t have Charlotte on the back of the bike. It was lucky for us you insisted Charlotte stay here. I was so angry with Seb. You must have suspected how upset I was.’ Evie pinched her nose with embarrassment.
Sitting back and taking Evie’s hand, Suzanne looked concerned. ‘I could hear he had got to you.’
Charlotte pointed to the floor. ‘Baby.’
Suzanne crouched to the floor, picked up Charlotte’s dolly from the floor and placed it in her hands. A gleeful chuckle spread across the little girl’s face as she squeezed it to her chest.
‘You hide it so well, Evie. I’m so glad I’ve never met your partner. I don’t think we could ever be friends. He is so inconsiderate leaving you so long alone.’
Evie sighed, rolling eyes at herself for displaying her disappointment to Suzanne earlier. Suzanne was her friend, the last thing she needed was her to become involved in her and Seb’s relationship. If she discovered who Seb was, Suzanne could be tempted to go to the press. That side of their relationship had never been put to the test.
Back home, Evie lowered Charlotte gently down in her cot for her nap and swiped a warm kiss on her daughter’s pink cheek. She covered her with a light cotton sheet then, yawning, opened a window to let in the breeze and slumped into what she affectionately named the nursing chair. She slid her legs onto the footstall. It always reminded her of an old person’s chair, high-backed with wings but comfy nonetheless. Intent on just watching her infant, within seconds her eyes drooped. The cage – as she’d aptly named the house, even before Seb installed metal bars at the numerous blue-shuttered windows – for once felt refreshingly welcome, although it still never felt like home. It lacked that family vibe. In the early days here, Evie had imagined they would be more like a family by now, spending more time together, but it became less. She’d also hoped that her family would have accepted Seb by now, but that divide was wide enough to require a suspension bridge to cross it. She rarely imagined this beautiful villa as a refuge, but after today’s events she felt overwhelmingly grateful to be here safe, and with Charlotte out of danger. But then fear whipped its tail in her face. What if she had been killed, who would look after Charlotte?
Seb was the natural candidate but often so far from home. She decided she would have to discuss an emergency strategy with him and ensure somebody had Seb’s contact details. Seb led a parallel existence touring the world, singing and partying, it was likely he would probably hire some inadequate nanny. She shivered at the idea. But who else? Even if she hadn’t been killed, she could have been seriously injured, which could mean Seb would leave her with a nurse. She wondered if he would even bother to contact her family. Apart from a highly stressful visit on Charlotte’s first birthday, her parents and sister had all but disowned her because they found him vile. Maybe they had been right about Seb all along. Maybe he was just keeping her sweet. No, Seb did care. He was just busy. Vulnerability crawled into her skin. She would have to have some sort of emergency strategy, just in case. Maybe Suzanne was best placed to deal with any emergencies close to home.
Evie must have dozed off because the next thing she knew she was being woken by her