discuss my sex life with you it doesn’t mean that I don’t have one.’
‘I’m talking about relationships. You’ve never spoken about anyone special and I was worried that you felt you couldn’t tell me.’
‘There hasn’t really been anyone special,’ Zack said. ‘Till now.’
‘And you said that there would never be grandchildren.’
‘Because I could never see myself as a parent or tied down.’ And he sat there in silence, with his mum doing the same, and it wasn’t a strained silence this time. He didn’t feel tied down with Freya. That morning when she’d suggested he move in had jolted the hell out of him but he could laugh about that now. That was Freya. It was who she was.
‘I need to work a few things out,’ he said.
‘Well, I think that’s a very good reason not to come home,’ Judy said. ‘Does she have a name?’
He was about to say ‘Fred’ but realised his mum maybe wouldn’t get his joke. ‘Freya.’
And he named her.
He named the woman who, wherever they were headed, was in his life.
Freya and Zack.
‘I might have a glass of sherry tonight,’ Judy said, and Zack laughed.
‘I am coming home soon,’ he told her, and he thought about what Freya had said. ‘Maybe for two or three months. I could help out properly and give you and Dad a break.’
‘That would be wonderful.’ Judy smiled. ‘But sort yourself out first and while you’re at it, get a haircut.’
And the relationship that had always been difficult was being worked on and it felt good that it was.
‘There’s your dad. I’ll let him say bye to Tara and then go and fetch him.’
‘Can I see Max?’
He wanted to see the little guy.
After a little bit of drama getting them all on the sofa and the computer in place, there was Tara and they shared a smile.
‘Thank you,’ Tara said.
He looked at his ex and the feelings were only of friendship, both knew that, but all these years on and, without talking, this friendship remained a good one.
It wouldn’t have.
Both knew that had they stayed together and made promises that the other could not keep, they would have been fighting and, yep, a divorce statistic now. And he thought of Toby and Alice. It had been such a hard secret to carry but Freya knew it now and that helped.
‘This is Max,’ Tara said. ‘The cause of all this drama.’
‘He looks fantastic. Cale told me that the surgery went really well.’
‘It did,’ Tara said. ‘But apparently we got there just in time. He collapsed in the air ambulance.’
Jed, Tara’s husband, spoke then. ‘We’re very grateful to the surgeon and to you and Dr Carlton. You made a great team.’
Even if they’d only managed to work as a team that once, it was a great result. Max was healthy and starting to cry and Tara tried to quiet him with her finger as Jed spoke on. ‘I was saying to Tara it’s hard to imagine now but in a few years he’ll be bringing in the cows...’
And Zack looked at a very little infant that would probably be as strapping as his father one day and there were all the assumptions there, but then Tara spoke.
‘Max gets a chance to be anything he wants to be now.’
It was a little message between her and Zack.
‘He does,’ Zack agreed.
‘Thanks, Zack.’ Tara smiled. ‘You’ll be sure to stop by when you’re home?’
‘I shall.’
They stood and walked off and left Zack with his dad. No doubt his mum was leading them through to the kitchen where she would have some cake ready. It was never just a visit for some patients.
Zack could remember most days getting in from school and the lounge would be full with patients, or families of patients.
‘I’ve been tough on you, Zack,’ his father said.
‘And I get why you have been,’ Zack said. ‘I hate that it all falls down to you. And I do worry about you retiring and what’s going to happen but—’
‘You’ve got your life.’ His father said it without malice now.
‘I’m good at what I do,’ Zack said. ‘I need to stick with it. In the same way you stuck with general practice when it was tempting to go to the city.’
He was about to tell his dad his plans to come back, maybe at Christmas so that he and his mother could have a break, maybe take a holiday, but then Zack smiled to himself. If things worked out, and he hoped that they would, there was no way his parents would be heading off on a holiday the next time their son came home.
Whatever happened between him and Freya there would, God willing, be a grandchild for them to get to know.
Now he just had to sort things out with the person who thought she had it all sorted out—Miss Freya.
HE WAS OVER at Bright Hope the next day and made no effort to contact her. His lack of response to the issue drove Freya insane.
And then, when he finally did rock up at The Hills, at ten the next day, he gave absolutely no indication as to his thoughts or feelings.
He kept her on the boil all week and she made an excuse to have to be there on Saturday afternoon, just because she knew he was passing through.
Zack had brought cake.
A great big white chocolate cake piled with fresh raspberries and the staff all oohed and ahhed and Freya sat there in the staffroom, trying to fathom its meaning.
For a clue.
And she was still searching for the secret sign when he came down and sat opposite her, having cut a large slice. He crossed his long legs and gave her a smile.
‘How are you, Freya?’
‘I’m very well, thank you.’
‘I don’t usually see you here at the weekends.’
‘I’ve got a consulting room for my future clients that I’m setting up,’ Freya said, which was true, but she was hardly grappling with an Allen key. This was The Hills after all. Her consulting room was gorgeous. It was attached to her office and Freya had chosen the artwork and rugs to ensure that it was an oasis of calm.
‘Did James mention that I might have a client for you?’ Zack checked, and Freya shook her head.
‘I haven’t seen James today.’
‘Her name’s Emily, she’s nineteen years old. I’m seeing her sister. Her mother mentioned some of the issues that she was having with her daughter. I gave her your card to give to Emily if the time was right.’
‘Thank you.’
Stephanie stood up. ‘Thanks for the cake, Zack, it was a lovely gesture.’
‘No problem.’
She walked off and Freya sat there facing him.
‘Cake?’ Freya asked.
‘Do you want some?’ Zack pretended that he didn’t know what she meant.
‘No!’ She wanted to know what the hell he was thinking. The only change