Alex stood over Noah and Jasper and the ball of fluff that was licking them to death. ‘Guys, come on, stop letting the dog bite you and put your shoes on. The party’s already begun.’
‘Mummy, can we bring Bailey?’ Jasper pleaded.
‘Yes, please Mummy,’ said Noah, bringing the little labra-doodle up under his chin.
Six big brown eyes beseeched her. ‘No! She’ll chew everyone’s shoes and eat all the party pies. Absolutely not.’
The puppy was the twins’ top pick of sixth birthday gift and came highly recommended by the psychologist. It was proven, she said, that dogs (not guinea pigs) tended to reduce stress in anxious children. Pity she forgot to mention the additional stress that having a poo-producing and shoe-munching machine in the house would cause the parents.
Last night, when they’d woken to hear the puppy crying and been forced to bring it into the bedroom, James had remarked to Alex that it was good practice for having a baby in the house again, for the two were remarkably similar.
Yes, when the baby comes we’ll rub its nose in its own wee and feed it nothing but dried pellets for dinner.
She knew he was just trying to make her feel more positive about the dog, and in fact, after only one week, Alex needed little convincing.
Noah adored Bailey. He chatted to the puppy like a friend, and when the two of them curled up on the couch together, he relaxed in a way that Alex had never witnessed before.
Of course, it wasn’t just the dog. Alex couldn’t fail to notice how much Noah and Jasper had revelled in her being around more.
Already, in the few weeks since Alex had quit Macauley, Noah’s teacher had reported a marked improvement in his behaviour at school, not to mention his academic work. It’s been quite remarkable … I’m not quite sure what you’re doing, but whatever it is seems to be working.
Alex mentally had fist-pumped the air.
One day she would go back to work. She’d be partner at a firm that understood that flexibility meant giving options to staff, and wasn’t about stretching them to breaking point. But right now, a partnership of any kind wasn’t convenient. She needed to be with her boys and to enjoy her pregnancy. James had done his bit and now it was her turn to be there for them – and she was bloody lucky to be able to make that choice, one her parents had never been able to make because of the financial pressures.
‘Unless the dress code for this party is shoes-optional, then we seem to have a slight problem here.’ James approached with a smile and slung his arm casually around Alex’s waist while the boys continued to gambol on the lawn with Bailey.
‘I don’t suppose you’ve seen the matching one?’ Alex held up her black sandal.
‘Have you checked Bailey’s hidey-hole?’
The puppy had taken to collecting an odd assortment of household objects and placing them at the bottom of the garden in a specially dug hole. So far, random inspections had turned up the TV remote, a therapeutic neck pillow, an eye mask, a few odd teabags and a tube of moisturiser.
He’s a dog that likes to be pampered. What can you do, James had shrugged.
Half with hope and half with dread, Alex crossed the lawn to see if her sandal had made it to Bailey’s not-so-secret hiding place.
It had. She held it up. Only a few minor bite marks. A bit slobbered on. All in all, not too bad. She’d dealt with worse bodily fluids from the boys, and no doubt would again when the baby came. The thought of it made her smile. A new little human being to have and to hold. This time she’d get it right.
Alex slipped the sandal on and returned to find James helping the boys into their trainers.
‘Right, I think we’re ready.’
‘Wait.’ Alex held her hand up. ‘The pastries. You put Bailey in the laundry and I’ll go get them.’
She hurried inside, pausing for a second to admire her immaculate kitchen. House inspections were undoubtedly tedious but they were an incredible motivator when it came to cleaning. The house could not have looked more beautiful, if a little soulless with all their family photos removed from the walls – the ones from the professional shoot where the four of them frolicked naturally on the beach, hugging and holding hands, even though Noah had thrown a major tantrum midway through because Jasper kicked sand in his eye. #blessed. Alex wasn’t too sorry to take down those sham photos. The agents called it ‘de-personalising’ and she supposed it was part of the process of moving on. Already, the house didn’t really look like theirs any more. It was like a showroom. Max was confident it would sell easily, and at a price that would allow them to buy, debt-free, something suitable in a slightly less desirable suburb further away from the city.
Alex went to collect the tray of pastries from the oven and noticed her phone on the bench. Four missed calls and one message. Not surprising. She hadn’t checked it since yesterday. Without a job, she didn’t really need to bother.
Casually, she picked it up and dialled the number for voice messages and waited.
Alexandra. Rex Macauley speaking …
Holy shit. Macauley was ringing her? In surprise, she nearly dropped the phone before juggling the device back to her ear.
I’ve … well, I’ve had a chance to read through that file you gave me, and, well … even though you’ve left us, I’m wondering if you might like to come in and discuss what’s in it … Martin seems to think the place is falling to pieces without you …
His voice had gone quiet and Alex pressed the phone to her ear.
Anyway … he boomed, causing her to jump and nearly drop it again. Please call my assistant to set up the meeting … If you’re interested.
Trembling, Alex hung up, put the phone down and collected the tray of pastries from the bench.
‘Who was that on the phone?’ James was back from the laundry. ‘You look a bit weird.’
‘It was no one, nothing important.’ Alex shrugged. She would think about Rex’s offer later. Would she take it up? Maybe … Maybe not. What mattered was that she’d got them thinking.
‘Okay, fellas, let’s go before this lot goes cold.’
James, Noah and Jasper all peered at the tray.
‘What are they?’ said Jasper, pointing.
‘They’re Lebanese spinach pies,’ said Alex proudly.
James sniffed. ‘They smell good. Where did you get them?’
Alex feigned offence. ‘I’ll have you know that I made these, I didn’t buy them. Beth gave me the recipe.’ When it came to cooking, Alex was still finding her feet, like a dayold foal, but she was starting, slowly, to understand the joy in it, the pleasure in providing sustenance and comfort to loved ones. Not that every dish was a success. She’d had a go at making scones with the boys and they’d had tremendous fun covering each other in flour and kneading the dough. But the end product wasn’t quite right.
Rock cakes, right? James had asked innocently, chewing at the biscuit like it was a piece of ancient mutton. Seemed scones didn’t appreciate over-zealous kneading from six year olds. A light touch, Beth had told her later, and self-raising flour, not plain.
‘I think the spinach pies look absolutely terrific.’ James kissed her forehead and took the tray off her hands. ‘I’m sure you won’t poison anyone.’ He winked and led the way down the garden path, past the large ‘For Sale’ sign. She glanced briefly at the Devines’ – shutters closed, mail piling up in the letterbox, weeds growing out of the driveway – and felt a tinge of regret.
Maybe if they’d left them alone or given them space like Charlie had wanted, maybe … Oh, it was stupid. Last she heard, Charlie had enrolled Talia back in her old school in Brisbane and was planning to let her see Ryan on the weekends. She’d read a couple of snippets in the news, that the business was being wound up. The Tribe Has Spoken was one of the headlines and, reading between the lines, it was apparent there’d been ongoing financial problems in the business well before Ryan started snorting all the profits up his nose.
‘C’mon, boys, let’s go,’ said Alex, extending her hands. First, Noah slipped his fingers into hers, then Jasper followed. Alex squeezed and felt their tiny knuckles under her palm.
‘Mummy, can Bailey sleep in our room tonight?’ Noah looked at her, eyes pleading.
‘Yeah, Mum. Pleeeeease.’ Jasper tugged her arm.
She looked at them both, her heart so full of love for the two little boys who’d reminded her about what really mattered. Wherever they moved to next, this was what they would take with them. Love, and memories. Happiness didn’t exist in fancy ovens and expensive baths. It was in their hearts and hands and their mum and dad.
In two weeks, when the house went up for auction, she’d be taking them to Perth for a holiday, to show them where she grew up and to spend time with the grandparents.
‘Yes, Bailey can sleep in your room tonight.’
Together, the twins whooped with joy.