‘Wow, Kate, that’s amazing,’ I said, genuinely surprised. The others made murmurs of agreement.
‘Thank you, Charlotte – I think so, and Carl does too. I’ll design adverts, flyers, brochures, and so on.’
‘You could sell snow to the Inuit,’ Megan said.
‘You have a customer right here – I could do with some updated leaflets,’ Sam added.
‘Perfect.’
‘Me too, I could always do with new clients,’ Megan said.
The conversation turned to the Maldives, as Kate listened intently to the stories Sam and Megan told. Kate mentioned wanting to book something there and wanted tips. It wasn’t all that long ago I’d have been the same, but it just seemed so trivial. I was having a baby and I had to do everything I could to provide for her. I was more interested in making sure I had the right type of bottles and the best type of baby bath. I gathered my things and stood up. ‘I’m going to go.’ Everyone stopped speaking to look at me.
‘Is everything okay?’ Megan asked.
‘I’m fine, just tired – it’s a pregnancy thing. You stay and have dessert and I’ll meet you back at the house later.’ With that, I left and went straight back to Megan’s house. I couldn’t bring a baby into the world without knowing what I was doing with my life. I needed a plan, and Kate’s talk of setting up a business was exactly the kind of thing I needed to do.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It had been another week of sleeping at Megan’s until my furniture arrived, and I’d bought all the necessary items. My first night in my new home felt a little bit like I was closing one book and starting a new one. My decree nisi had arrived a week earlier meaning I only had five weeks of marriage left to James. By the end of October, I’d be rid of him but I was numb when I thought about it. My phone buzzed, breaking my thoughts.
My new class really want to help your charity. They saw the posters my old class designed, and to be honest, there are some right of horrors in my new class and anything positive they want to do I’m going with. They want to run a mile but would love ‘that pretty lady’ to come and visit them. Basically, they all idolise Skye and she’s still nattering about you. Would you like to come and run/walk a mile? A x
I smiled at my phone. It was wonderful that I’d had such an impact on the children, and getting them involved in fundraising was fantastic. It wouldn’t hurt to see Andrew again either – see him, his beautiful eyes, and those biceps. Eye candy was all I could hope for at that stage in my pregnancy.
That’s why I found myself clad in Lycra leggings, leading a group of kids around the field in the freezing cold a few weeks later in late September – and loving it. Andrew ran beside me, keeping pace, which must have been excruciating since I was mostly just power-walking (waddling?). The kids had a great time, and one hundred and twenty-eight pounds was raised for the Springwell Hospice, which I knew they’d be grateful for.
After the children had gone home, I helped Andrew and some other members of staff pack away cones and things that we’d got out for the event. ‘I’ve never seen them so keen!’ he said. ‘I spent the whole of last year dreading having that class, and with a little something to focus on, they’re not too bad!’ He smiled ruefully. ‘We are only a month in, though.’
‘You’re a great teacher. They really idolise you,’ I said, recalling how they wouldn’t leave him alone and how they all wanted to run next to Mr Watts.
He batted away my comment. ‘I’m the only male teacher in the school. It makes me more unique, and believe me, that novelty has worn off.’
‘You’re very modest!’
He smiled. ‘You did amazingly well today. I really admired how you ran all that way.’ He stretched out a hand to brush a hair away from my eye, which I hadn’t noticed was there. My skin tingled where his hand made contact, and I looked down at my trainers to avoid meeting his eyes. There was too much energy in such close proximity.
‘Ran!’ I laughed, cutting through it. ‘You’re very sweet but that wasn’t running – I’m too big. Just you wait until I’ve had the baby. I’ll show you real running,’ I said when I eventually composed myself.
‘You’re on.’ He grinned, and a little butterfly danced in my chest. Finding reasons to see Andrew again and succeeding felt strangely triumphant.
He drove me home. Since I’d walked to his school and the run had tired me out I was happy to accept – tiredness seemed to be a by-product of pregnancy.
‘It’s a pretty house you have,’ he said, pulling up at the end of the gravel driveway. He turned to me. ‘I’ve got you a present.’
‘A present?’ I was surprised.
He produced a packet of salt and vinegar crisps from his glove box. ‘I thought you might have worked up quite a craving running around like that.’
I laughed as I took the packet. It was a far cry from the gifts James used to give me, but somehow so much more benevolent. ‘Well thank you, it’s very thoughtful of you.’ I couldn’t believe he’d remembered. ‘Goodbye, Andrew.’ I sat facing him with my hand on the door handle but I couldn’t motivate myself to pull it.
‘Bye, Charlotte,’ he replied, and we sat for a moment, eyes locked. My stomach fluttered and at first, I mistook it for those inner teenaged-girl feelings I always had whenever I was around Andrew, until it happened again. I clasped my hand to my mouth.
‘The baby just kicked.’ I gasped.
‘What, just now? Are you sure?’ Andrew said. I nodded, smiling widely as tears
