“You can leave Biancahere with me while you do that. Sam’s gone to the cafe but she’llbe back in a few minutes.” Chloe turned back to the child. “I havesome coloured pencils in my drawer. Would you like to draw whileDaddy is busy on his computer?” Chloe pulled out some pencils andplaced a large drawing pad on her desk.
Samantha returned to the office,carrying a box of pastries and a carton of milk. She put them onthe desk while she stowed her purse in the drawer. “Hey Bianca. Isit school holiday time already?”
“Yes. And Grandma andGrandpa are taking me to the zoo today.” Bianca’s tongue peeped outat the edge of her mouth, and her head bent in concentration as sheattempted to draw a perfect circle on the paper. The task took herattention for a full two minutes before she spotted the pastriesand began to fidget. “Can I have a croissant? Please.”
“Oh, we had better askyour daddy. I wouldn’t want to mess up your clothes.” Samsaid.
“I’ll be very careful.Promise.” Bianca looked imploringly at Sam and Chloe.
“Come on, we’ll takeit into the kitchen so we don’t make a mess of Samantha’s desk.”Chloe picked up the pastry box and held out her hand to Bianca. Shefelt inordinately pleased when Bianca placed her small warm hand inhers, and smiled up at her with genuine pleasure.
When Todd arrived back at theoffice, Chloe and Bianca were having morning tea in the kitchen.Their colouring and features were so similar, any passerby could beforgiven for thinking they were mother and daughter. He had avision of the future, of Chloe with their daughter, and the clarityof that vision surprised him. The sudden longing for a family ofhis own wrapped around his heart and squeezed, rocking him with itsintensity.
“Hello Bianca. Is it‘bring your daughter to work’ day?” Todd pulled out a chair and satopposite.
“No I’m going to thezoo with Grandpa and Grandma. I’m waiting on Daddy to take me. He’sworking.” Bianca ate the last morsel of her croissant and pushedaway her plate. She turned to Chloe. “Can I go and finish mydrawing?”
“Sure you can.” Chloewatched Bianca settle at her desk, pencil in hand, head bent to hertask.
“You looked right athome with her. You’ll make an amazing mother.” Todd reached overand squeezed Chloe’s hand.
“She is a delight.Very chatty and precocious. She is easy to look after.”
“Are you getting ateeny weenie bit clucky then?” He watched the colour rise in hercheeks, and she lowered her eyes. You’veembarrassed her.
“I will bet that mostpeople who don’t have kids think that bringing up a child is abreeze. It always looks easy from the outside. Isn’t that right,Daniel?” Chloe swivelled to ask Daniel as he entered thekitchen.
“She can be a handful,but on the whole she is a good kid. Anytime you want to babysit,just let me know. You can road test your theory.” Daniel picked upa pastry and finished it in two bites. “Come on, Bianca. Saygoodbye. Thank Sam for the morning tea. I had better get you toGrandma’s or you won’t make the zoo today.”
“Thank you, Sam. Thankyou, Chloe. Bye, Todd.” Bianca waved as she was led away by herfather, and continued to wave as he buckled her into the car parkedright outside the front door.
“Don’t look at me like that.”Chloe told Sam. “She’s a sweet kid. I have already had the ‘are youclucky’ speech from Todd.
“I have never seen youlook so starry-eyed before. She really got to you, didn’t she?”Todd leant against the doorframe appraising Chloe, his armscrossed, enjoying teasing her.
“As I said, she is asweet kid. She was fun to talk to. I haven’t been around many, butshe certainly seems mature for her age.”
“I love spending timewith my nephews and nieces when we go to Queensland, but I amexhausted by the end of the day. I don’t know how my sister managesit.” Samantha turned on her computer. She reached over to take anincoming phone call, and switched smoothly to business mode, thelast half an hour quickly and easily parked in socialmode.
Chloe sat staring intospace, remembering the warmth of the small hand placed inhers. Maybe I am clucky. All of a sudden she realised she wasn’t getting any younger,her biological clock was ticking. And she could hear it loud andclear.
CHAPTERTWENTY ONE
Chloe had made good time on thedrive down the peninsula and she was earlier than expected for hermeeting with Patrick. They had intended to walk through the newextension together to pick up any flaws in the plasterwork orcornices before the painters arrived. She also wanted anotheropinion of the paint colours and blind swatches she had chosen forthe huge floor-to-ceiling windows he had installed. It wasimportant to bring everything on site as the light was different upon the isolated cliff top. It had purity about it, unaffected bystreetlamps and the glare from neighbouring windows. Everythingappeared sharper, crisp, and more authentic in this house, shecouldn’t explain it. If truth be told, the house spoke to her, andshe tried her hardest to listen and bring it back to its formerglory.
She hadn’t expected to see Todd’scar parked beside Patrick’s ute when she pulled up in thedriveway.
She gathered up the fabricswatches and walked around the back, towards the newly builtextension, hoping to find them there. She could hear footstepsechoing around the empty rooms through the open door. At theentrance, a bundle of fabric swatches slipped out of her grasp, andshe bent down to pick them up and took a few seconds to rearrangeher armful of samples. She recognised Todd and Patrick’s voice.Patrick sounded agitated, and she considered going back to the carto beep the horn and announce her arrival. Eavesdropping feltwrong. Then she heard her name.
“So what’s thehold-up? Is Chloe selling?” Patrick asked Todd.
“I haven’t askedher.”
“Don’t you think youshould ask? You could offer her a very good price.”
“I don’t think she’sready
