by Meg MacRose
“Nice choice Nick. I haven’t been here for years.”
“It’s the first thing that came to mind of somewhere secure and quiet where we can walk and talk!”
“What’s this about?”
“It’s Lacey.”
“I thought as much.”
Nick straightened, forcing himself to relax as he looked his father in the eye. “She’s just not interested in us as a couple. Us as parents to Therese, yes. But not us as a unit. The problem is, we’d be fantastic together. I’ve just been out with the boys trying to work out strategies to persuade her. But apart from some ideas, I have no idea on what to do.”
Raw emotion ran through his body as he tried to explain to his father. He didn’t know how else to describe it. He’d never reached out for help before, not for personal issues. He’d been taught as a child to keep the stiff upper lip. Reaching out to his father was not the most natural thing for him to do, yet it felt right.
His father looked back at him and shook his head gravely. “I’m sure this hasn’t been part of your repertoire with women. They’ve always been the chasers.”
The silence that followed was comfortable as he waited for his Dad to continue. They stopped in front of a large gold-plated oil painting.
“Have you talked to her about how you feel?”
Resignation lined Nick’s weary face. “But what do I say? I can’t make any declarations. That will have the reverse effect that I want.”
Nick watched his father as he thought about it.
“She lived in London before she got pregnant, right?”
Nick nodded.
“Have you asked her what she misses from when she lived in London? Plan a few days away together. Not just you and her, but the three of you together. Visit somewhere that you know Therese would enjoy and add in something that Lacey would love too. Stay in a nice hotel. If she likes to be pampered, there’s enough of those spa ones that your Mother prefers. There’s also family-oriented ones and quirky arty ones. Do the kinds of things that aren’t available locally. I don’t know, maybe a sushi train restaurant or watching the street buskers. It doesn’t need to be expensive, just a fun experience.”
“Dad. You’re wonderful. That’s a great plan. Lace was only saying recently that she used to love going to watch theatre productions. Maybe I can find tickets to a child-appropriate one.”
“Hang on a sec, son. I know of someone who can recommend a hotel too.”
“Marian, which hotel is it that your grandchildren use when they come visit in London? The one that you raved over the last time they visited? … Excellent. … Perfect. … Yes, I think that sounds great. Can you text the website to Nick? … Cheers, Marian.”
Nick watched his father as his finished his phone call to Nick’s own PA. Nick was fascinated in the fact that his father had Marian on speed dial when she no longer worked directly for his father.
“Marian’s son brought his step-kids to visit earlier in the year. I remembered Marian saying how kid-friendly the hotel was. It’s super central and has its own indoor playground and kid centric cafes. Make a booking and enjoy some different experiences together. Like a family. Let her see what it is that you want to give to a relationship.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Nick replied, an edge of excitement building up in him. “I think it’s a swell idea.”
“I give no guarantees that it’ll work!”
Nick shrugged his shoulders. There were no guarantees of anything in life.
But he’d be damned if he wouldn’t give it his best shot.
Chapter 13
One of the young PAs stood nervously at the open door, twisting her long, platinum blonde hair while she waited for him to acknowledge her.
“Yes?” He snapped. He didn’t remember her name or which department she worked in.
“Um. Mr Silverton. I’m just covering for your PA at the moment, while she dashes out for a few minutes. In the last quarter of an hour, your fiancée, or rather ex-fiancée, Diana, has left a whole heap of messages for you. She said that if you don’t answer her calls, then she’ll come up to the office and demand to see you.”
“That’s fine. Security won’t let past the ground floor. Just decline her calls. Or even better, block her number if you want. I’m not interested.” He was beyond caring that he sounded abrupt or uncaring.
The PA nodded and with great hesitation responded, “Yes, Mr Silverton.” Her stiletto shoes made a clacking sound as she walked away. Who even wore stilettos to an office job? The random question popped in and out of his head. Although he wouldn’t have minded the pair of stilettos that he saw in Lacey’s wardrobe when he was packing her clothes for the hospital, so long as they came with the owner. He wondered where she would even wear a pair of stilettos.
Nick turned and gazed out the window, not really looking at anything in particular. He was ready to pack up and replace urban for Lacey and Therese’s quaint little village.
He heard another tap at the door. Without turning around, he called out “yes?” It was bound to be the young PA returning with another question.
“Nicky darling.” A shudder ran through his back as the shrill grated on him. Diana’s voice was unmistakable.
“What are you doing here?” Nick turned and stared at her. He would speak with his security team and ensure that the reception area downstairs were clear about his instructions to not admit her into the building whatsoever.
While he waited for her to answer, he took in her immaculate appearance. Everything about her seemed too overdone, too refined.
“Well, Nicky. You really left me in the lurch like that. Everything was ready to go for our big day, and I had to cancel it all.” Her eyes widened and her bright red lips pursed as she spoke. She looked sulky and petulant. Besides, Nick knew from the heft bill the wedding planner had sent, that Diana hadn’t had to take care of anything.
“But that’s okay Nicky. I’m not angry with you. I wanted to show you that we could try again. We’re good together. We could hold a party for all our friends, just like an engagement party, to show them that we’re back together.”
Nick scrunched his face up as he counted five in his mind. She really didn’t get it. He had no intention of every getting back with her.
“Diana. We split up. I don’t want to get back with you. You need to move on.”
“Oh, but Nicky darling. I know that you’re missing me. You haven’t been to any of the parties, or the charity events, or anything in London. You’re pining away for me.”
She seriously needed some help, Nick decided. How she could even correlate his absence from the London social scene with pining for her required a long stretch of the imagination.
“Diana.” With effort, he kept his frustration at her persistence out of his voice. “We are no longer a couple. We will never be a couple together again. You need to go and find someone who wants to go to the parties that you want to go to. I don’t. I don’t want to be at those parties, and I don’t want to be in a relationship with you.”
Tears streamed down her face. She stamped her foot. “Nicky, that’s so unfair. You’re being mean to me. You’re not even hearing me out. Your Mother said that if I just had a chance to see you, you’d see what you’re missing out on.”
A surge of hot anger at his Mother flew through his blood. How dare his Mother try and interfere like this.
“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news to you Diana. I haven’t even spoken with my Mother since we split up. But I can assure you that I am not the man for you. Not now. Not tomorrow. Now, I am going to kindly ask you to leave, and if you refuse to do so, I will have my office security team remove you. I will also ask that you never step foot here again.”
Diana’s face twisted in fury, and her fists were balled tight. “I hate you Nicky. Do you know that. I hate you. You’re not meant to cancel an engagement just before the wedding day. Everyone is talking about me. Do you know that?”
Nick was sure that anyone whos
e opinion was worthy wasn’t talking about Diana at all. Their break-up was so long ago, that it wasn’t newsworthy whatsoever.
But he also didn’t want Diana to remain angry with him. Unresolved resentment wasn’t good for anyone.
With a much calmer voice, but still keeping his distance Nick replied “Diana. Think of it this way. There are a number of rich eligible bachelors who would love to pick you up on the rebound. Listen to your sob story of how you were hard done by. You and I weren’t really a good match. You’ll realise that when you stop being mad with me. One day, you’ll probably even thank me for it. You would have hated not living in an inner-city apartment, not being able to socialise with your friends.”
And she would of too he realised. The house that they had built was never for her but for him. He’d wanted the family and the family home, but she thrived on the London nightlife. How they thought their marriage would ever work was a mystery.
“Oh Nicky. Do you really think so?” Her face had brightened instantly with the mention of moving on to someone on the rebound.
“Diana, I need to get some work done. I really need you to leave now.” He still didn’t move towards her. Nick did not want her to get any mixed messages, so he stayed glued to the floor as he waited for her finally get out of his office.
“Nicky. I think you’re right. We weren’t a good match, were we? I’m sure there is someone else out there just waiting for me.” She pulled out a compact mirror and checked her face. “Your Mother will be disappointed you know? She really wanted me to be her daughter-in-law.”
Nick almost laughed out loud. But kept his face devoid of any emotion.
“Well, good-bye Nicky.” With a flick of her wrist in what Nick assumed was an attempt at a wave, she pivoted and flounced out the door.
Nick let out a sigh of relief. How on earth could he have almost married her?
He put a call through to his security, just to ensure that Diana left the building.
Diana’s unexpected visit strengthened Nick’s resolve to leave early. He was grateful that he’d avoided any public confrontation with Diana. He was ready leave. Leave the office, leave the city.
He’d much prefer to chill out at Lacey’s house. He looked forward to spending time with his family. His family. He said the words again. That’s what they were. His very own family.
Nick let out a sigh of anticipation. The school holidays had already started. Therese would be home for another six weeks. And still under strict instructions to recuperate, Lacey would be home with Therese for most of that time. Nick was ready to pack up for the day and leave work in a couple of hours. He had rescheduled all his meetings and delegated most of his work, so that he could have a month off too. Not that he’d told Lacey that yet. Although, he’d only just that morning decided to take that time off. The school holidays were for him a real signifier of families. It was their time to do stuff together.
He remembered lots of fun adventures during the school holidays when he was young. Though they hadn’t been with his family. If there’d been a family trip organised, it was always to the Bahamas or the Alps where the resort they stayed at would look after the children. The times when his family hadn’t travelled, he had roamed free under the watchful, or often not-so watchful eye of some nanny who had been employed to keep the kids out of his mother’s hair. But the school holidays with Therese would be different. Lacey didn’t want to palm her daughter off onto someone else. She wanted to create fun experiences for her and to be part of it.
A couple of nights ago, when he’d phoned Therese on his nightly call to her, he asked her what she was looking forward to the most during the holidays.
“Put the sprinkler on, do lots of baking and maybe, just maybe if Mumm’s legs are okay, we can go for a visit to the city.”
His father popped his head around his door.
“What’s this Nick, you’re taking more time off?”
His father’s tone of voice was jovial, but there was still a tinge of something else mixed in.
“Yeah Dad. Everything has been either rescheduled or delegated. I’ll spend today making sure everyone knows where all my projects are at. It’s only for a month. Therese has started school holidays, and Lacey is due to have her cast off any day. It’ll be a slow rehabilitation for her, so it made sense to take some time off and spend it with them.”
His father slunk his tall frame into the oversized chair opposite him.
“I think it’s a great idea. I wish I’d done more stuff with you when you were a kid. The boarding school you attended was excellent, and I’m sure you enjoyed all the foreign holidays that we took. But it lights my heart to hear you talk like this, taking time off to be with Lacey and Therese. You know, I’d never have thought it before, but you suit family life. You’re looking more relaxed than ever.”
His Dad took a deep breath and had a contemplative expression on his face. Nick waited with bated breath. There was something in his Dad’s voice and Nick had the feeling that his Dad wanted to ask for something.
“Nick, why don’t you bring Lacey and Therese around to visit us tomorrow? Since I stopped working on Fridays, I’ve quite enjoyed just Fridays at home outside pottering around in the gardens or reading a book inside. I don’t know what your mother has planned. But her plans don’t generally include me anyway. I would love to meet my granddaughter and it is probably high time that we told your mother about her. Don’t you think?”
His mind had paused as his Dad had started to speak. He hadn’t been quite sure what it was he was going to ask. With relief that there was no harsh judgement or recriminations about his breakup with Diana or about Lacey, Nick nodded at his father.
“I think it’s a great idea. I’ll ring Lacey and see what she says. Providing she’s not having her cast off tomorrow, how about 10am tomorrow morning? If Lacey isn’t up for it, I’ll call you, otherwise expect us for morning tea!”
“Excellent. Anything specific to get Cook to make for them?”
Nick shook his head. Oh no, he had two girls who ate almost anything.
“No that’s fine. I don’t think there’s any special requests. Therese isn’t fussy.”
“So, do you want to tell your Mother first, or do you want me to do it? About Therese I mean?”
“The pleasures all yours, Dad! Besides we haven’t spoken since I broke up with Diana. So, it’d be far better coming from you first.” Nick wasn’t certain how his mother, a woman who took her status in society rather too seriously, would take the news of a child. Or rather the news that the child’s mother wasn’t from the same class background as their own. That would, he was sure, bother his mother more.
After his father left his office, Nick had a ball of nerves settle in his stomach. He wanted to share Therese with his parents, and yet he wouldn’t allow his mother to be rude or nasty to Therese. Or to Lacey for that matter.
He asked his phone to call though to Lacey.
“Hi Nick.” That voice. It didn’t matter how many times he heard her answer the phone, it was like the voice of an angel.
“Morning Lacey.”
“Therese isn’t here at the moment. She’s just popped next door to play with Adam.” Nick smiled. Therese loved playing with her best friend Adam. It didn’t matter how often the two kids saw each other, each time, they greeted one another like it had been years.
“Actually, it’s you I wanted to talk to.” The pit of his stomach just got heavier. Like a leaden ball.
“Oh, what can I do for you? Or have you just called for the pleasure of hearing me talk?” she teased him.
“Well there’s two things actually.” There was silence on the other side as she waited for him to continue.
“The first is that I’ve just cleared away some of my work, so how does it suit you if from tomorrow, I spend some of the school holidays at yours?”
“Oh, that’s brilliant Nick.”
A surge of happiness surrounded him.
Nick had to bring
him back to the conversation as Lacey was still talking. “You know Therese will love having you here over the holidays. Whenever you want. To be honest, I haven’t scheduled anything for us to do yet. It may even turn out to be one of those holidays where we don’t actually go out anywhere but do lots of fun things locally. So, what’s your second question?”
“What are your thoughts about grandparents? More specifically, if we took Therese to meet my parents? My Dad suggested this morning that we go around to their house for morning tea. He’s heard lots about Therese and would love to meet her.”
There was silence on the phone.
“Lacey …?” He gently called out to her. He waited for her response not sure what her reaction would be.
“That sounds okay. But, umm, Nick? I think I should tell you something first.” Lacey’s voice sounded ominous and he sat down while he waited for her to continue.
“It’s just that …”
“Don’t worry. I’ll not let mother make you or Therese uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s not that. Well, not really. It’s just that … Umm. I went to the hairdressers this morning.” Nick’s brow crinkled in puzzlement. What did the hairdressers have to do with visiting his parents? Okay, he was confused now.
“That’s nice that you went to the hairdressers. Honest Lace. You have my word. I won’t let any of my family treat you or Therese badly.”
“Nick. I had my cast off this morning, and to celebrate, I had my hair coloured to a bright pink! It’s just not what I probably would have chosen had I known earlier in the day that I was meeting your parents!”
His burst of laughter was in both relief and in humour. She was full of surprises, and he liked it. Being unique was part of who Lacey was. He was actually quite delighted that she’d stay true to herself when she met his parents for the first time. If his Mother couldn’t accept Lacey for who she was, then he couldn’t make her. But he wasn’t going to let anyone make Lacey feel bad.
“Wow. Pink. How does it look? Send through a picture!”
