Seven Days Destinations

by Ruth Hay

  Iris was in tears. She knew how long it had taken for Zoe to summon the courage to take this step. She whispered to Sandra about previous attempts that had gone so horribly wrong, ending in a crying child and a distraught mother.

  “Sure now, it’s a God’s blessing you came here, Mrs. Halder. I don’t know what you said to her but she has changed all right. I can hardly believe it and Dr. Philips will be over the moon when he sees this.”

  “I wouldn’t say anything to him just yet, Iris. It will be better if Zoe takes over now. She has done amazingly well but this is only a first step and she may retreat again for a while. We’ll give her some time to make the adjustments she needs and not put any pressure on her.”

  Iris nodded. She recognized this woman’s expertise. Despite all her own years of childcare experience, she had not been able to effect such a transformation in Zoe Morton-Philips. She wondered if it was the younger woman’s fame and business reputation that might have made Iris reluctant to push for the reconciliation Wesley wanted so much and Zoe needed. None of that mattered a whit now. Mrs. Halder had said and done everything necessary and the results were right before them.

  Zoe was talking to her son and walking around the room pointing out paintings and artifacts on the walls. Zach was watching her face and holding tight to the wing of black hair.

  “Shall I be making the tea now, do you think?”

  “An excellent idea, Iris! We’ll sit down again and carry on chatting as if everything is normal. You take over with Zach when Zoe comes back and I can have a word with her in private.”

  In a few minutes, Zoe returned from her tour and gladly handed over her charge to Iris who announced it was time for his nap.

  When they left for Zach’s bedroom upstairs, Zoe turned to Sandra with a glowing face and exclaimed,

  “Did you see that? I had no idea he was so heavy. My muscles are aching. How did he get so big? He is such a beautiful boy. What was I so afraid of? Sandra is this a dream? Did I really walk about with my baby and he liked it?”

  “Just sit here and have a drink of tea so we can talk about it. The first question to answer is, how do you feel inside?”

  “I feel elated. I feel right, somehow. I feel like his mother for the first time. Oh, Sandra, tell me, what have I done?”

  “Calm down, Zoe. Here, sip this tea. You are experiencing many emotions at once and it can be overwhelming. It’s as if a dam inside you has burst and a flood of pent-up feelings is descending upon you in a veritable torrent.”

  “That’s exactly right! How do you know that? Did this ever happen to you, Sandra?”

  “No, not to me, but one of my first daycare mothers had a similar situation and I helped her to get through it. The worst is over now. It’s a new beginning and none of what has gone before will damage your boy. He has had his father’s constant love and Iris has filled in for you. The only thing missing in his young life was you, his mother.

  Now, let’s make a plan so you can build on today’s success step by step. I’ll be here as long as you need me and that dear, lovely Iris is ready to help in any way. We’ll keep to Zachary’s present schedule to prevent any problems from arising but before you know it you will be capable of taking over almost all of his care.”

  “Really? You think I can do this?”

  “Zoe Morton-Philips, CEO of Excelsior Cosmetics and Project Manager Extraordinaire, of course you can do this!”

  “Wait a minute! Sandra, I can’t give up working just yet. I am in the middle of a huge corporate merger and I need to be there.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting you should give up your work. It’s an important part of who you are as a person and as a mother. Stay with your present schedule. Wesley will be part of the plan, of course, and Iris can help out until you are ready. You are in the fortunate position of being able to afford Iris’ help. Any working mother needs a support system. Later on you may wish to take a leave of absence or at least take a vacation with Wesley and Zach. You have so many good options ahead of you.”

  “Sandra, you make me believe it’s all possible. I can’t thank you enough. You really are stepping in like my own mother might have done.”

  Sandra swallowed a sudden lump in her throat.

  “I know Grace would have loved to help you, Zoe. She would have adored Zachary.”

  * * *

  There and then, the two friends began to draw up a plan of action. When Wesley returned from his office they were still there, bent over pages of notes Zoe was transferring to her smart phone.

  “What’s going on here? I expected you two old friends would have gone clothes shopping by now.”

  They turned wide smiles on him and insisted he sit while Zoe informed him of the day’s events.

  Iris joined in part way through and agreed with the seemingly-extravagant statements he was hearing from his wife. Sandra added her approval and Wesley was so relieved and overjoyed he did not know whether to shout or dance, or hug all three women at once.

  “Now, then, before one of you dies of sheer excitement, I say you should all go out to a fine restaurant or take a walk along the embankment together. It’s been a long time since we had something this good to celebrate in this fine house and I want you to remember the day in true fashion.”

  That is what they did. Sandra was given the job of choosing a restaurant and she picked a new establishment with a view from a terrace overlooking the Thames River.

  It was truly a night to remember. Champagne flowed and several diners wondered just what was making the trio so happy together.

  The sky was dark when they returned to Dunstan’s Close. Sandra begged fatigue and headed upstairs to her room leaving the couple to tiptoe into their son’s room and stand arm in arm admiring the lovely boy they had finally welcomed home into both their hearts.

  Chapter Four

  A Saturday in July

  Carla Carstairs made the long, tiring flight from Los Angeles to London with her mother’s help. The twins were at the stage where they wanted to see everything and everyone nearby. It took both mother and grandmother to keep them in check. Kendal was bothered by pressure in his ears during take-off and landing, while his sister Katrine was impatient to get out of the plane and move around again without restrictions.

  Corinne was glad to leave the family in the First Class Lounge to be picked up by Wesley as she had to catch another flight north where her long-suffering Arthur was eagerly awaiting her arrival.

  “It’s been marvellous to have your help all this time in L.A., Mum, but I know Dad has been missing you. I’ll be with Zoe and Wes for a week or so, then I move to a hotel for the duration of the shoot and then I’ll have all the help I need, courtesy of the film company.”

  “You two be good for your Mum,” Corinne said, with more than a hint of tears in her voice. It had been such a privilege to get to know her darling grandchildren and it was going to be a wrench to leave them behind.

  “Don’t forget to call me if you want me to come. I can always fly home to your Dad every weekend. It’s not that far. You’ll be glad to see Zoe again and the twins will love having a playmate who is only a little younger than they are. Send me pictures. Promise?”

  One last hug all around and she was gone.

  The lounge emptied out soon after, and the children could stumble around safely from soft chair to soft couch on the carpeted floor and use up some of their pent-up energy.

  Carla sat back with a sigh of contentment. Filming was due to start in two weeks and she was a bit apprehensive about the role she had been given. It seemed an age since her last movie and so much had happened with the twins’ arrival and all the adjustments that had meant in her life. Marrying someone in the business had proved to be a disadvantage. If she was to stay at home with the babies her husband was obliged to accept film work elsewhere. It was not ideal but it was necessary as was the necessity for Carla to call upon her mother for help.

  Once again she would be separated from her hu
sband. This job in London was too good to miss. The movie business very quickly forgot you if you were absent for too long, as many stars had found to their cost. Carla Carstairs did not intend to be overlooked. She had worked too hard to attain a name in the fickle entertainment business and she was not going to risk it now.

  Zoe Morton had been instrumental in her success. She was the first to see potential in the raw, unsure girl who had been thrust into her care. It would be so good to be with her mentor again now that they had a shared experience of motherhood to draw them together.

  Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of a tall, distinguished-looking man wearing a suit and dark-rimmed glasses. He had no luggage with him. Carla had not met Wesley Philips but she had heard a lot about him from her mother who had attended the wedding in the Lake District hotel and visited Dunstan’s Close every Christmas for a few days when the original quartet of friends reassembled there.

  According to Corinne, Wesley was a perfect match for Zoe. Fair where she was dark; quiet where she was bold; certain where she was unsure; and altogether the most loving companion a woman could wish for. Carla knew a little about their original meeting in a professional context, but her mother refused to reveal any further details. All this made Dr. Wesley Philips a bit of a mystery man and intriguing to someone whose opinion veered toward the belief that no man could ever be worthy of the accomplished and generous Zoe Morton she had known.

  The tall man scanned the room quickly and made for the windowed wall where Kendal had climbed up on the air conditioning vents to see the planes on the tarmac outside.

  “Well, my little man! What’s going on here? Where’s your Mummy gone and where’s your sister?”

  Katrine heard the foreign tones and made a beeline for her mother but Kendal simply looked up into the stranger’s face, held out his arms to be lifted, and called out, “Dada!”

  Wesley obliged by lifting the little boy and then turned to see where his sister had headed. He saw the unmistakable figure of the gorgeous woman, familiar from billboards, posters and movies. Her dark red hair and pale skin were similar to those of the child she was cradling in her arms.

  She stood and smiled in his direction and it was all he could do not to stare.

  My God! Zoe was right. She’s stunning with that vivid colouring. Motherhood doesn’t seem to have diminished her beauty one bit. This little boy nearly tore a hole in my heart just now by calling me

  Dada. He must have his father’s looks as he’s much darker of skin and hair. The twins make a beautiful complement to their mother.

  “You must be Carla. I’m Wesley Philips. Please introduce me to these two little charmers.”

  “Of course! I’m delighted to meet you at last. Kendal is the escape artist you are holding, and his sister here is Katrine. I am so glad you are taking us to Dunstan’s Close. I can’t wait to see Zoe again and your amazing home as well. My mother has enthused about it for years.

  We are ready when you are, Wesley.”

  She bent down to pick up her purse and the large soft bag with all the baby needs. The rest of their luggage was on a cart which Wesley immediately took control of, leaving Carla with a double buggy into which she placed the twins. He added her baby bag onto the cart and they were soon on their way to the lift.

  “Carla, before we get home, I need to fill you in on some of what happened after Zachary was born.”

  “Oh, I must ask forgiveness for not being in touch with you after Zach arrived. I was just trying to get used to having the two babies and weeks went by without my noticing. I’m afraid I was not the caring friend Zoe could have expected me to be.”

  Wesley angled the heavy cart out of the elevator door and held it open until Carla was able to exit.

  Immediately, they were immersed in the busy adjacent waiting areas with staff announcements and people hurrying past issuing instructions to fellow travellers to grab seats before they were all gone.

  He realized this was neither the time nor the place for a private conversation.

  “No! that’s not a problem at all. Look! I’ll tell you when we are in the car. Follow me to the car parking building. Stay close, it’s some distance away.”

  Carla nodded. She was happy to relinquish arrangements to this tall, competent man. It had been a long day of travel and she was beginning to feel the effects.

  They trundled off to the other end of the terminal. The twins were turning their heads this way and that as another coffee shop or a passing child drew near. They bounced in their buggy in unison when a harnessed dog, accompanying a handicapped person, came into sight and cried out as they left it behind without a chance to say hello.

  Wesley finally found the car and loaded everything and everyone inside. He had rented a pair of child seats to add to the one Zach used, so the rear seat was jammed full of the large safety seats.

  Carla checked the seat fastenings and sank gratefully into the front passenger seat with a deep sigh.

  “If you don’t mind, Wesley, I am going to close my eyes for a minute or two. I am really feeling jet lag now. I’ll be fine after a few minutes.”

  Before Wesley could protest, she was fast asleep. He looked in the rear view mirror and saw the children were also sleeping. This was not going as planned. He ejected his carefully-composed and edited version of the months after Zach came home and trusted that Carla’s instincts as a new mother would fill in any gaps she noticed. It was unlikely she would say or do anything to add to Zoe’s discomfort. From all the reports he had heard, Carla Carstairs was an ambitious woman, much like his darling Zoe. Surely, they would understand each other on that basis, if no other.

  Wesley Philips bit his lower lip, took a breath and concentrated on wending his way from London’s Heathrow Airport to the comparative silence and comfort of his beloved Dunstan’s Close. He spared a moment to wonder just how peaceful his sanctuary would be with three young children instead of only one.

  Zoe watched out of the window for Wesley’s car to arrive. She had paced around nervously until Iris told her to sit and give Zach his bottle and some applesauce.

  “He’ll calm you down, Zoe, and when the wee ones arrive he’ll be ready to meet them. The twin beds in Zach’s room are ready for them and if their mother prefers to have them in her room I can change them over in no time. Now don’t you be worrying yourself! This is a good thing. Zach needs to get used to other children.”

  Zoe was not worried about Zach’s reactions. Even in their short walks outside the property, he had shown great interest in children of any age. She mainly wondered how Carla’s two would react to her. She had taken on board all of Sandra’s sage advice and she knew there was a vast improvement in her connection to her own son. But two new strange children might sense her weaknesses. If that dread thing happened she suspected she would spiral back into a bad place in her mind, despite what Wesley, Iris, or anyone else might say.

  Zach had finished his applesauce and Zoe had changed him into a very cute blue and white sailor outfit.

  She was bouncing him gently on her knee and singing an old Scottish lullaby Sandra had taught to her, when she spied the car approaching the driveway. She wanted to rush outside and greet them but decided to wait and observe and let them come to her.

  She was surprised to see the amount of luggage Wesley unloaded from the boot of the car. It took a few minutes for him to assemble the double buggy for the twins and still no one else had emerged from the car. Where were the children and their mother?

  Eventually a sleepy Carla stepped out, yawned, and stretched widely. For a moment she looked stunned when she saw the size and height of Dunstan’s Close. Seeing her again after so long apart, Zoe could wait no longer. She picked up Zach, slung him over her shoulder and ran to the front door calling out Carla’s name.

  They collided outside the door and, immediately, it was as if they had just said goodbye a few hours before. Carla exclaimed over Zach and took him into her arms where he gazed wide-eyed at
the stranger but never uttered a sound. His father came over and patted him on the back reassuringly.

  “Well now! Why don’t you two wake the sleepy-heads inside the car and I’ll take this one out of the way for now. I’ll ask Iris to give me a hand with the luggage and we’ll soon be sorted out.”

  Zoe’s first look at Carla’s twins was in the crowded back of the car where they were slumped against the padded restraints, fast asleep. Even with their eyes closed and their sleep-reddened cheeks, it was obvious these two were just as attractive as their photos, and the pride of their mother.

  Zoe knew how the seats unlocked so she handled that technical part while Carla gently woke her daughter and then her son. Katrine was handed to Zoe and Kendal rested his head on his mother’s shoulder. Zoe noticed how much heavier the boy was than Zach and she thought it was going to be useful for her to notice what she could expect from Zach in a month or two by observing the older twins.

  Soon everyone was settled in the lounge, drinks were supplied for the children and the adults, and conversation flowed easily.

  “This place is extraordinary! My mother’s descriptions did not do it justice. The high ceilings and those windows make it so light and airy. I can’t believe how different it is from the Spartan loft where I first met you, Zoe. It’s warm and exciting and remarkable!”

  “Well, just about everything in my life is different from those days, Carla. This place suits my new life and it was a labour of love to restore Dunstan’s Close to its former glory. I imagine your life has changed just as much, or even more than mine and Wesley’s.”

  “Oh, that’s true in so many ways. Who could have guessed I would be back in England with a movie career and two children in tow? If you had not taken me in hand all those years ago, Zoe, I would not be in this position now. I can never thank you enough.”

  It was Wesley’s signal to depart.

  “You two have a lot of catching up to do. Let’s put the kids down on the carpet with a box of Zach’s toys and Iris and I will supervise while you get caught up. We can eat any time you want. Everything’s prepared.”