The Legacy of Eve, page 3
‘Oh, yes?’
‘I’m, well, we’re, erm, pregnant.’
Mike’s head swivelled towards her, his mouth open. The burger that he’d been holding between a pair of tongs fell on to the patio with a splat. ‘Oh Annie!’ he said, rushing forward. He threw his arms around her and gripped on to her so tightly that she thought he might crack her like a walnut.
‘Easy, Dad,’ she said with a laugh, and he quickly let go.
‘Did I hurt you?’
‘No, you’re all right, Dad, don’t worry about that.’
Now that they were face to face, she could see how misty-eyed he was.
‘You’re going to be a mother,’ he said, looking at her with such emotion that she thought he might burst.
‘And you’re going to be a grandfather,’ she retorted.
‘Blimey.’
‘I know.’
In the background she could see Val hovering, waiting for the cue that she was allowed to intrude on this intimate family moment. Annie, her heart filled with joy, turned and smiled at her and Val hurried forward and embraced her in a fog of flowery perfume.
‘What joyful news,’ she said.
‘Thanks Val.’
‘You really ought to think about one of those new builds.’
Mike strode over to Gabe, shaking his hand vigorously and slapping him on the back. He was grinning from ear to ear, beaming at everyone. He was going to make the most wonderful grandfather. Even Val would probably be knitting hats and booties by the end of the evening, her way of showing that she cared. And Gabe’s parents would be just as delighted when they heard the news. How lucky they were, Annie thought, to be surrounded by so many people. She’d had a happy childhood, with a father who loved her. It had been more than enough for her. But this baby was going to be luckier still. It would have a proper family. It would have grandparents who loved it so much that they would probably compete over how much time they got to spend with it. And, most importantly, it would have a mother.
It hit her like a truck and Annie, light-headed, sat back down on the garden chair, clutching on to the armrests. Gabe and Mike were discussing fatherhood over by the barbecue and Val had gone back inside to fetch the condiments, so no one noticed Annie sitting alone, pale-faced, trying to catch her breath, her head spinning and her heart pounding. For weeks this secret that she and Gabe had been keeping from the world hadn’t felt real, as though they were characters in a TV programme rather than living their own lives. But now that the news was out in the open, it was like someone had ripped off a protective plaster and exposed her. Her life, as she had always known it, was about to change forever. She was no longer Annie Branning, free spirit and slightly dippy estate agent; she was Annie Branning, mother-to-be. Soon there would be someone in her life who depended on her for everything. Love. Happiness. Survival.
It was what she and Gabe had wanted and now they had it. But was she ready for it? And, more importantly, would she be good enough? She glanced at her father, who was laughing and clinking beer glasses with Gabe. And then at Gabe, who was looking every inch the proud father-to-be. Finally, she looked down at her stomach, imagining a tiny little poppy seed inside, which was growing every day, transforming into a baby. Her baby. Hysteria rose inside her and she snorted, putting a hand over her mouth. Her father and Gabe stopped talking and looked at her curiously. And then she was laughing and crying at the same time; nerves, shock, disbelief and excitement all rolled into one. The men exchanged glances, not sure what to make of her.
‘Get used to it,’ Val said, as she put some ketchup and mayonnaise down on the table. ‘That’s pregnant women for you. Mad as a box of frogs, the lot of them.’
Chapter Two
‘Lil, I need to come into work late tomorrow,’ Annie said, peering at her boss from over the top of her computer. ‘I’ve got a hospital appointment.’
‘Everything okay?’ Lil asked, glancing up.
‘Oh yes, all fine, just routine,’ Annie replied, looking down quickly before Lil could read anything into her expression. Her boss was as shrewd as a fox and never missed a trick. But she only had to keep the secret for another couple of weeks and then, all being well, she could finally spill the beans. It didn’t stop her feeling guilty though, especially when it came to Lil.
Lil didn’t have children of her own, but she treated Annie and her colleague Brian like they were her adopted kids. It was a successful employee retention strategy because they’d both worked for her for more than ten years and wouldn’t dream of moving elsewhere, even when larger companies came sniffing around, promising BMWs and eye-watering bonuses. The compact little office on the high street was like a second home to them both. Their team had grown and contracted again over the years, depending on the state of the property market and whether the business was doing well, but the three of them had been a constant; celebrating together, commiserating together and complaining together.
Lil had taught Annie everything she knew about being an estate agent and Brian, who had worked there even longer than Annie, always joked that he was a lifer and would work there until he retired or dropped dead, whichever came sooner. Annie didn’t know the full story, but she knew enough to understand that Lil had helped him out in some way in the past. He had told her once that if it wasn’t for Lil, he’d be in a gutter somewhere but then he’d clammed up and changed the subject, and she hadn’t wanted to probe.
Annie had been in her mid-twenties when she met Lil. She was living in Hertford and feeling lost at sea, uncertain what she wanted to do with her life or her career. She’d tried a few jobs but none of them had stuck and she had ended up working in a café down the road from the house she shared with friends. She had no interest in either coffee or catering but it was convenient and so three years and no pay rises later, she was still there. One morning she had been nursing a particularly bad hangover and was propping up the counter, feeling sorry for herself, when Lil wafted in, looking effortlessly glamorous, and asked for a cappuccino to go.
‘Can I get you anything to eat with that?’ Annie had asked, ringing up her order.
‘No thanks, just the coffee.’
‘It’s just that we have these amazing cinnamon buns in today, freshly baked, and they’re quite famous in these parts. In fact, they’ve been voted the best buns in the county, according to the locally renowned and well-respected food blogger Hearty Hertford.’
‘Is that so?’ Lil had replied, looking at Annie curiously.
‘Yes,’ Annie continued, getting into the swing of it now, eager for a distraction from her nasty hangover. ‘People queue around the block to get one of these little gems and you’ve ended up right here, at the front of the queue, just as they’ve emerged from the oven. They’ll all be gone within the hour. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, madam.’
By now Lil was looking highly amused. ‘Go on then, I’ll take two to go.’
‘Perfect,’ Annie said, reaching for one of the cardboard takeaway boxes under the counter and carefully placing the buns in it. ‘Are you from around here?’ she asked conversationally.
‘No,’ Lil replied. ‘I’m just visiting a friend who lives nearby.’
‘Well, enjoy yourself,’ Annie said, passing her the coffee and buns.
‘You have natural sales talent,’ Lil remarked as she handed over a ten-pound note.
‘Thanks,’ Annie replied, fishing in the till for some change and wondering if she could get away with scoffing a sausage roll before she served the next customer.
‘I’m serious. You’re wasted here. Ever thought about being an estate agent?’
Not once in Annie’s entire life had she ever thought about being an estate agent. She smiled politely and said, ‘No, not really, but it sounds like a fascinating job.’
The woman looked at her thoughtfully and then fished around in her bag, pulling out a business card which she handed over to Annie.
Annie took it and read the neat gold writing embossed on it: Lillian Gold, Proprietor, Lillian Gold Estate Agents.
‘I’m Lil,’ the woman explained. ‘I’m based in north London and I’m looking for a junior, someone I can train up within the business. If you’re interested, give me a call.’
Annie thanked her and slid the card into her back pocket. Her stomach rumbled and she looked around surreptitiously before bending down under the counter and devouring a sausage roll in seconds. Then she grabbed her phone, messaged her new boyfriend to see if he wanted to meet up after work, served a young family who had just walked in looking for coffees and babycinos and completely forgot about Lillian Gold and her fancy business card.
It was two weeks later that she remembered again. She had run out of clothes and was doing some much-needed laundry in the kitchen. As she turned her jeans inside out, the business card fell to the ground and she picked it up and reread it, considering it for a minute or two before chucking it into the recycling bin. The woman had been nice enough, but she was happy here, in Hertford, and she had no intention of moving to London. And anyway, she didn’t want to be an estate agent. She thought about the ones she saw in town, who cruised around in their suits and fancy cars, looking slick, ears glued to mobile phones as they negotiated deals and tried to meet their ridiculous sales targets. No, that wasn’t her world at all. She turned the washing machine on and went off to attempt to make an acceptable outfit from her remaining clothes.
But for the rest of the day, she couldn’t stop thinking about Lil and the job offer. She was fed up of working in the café for minimum wage. She’d had enough of living in a single room in a big, messy houseshare and dreamed of having her own place. And she strongly suspected that she was being ghosted by her latest boyfriend, who worked in the shop next door to the café and seemed to duck down under the counter every time she walked past. That afternoon she popped round to her dad’s for a cup of tea and mooted the idea to him.
‘An estate agent?’ he had said, incredulous, as he handed Annie a mug and a packet of biscuits.
‘Yeah.’
‘And this woman is a stranger? She just walked into the café and offered you a job?’
‘Not a job, Dad, an interview,’ Annie corrected him. ‘She said I had natural sales talent.’
‘And it’s in London, you say?’
‘Yep.’
Mike looked thoughtful and Annie held her breath. Her dad’s opinion was more important to her than anything and if he said the idea was half-brained, that would be the end of the matter.
‘There’s no harm in going to her office for a chat, love. You’ve got nothing to lose.’
With relief, Annie realised that was what she had wanted him to say. ‘Thanks Dad.’
As soon as she got home, she had fished out the card from the recycling bin and called Lil.
‘Ah, yes, Annie from the coffee shop, I’d given up on you,’ Lil said, when she answered.
‘Yeah, sorry about that, Lillian, I wanted to take a couple of weeks to really think it through carefully,’ Annie lied. ‘But I’d love to have a chat if you’re still interested.’
Two weeks later, Annie gave notice on both her job and her room and a few weeks after that, she moved into a studio apartment in Palmers Green and started her new job. It all happened so quickly that she barely even had time to consider whether she was making a monumental mistake by accepting a job that she didn’t know if she wanted from a woman she’d sold cinnamon buns to. But nothing ventured nothing gained, as her dad had said when she’d told him she was moving, and even now there wasn’t a week that went by when she wasn’t thankful that she’d taken the risk.
True to her word, Lil had trained her up, teaching her not just how to do the job but how to love it too. While other friends had adventured to the heart of metropolitan cities, beautiful beaches or foreign countries, she’d found happiness in the most unlikely of places. This small north London suburb had become the centre of her world, the place where she had found her career, her people, and the love of her life.
Annie had met Gabe a couple of years after she moved to Palmers Green. She and Brian were on their own in the office, gossiping when they should have been making follow-up calls, when he came in looking for a flat to rent. He had sat down at Brian’s desk, but as he flicked through property brochures, he kept glancing over at Annie. He was rugged-looking, with dark-brown hair and stubble, and he was older than her usual type, but there was something about him that drew Annie to him. They made eye contact a couple of times and she was so self-conscious that she hid behind her computer screen until he left, with a backwards glance towards her desk. As soon as he was gone, Brian turned around and observed her, eyebrows raised.
‘Someone wants to get in your pants,’ he said.
‘Oh leave it out, Bri, he’s a customer,’ she replied.
‘He’s my customer,’ Brian corrected. ‘Which means you can get nasty with him as much as you like, my dear.’
She threw a pen at him, hitting him in the chest. ‘Stop it.’
‘I will not stop it. He’s hot and you need some action. When was the last time you shagged anyone?’
Annie thought hard. ‘Before I moved here,’ she admitted reluctantly.
‘So, you need to sample the local delights. And he is dee-light-ful.’
Annie rolled her eyes and got on with her work, thinking no more of it. But a few days later, Brian came into the office after a day of viewings, looking as pleased as punch with himself. He glanced at Lil, who was on the phone, before sidling up to Annie’s desk, depositing a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it and looking at her pointedly.
‘What’s that?’ she asked.
‘Hot man’s phone number,’ he whispered.
‘Brian!’ Annie was horrified.
‘Oh calm down, it’s not a big deal. While I was showing him around a flat, I just happened to mention that you were single and ready to mingle, and he just happened to mention that he wouldn’t be averse to you having his number.’
‘I feel sick.’
‘Stop being such a drama queen,’ Brian hissed back and then started to move away as he noticed that Lil was looking at them suspiciously. ‘Just call him, for the love of God.’
That evening, after pacing around her flat in circles for thirty minutes, she sent him a text message and he replied immediately. She was so surprised by the speed of his response, having been accustomed to more elusive men, that she immediately declared him to be a serial killer and vowed not to reply. Ten minutes later, curiosity got the better of her. After a few messages back and forth, he hadn’t asked to meet her in a deserted alleyway or sent her photos of his intimate body parts, so she threw caution to the wind and agreed to meet him for a quick coffee. The coffee turned into a walk in the park, which turned into dinner, which turned into drinks, which turned into Annie moving into his flat three months later.
Gabe had just come out of a long-term relationship which had eventually fizzled out when, according to him, they both realised that they were still together out of habit rather than love. It hadn’t been ideal that they’d worked this out two weeks before their wedding day, but at least the feeling had been mutual, avoiding too much heartache. Although Annie wasn’t entirely sure that Gabe’s mother had forgiven him yet, especially as she had already bought her mother-of-the-groom outfit, which included an eye-wateringly expensive fascinator from Harrods.
Gabe had moved out and rented a flat while he and his ex sold the house they co-owned and divided the assets between them.
It was all exceedingly civilised, but Annie had still been hesitant when she realised that he had only been single for a matter of weeks. After just one date with him she already knew that she wanted to be more than a rebound and she was worried that she was heading for another fall. Yet there was something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on, but which made her feel in the pit of her stomach that men didn’t come better than this one.
The second time they met she had told him, with forced conviction, ‘I think it’s too early for you to start dating women again.’
‘You think I should date men?’
‘Ha bloody ha,’ she said, trying to remain serious. ‘You’re fresh out of a relationship. It’s too soon. Perhaps we should put the brakes on for now?’
But Gabe had shaken his head. ‘Meeting you has only reinforced how wrong things were between me and my ex. I’ve wasted years of my life being with someone I wasn’t really in love with. I’m not making the same mistake again. And you, Annie, are no mistake.’
‘I’m not sure,’ she said, with less conviction this time.
‘Well, I am.’ He looked into her eyes and her belly did a flip-flop.
I tried, she thought gleefully, and with that she shrugged off her fears and allowed herself to dive head first into the relationship, despite Brian’s protestations that he was only meant to be a cheeky one-night stand and she had, as usual, put far more effort in than was necessary. But it had been a risk worth taking because they were just as in love as ever and she couldn’t, and didn’t want to, ever imagine a world without Gabe. She knew that marriage was never going to be on the cards for them because it still gave Gabe the heebie-jeebies after his last experience of getting engaged, but they had always agreed that they wanted to have a family together.
Sometimes Annie still couldn’t believe it was finally happening. By this time tomorrow she would have had her first appointment at the hospital and would officially be a maternity patient or whatever it was that they called expectant mums. It was a booking-in appointment, her letter from the NHS had said. The letter was boring but she had read it over and over again, securing it with a magnet on the fridge so that she could look at it each morning when she opened the door to get milk. She had already googled everything there was to know about the appointment. The midwife would ask her a bunch of questions, do some tests, and send her on her way. The big appointment, the one that really mattered, was the scan in a couple of weeks; another gruelling fortnight to wait before they knew for sure whether the pregnancy was viable. But each appointment, each step forward, took their dream closer to reality.
