‘No,’ said Pearl, looking unconvinced. ‘The problem is with Louis, you know, I think he might be gifted and need, like, special help, and that’s just not always available in other schools …’
Caroline threw an arm around her shoulder.
‘Listen to you!’ she said, beaming with pride. ‘You sound like a Stoke Newington mother already.’
Helena gathered everyone round.
‘I can’t wait for Austin,’ she announced. ‘He’s always late. And thank you for all my gorgeous presents, we’re completely delighted, and thank you so much for letting us hold the baby shower here, Issy.’
Issy waved a tea towel modestly.
‘We have something for you. It’s taken for ever as Zac has been so overwhelmed with work.’
‘Thanks to you,’ said Zac, smoothing down his currently lime-green Mohican modestly. ‘But we have a little gift for you.’
Issy stepped forward as Helena gave her a large flat parcel. Opening it up, she gasped. In the familiar pretty pink pear-blossom livery of the Cupcake Café was a book that simply said Recipes. And inside were page after page compiled from the scraps of paper, the letters and typed notes, the screwed-up envelopes; everything Gramps had ever sent her – well, all the ones that worked as recipes – typeset and printed guidelines to every single cake in the Cupcake Café repertoire, all with Zac’s lovely floral designs down the margins.
‘So you can stop leaving them lying around the flat,’ explained Helena helpfully, handing back the originals too.
‘Oh,’ said Issy, too touched to speak. ‘Oh. He would have loved it. And I do too.’
The party continued late into the evening; Austin was late (Janet had warned her about this, when she had listed Austin’s bad points to her in what she said was a PA’s duty and Issy had felt much more resembled a delighted mother-in-law’s little chat), and they had a lovely baby carrier for Helena that they wanted to give her together. Issy had felt a complete fraud as they had wandered round John Lewis looking for something gorgeous, but once she’d got used to people saying, ‘Is that your boy climbing up there?’ she had quite enjoyed that too. Anywhere she found herself arm in arm with Austin, she realized, made it enjoyable. They’d even had quite good fun taking Darny in for that tetanus booster. She missed him, she thought impatiently. She missed him at the end of every day, and the second he left every morning, and she wanted to show him her beautiful book.
As the moon rose behind the houses, she finally caught sight of his tall, scruffy silhouette, and her heart jumped with love, as it always did.
‘Aus!’ she shouted, rushing outside. Darny shot out from behind him, yelled a hello to Issy then charged in to see Louis.
‘Darling girl,’ Austin said, somewhat absent-mindedly, holding her close and kissing her hair.
‘Where were you? I need you to see something.’
‘Ah, yes,’ he said. ‘I’ve had some news.’
He held up the carrier, which he’d clearly wrapped in the dark. ‘Shall we hand over the gift first?’
‘No!’ said Issy, forgetting about her own present. ‘News is news!’
The timer Austin had fixed to the fairy lights came on. Chester got up to close the shop curtains and waved at them. They waved back. The stumpy little tree glowed and became beautiful.
‘It’s the office,’ said Austin. ‘They’ve … well, apparently I’ve done quite well recently in one thing or another …’
It was true. Sometimes it was as if his handling of Graeme and the snatching of the girl of his dreams had acted like a wake-up call to Austin; a reminder to stop sleepwalking through his days; to get on and achieve something before it was too late. That, plus some subtle and not-so-subtle rearranging of his affairs by Issy, who preferred things neat and cosy at home, and had moved in in all but name, had given him a spring in his step and a sudden huge appetite for new deals and new opportunities.
‘Anyway … here’s the thing. They wanted to know if I’d like to go, um, abroad. Away.’
‘Away?’ said Issy, a cold fear clutching her guts. ‘Where?’
Austin shrugged. ‘I don’t know. They just said “overseas posting”. Somewhere near a good school for Darny.’
‘And an A&E,’ said Issy. ‘Oh gosh. Gosh!’
‘You know,’ said Austin, ‘I haven’t travelled that much.’ He looked at her expectantly.
Issy’s pretty face was grave, her brow a little furrowed.
‘Well, I suppose …’ said Issy, finally, ‘it could be time to expand the empire … internationally.’
Austin’s heart leapt.
‘You think?’ he said, delightedly. ‘Cor!’
‘Somewhere,’ reflected Issy, ‘where the bank managers are very receptive to bribes.’
They smiled at one another. Issy’s eyes were shining.
‘God, though, Austin. I mean, it is huge. Scary, and huge.’
‘Would it help,’ said Austin, ‘if I told you that I love you?’
‘Would you kiss me under the fairy lights while you say it?’ whispered Issy. ‘Then I think I’d follow you anywhere. Please let it not be Yemen.’
‘I do love Stokey,’ reflected Austin, later. ‘Though you know what? Maybe home is just wherever you and Darny are.’
And he kissed her hard, beneath the glowing branches of the little, stunted pear tree, already dreaming of spring.