A good sport, the waiter smiled at Peony and gave a thumbs up, then stayed to take their dessert orders before heading to the kitchen.
“Surely you can have one glass of champagne,” said Spencer.
“I could. But I’m not taking any chances,” said Peony.
Spencer’s mother nodded her approval before folding her napkin onto the table, and insisting on swapping places with Garrett. Finally their mother had a project she could get her teeth into—a new grandchild on the way. Spencer felt happy for her. With the three men of the house sitting together, Garrett got the grilling he thoroughly deserved.
“You know the saying, Garrett?” said Spencer, enjoying his brother’s discomfort. “A baby is for life, not just for Christmas. You’re going to have to step up your game.”
“I know that,” said Garrett, scowling at Spencer.
“And are you going to make an honest woman of her before the baby arrives?” asked their father. “Or are you happy to bring your child into this world without—”
“Dad! Please!” said Garrett, looking over his father’s shoulder. “We haven’t thought that far ahead. Where’s that bloody champagne?”
“Well, you’d betterstartthinking ahead. April is just around the corner. Now I’ve got something really important I need to ask. Are you paying attention?”
Poor Garrett squeezed his eyes closed and, while pinching the bridge of his nose, bobbed his head twice.
“How would you feel about me going ahead with that roof extension? Give you both your own double bedroom and private bathroom, as well as a small adjacent room you can use as a nursery?”
Garrett’s eyes shot open and even Spencer felt the sting of tears. Maybe their father didn’t speak very often, but when he did, he usually had something huge to say.
“You would do that for us?”
“I’ve been wanting to do the extension for ages. But your mother quite rightly said we didn’t need the extra space with only you at home and Spencer living in London. Now I have a legitimate excuse and I think your mother will be completely on board.”
“I would love that. But let me contribute this time, Dad.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be using you boys’ inheritance to pay for the renovations, so consider this payment in advance. Honestly, in all the time we’ve lived down here, I’ve never seen your mother look so happy. And you know how I am when I’ve got a project on the go. Ah, here are the drinks. Let’s have that toast.”
* * * *
Without a break in the weather, they spent the rest of the day at home. Peony and Spencer’s mother sat in the kitchen talking about all things babies, while the men watched replays of football matches—football without padding—on one of Garrett’s many sports channels. His father lasted all of an hour before he fell asleep in an armchair.
Spencer sat back and marvelled at his family. Life in the Wyrrell family usually cruised along on smooth waters, but when surprises came they were often showstoppers, like their parents’ move to the coast. And now his brother, someone he had fairly—or unfairly—considered too immature to hold downa relationship, was about to bring a child into the world. In a strange way, he felt jealous of the change Garrett and Peony would have in their lives, of the love and hugs the child would receive from his parents.
Only Spencer appeared immune to the Wyrrell good fortune, although he could hardly complain. After a dinner of grilled cheese on toast and a mug of tea, he lay awake in his room, contemplating the day and wondering when the universe would finally wake up and include him in its plan.
He didn’t have long to wait.
Chapter Seven
On Sunday morning, he awoke to a quiet house with only the distant thrum of traffic outside the bedroom window. Unsurprisingly, considering their choice of supper the night before, he’d had nightmares and had woken startled a couple of times. Garrett had insisted on an evening of toasted cheese sandwiches and horror flicks to accompany the continued stormy weather. The evening had culminated in an old classic calledDon’t Look Now, about a married couple who travelled to Venice after the husband was commissioned to supervise the restoration work on a Venetian church. Spencer had seen the film before, but had still managed to get hooked into the suspense, particularly on the husband’s sightings of his dead daughter in the red cloak, which had made his skin prickle. And every time he had gasped aloud in shock at one scene or another, he’d turned to find Peony and Garrett staring at him, trying hard to stifle their giggles.
Right now he felt tired and brittle from broken sleep. After using the bathroom, he packed up his weekend bag then headed into the breakfast area. His bespectacled mother sat at the kitchen island reading newspapers, one hand cradling her head, the other wrapped around a coffee mug. The sight made him smile.
Nice and quiet, business as usual after yesterday’s earth-shattering announcement. With both his parents avid newspaper readers, Sunday mornings had always felt like a safe haven of calm in their household.
“Where are the boys?” he asked. “Still sleeping?”
“They decided to go for a bike ride,” she said, still scanning the newspaper. “Seeing as the weather’s improved.”
“Oh. I see,” said Spencer. He had tried to avoid mention of his father’s motorcycle purchase. For some reason, she didn’t seem annoyed and picked up on his response.
“I know,” she said, looking up and giving him a knowing look. “I don’t really approve, darling, but if it means your father and Garrett having male bonding time together, who am I to complain?”
“I suppose. As long as they’re careful. I wonder how Peony feels about the father-to-be of her child out on his bike after a day of heavy rain.”
