Page 85 of Only You

Andrew had let Suzie know about Eva’s reappearance. He put his mug down and ran a hand through his hair. “That good, huh?” Suzie added, laughing.

“She wants nothing to do with me, and she is right.”

“Who? Eva?” Suzie said, looking confused.

“No, Ana. I’m too old for her! She’s my daughter’s nanny. She’s also my ex-sister-in-law, my daughter’s aunt. To make matters worse, Eva is hanging around our house all the time. I can’t exactly tell her to go away, as Olivia has never been so happy. All I want to do is pull Ana into my arms and tell her I love her. That our night together was the best thing that has ever happened to me, but that is not the right thing to do! That is me being selfish.” The words flew out of Andrew’s mouth before he had time to put his brain into gear. Suzie sat opposite him, her mouth a gape.

“Oh, wow!” was all Suzie managed before taking a large gulp of her coffee. “I think I could do with a whiskey shot in here!”

Andrew laughed, “Sorry, you asked, and I over shared.”

“Nope, you obviously needed to share. What are you going to do?”

Andrew frowned. “Why aren’t you surprised?” he asked.

Suzie grinned, “Female intuition is a wonderful thing. Let’s you see what’s coming,” she said cryptically. Then obviously, took pity on him. “You have been talking about Ana for months. It was a matter of time - notifsomething was going to happen.”

Andrew groaned. Was he really that sad and obvious? An older man making a fool of himself over a younger woman. Had his life become a cliché?

“She won’t talk to me. Every time I’ve tried, she makes an excuse. Eva has told me I need to fight for her... but...”

“What? Let me get this straight... your ex-wife has told you to fight for a relationship with her sister? Well, that’s got to be a first,” Suzie said, settling herself back into the chair.

Andrew simply shook his head. He supposed it was unusual for someone’s ex to fight for their sibling to be in a relationship. Was Eva playing with him, or was she genuine? He didn’t have a reason to doubt her. She was trying to make amends. She had always been a straight talker.

“Well, I’m lost for words. I’m not sure what advice I can give. All I will say is, follow your heart. If you love Ana, then make her listen. Show her what she means to you.”

Andrew nodded. He had listened to Ana, but she hadn’t listened to him. Was she scared? Or did she not want to pursue their relationship? Had she seen their one night together as exactly that, a one-night stand? An itch that needed scratching. If he shared his feelings, what if she felt guilty and got back together because she felt obliged? Or worse, because she was worried he’d stop her from seeing Olivia.

Ana was young. She should go out with her friends… party. Could he really ask her to give that up to play wife and step-mum? She had her whole life ahead of her.

“I’ll think about it,” was all he could bring himself to say.

Chapter Fifty-six

Ana

Ana was late home. Eva had agreed to collect Olivia from school, so Ana used that as an excuse to stay away. The atmosphere between her and Andrew was still strained. Her hope of them returning to pre-Christmas had failed, and Ana was not sure how much more her stretched nerves could take. Millie and George had both told her she was stupid in not fighting for what she wanted, but every time she thought about it, she would see Olivia’s smiling face, and she could not bring herself to destroy a little girl’s happiness for her own selfish desires.

Ana smiled as she thought of Olivia. The troubled little girl was a thing of the past. Laura Grant, Olivia’s teacher, had told Eva and Andrew at parents’ evening how Olivia was blossoming. There had been no more issues with other children. Olivia was flourishing in her new environment. Ana had to admit listening to her speak was a joy. Where once the world had been full of shadows, Olivia’s world was now full of sunshine and rainbows, exactly how any seven-year-olds world should be.

Entering the house through the front door, Ana was shocked at how quiet it was. She knew they were home as Olivia’s bag was thrown on the floor by the front door. Ana automatically picked it up and hung it on the rack. She didn’t want a panic in the morning as they hunted for it. Ana could hear talking coming from the kitchen. She moved towards the door, not intending to eavesdrop, but something made her pause. She knew she should go downstairs to her room and get changed, but she couldn’t. A sixth sense told her to stop.

“That is great news. Thank you,” Ana heard Eva say to whoever was on the other end of the phone. “Of course, there are no issues with me moving. It will be an honour to join your team. I can’t wait to start.”

Ana’s heart hammered in her chest, and she stepped sideways as a wave of dizziness hit her hard. Ana tried to regulate her breathing by putting her hand out to steady herself. This could not be happening. Eva could not be thinking about leaving them, of turning around and abandoning Olivia and Andrew again. It sounded like she had another job offer. She had mentioned in passing that she was looking, but Ana had not really paid it much mind, thinking she would look close by. Ana rubbed her forehead hard. She could not let her sister do this. It would break the heart of the two people Ana loved the most. She thought her sister had changed, but she obviously hadn’t.

Ana heard Eva say goodbye and disconnected the call. Pushing her way into the kitchen, Ana faced off against her sister.

Ana looked over to find Eva smiling down at her phone. As if sensing her, Eva looked up, her smile growing even wider. “Just the person I wanted to see.”

A spike of anger rose inside her, and before she could stop herself, she was in front of her sister. “How could you!” she said.

Eva frowned. “How could I what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you know exactly ‘what’”.

Eva stood up and turned fully to face Ana. “No, I don’t, and if I did, I wouldn’t be asking.”