‘I know, but we’d found each other completely by accident. It felt like serendipity.’ Struggling to explain, Hallie had waved her hands. ‘It felt right for all of us. As soon as I told Flo about Rory, she wanted to meet him too. So that was it, we arranged for all of us to go down to Bristol together. And we met up at Flo’s flat in Clifton. It was the most amazing day.’
And it really had been. Rory and Tasha had travelled down from London. She and Luke had driven from Carranford. Together they’d introduced themselves to Flo, all aware of the miraculous connection between them. Hallie had taken Flo’s hand and pressed it to her chest so she could feel the steady beat of Zander’s heart beneath her fingertips. Then they’d both felt Hallie’s old heart thudding away inside Rory’s ribcage.
And all thanks to Zander. Well, Zander and Flo, who had been so completely determined that his organs shouldn’t go to waste.
A bond had been forged between them on their first day together. Against all expectations, Flo had been as grateful to them as they’d been to her. By that evening, a friendship had been born and they’d stayed in touch ever since.
And now it was the twenty-eighth of April, a beautiful spring day and Rory McAndrew’s birthday. They were on their way to the party being held at his and Tasha’s flat, along with assorted friends and family.
Hallie said, ‘We’re in Hampstead. Nearly there now,’ and experienced a squiggle of excitement at the prospect of seeing them again.
And then they were there, on the doorstep, ringing the bell and being welcomed by Tasha.
‘Yay, you’re here!’ Tasha threw her arms around Hallie. ‘Rory, look!’
Rory appeared. ‘New-family! Come on in!’
He’d coined the phrase last year, linking them all together. Hallie hugged him and said, ‘Happy birthday. You’re looking fantastic.’
Rory’s green eyes sparkled. ‘You too. All good?’
Hallie, as had become their new-family ritual, pressed the flat of her hand against his chest and felt the bump-bump-bump of her own heart. ‘All very good. Oh wow, I can hear her already!’
They both turned to see Alexandra beaming and crowing ‘BABAAAGAADAAWOOOOO,’ as Joe carried her into the living room on his shoulders. Catching sight of Hallie and Luke, she raised her volume to the next level and wriggled to be allowed to reach them.
‘Here, you’re welcome,’ said Joe, as Hallie held her arms up to take her from him. ‘She’s bursting my eardrums.’
Now thirteen months old, Alexandra was a happy, noisy baby who rarely cried and who loved social occasions.
‘Good to see you getting into practice,’ Luke told Joe, because Carmel was now seven months pregnant.
‘Tell me about it.’ Joe grinned. ‘By June we’re not going to know what’s hit us.’
Hallie, cuddling Alexandra, inhaled the amazing baby smell of her fluffy dark hair. ‘Hello, beautiful! Look at you!’
‘Gadaboo,’ said Alexandra, reaching up to grab Hallie’s silver hooped earring.
‘Gadaboo to you too.’ Hallie pretended to bite Alexandra’s tiny fingers, making her squeal with laughter.
‘Now, has anyone seen a baby around here? Noisy little thing in a red onesie?’ Flo was threading her way across the crowded living room. ‘Ah, found her . . . Hallie, hello!’
They embraced fondly and Hallie said, ‘How are you doing?’
‘Great. She’s teething, by the way, so she might try to chew your hand. How was your holiday?’
‘We had the best time, didn’t we?’ Hallie turned to Luke, who had whisked her away on a surprise break to Venice in March. ‘It was brilliant; when Bea called and asked me where I was, I told her I was sitting at a café in St Mark’s Square being served a drink by a handsome waiter. And it was actually true.’
‘Ah, that’s fantastic. How’s work going?’
‘Oh, I love it so much. I get to boss Luke and Tess around and squeeze in extra appointments when I think the patients deserve them.’ Had it been nepotism, when the vacancy for a new part-time receptionist had come up at the surgery and she’d applied for the job? Ha, probably, but she’d made up for it since with dedication, efficiency and sheer hard work.
‘And how’s Bea?’
‘Same as ever.’ Hallie grinned, because they hadn’t only got to know each other; they were starting to know each other’s friends too. ‘She met a lovely man at the gym, spent weeks flirting with him over the rowing machines, then eventually he asked her out and she was so excited . . .’