A Time to Love

Chapter 15

 'Do I look alright?' Sarah asked, gently pulling at her dress and running her hand down the front to flatten the creases, encasing the floor in sparkling dark blue glitter as she did.

'God, I'll have to get the hoover out again' she proclaimed, leaving no time for a breath as she spoke or allowing Zander to answer her previous question.

She squeezed past Zander, gently pushing her way through so he almost fell against the oven. 'Sarah' he held her wrist as she hurried past 'it's fine' he insisted. 'No one's going to notice and they won't care, even if they did.' Holding her against him, he placed a kiss on her cheek 'and you look stunning' his eyes stumbled across to her bare shoulder and he growled 'I might not be able to keep my hands to myself.'

Their lips were almost touching and tongues just about to wrestle but it was the sudden knock on the door that forced them apart. 'That'll be them' Zander pulled away urgently 'you can start setting the table. And relax, they'll love you.'

Sarah circled the table at least twice, her hands shaking as she laid the cutlery down.

'Mum, dad, this is Sarah'

She carefully wiped her hands on the outfit to clear the sweat away.

'Sarah this is dad, Michael and mum, Karen.'

Sarah dried the sweat particles off her hands again before taking up their offer of a handshake.

'It's lovely to meet you at last' Karen called ecstatically 'I've heard so much about you.'

Karen Riley looked much younger than the fifty years Zander had told Sarah she was, with no hint of her flaming red hair becoming grey. Despite having given birth to four children, there were no sign of stretchmarks or even the caesarean scar that Zander had explained was down to him on her body.

Her husband of thirty years was only one year her junior but had more tell-tale signs of ageing, his once black hair was receding, leaving him with a noticeable bald patch on the top of his head. The hair that remained had grey specks highlighting it.

'For god sake Karen, let the girl go. You're suffocating her' Michael scorned his wife when she pulled Sarah into her arms and held her tighter than even her own mother had. As soon as Karen released her grip, he hugged her just as tightly.

Sarah pulled each chair out from under the table when she was finally allowed her freedom from their appreciative grips and Zander took their jackets.

'Have a seat' she insisted 'dinner will be ready soon.'

'Oh yeah, what are we having?' Karen asked, sniffing around as she looked for clues.

'Roast chicken. Zan's been busy preparing it all day.'

They both chuckled to ease their nerves but the quiet that suddenly descended put their efforts to bed. For what felt like an age, the silence grew with only the clicking of Michael's fingers against the table being heard.

'I thought you were all coming' Zander eventually eased the tension as the absence of his three older sisters had just become apparent to him.

'The girls all decided to come together. Rachel was late home from work so Lily and Amanda stayed behind for her.'

An hour had passed before all seven of them sat around the table, sharing memories from Zander's babyhood to his youth. Each tale made Zander grimace and cringe but Sarah smiled and giggled at them all, adding an 'aww' after each one.