Dear Darling by Elle McKenzie Page A

me. “Don’t make it obvious.” Sitting up straight in my seat, I pretended to look around for a waiter as I glanced towards the bar and spotted the man with blonde hair staring at us. My brain tried to remember if I knew him, but it came up blank.
    “Nope, I haven’t a clue.”
    “He’s been staring at us for the last twenty minutes. It’s starting to creep me out.” I laughed at my over-reacting husband.
    “Ignore him. He’s probably some weirdo.”
    “He probably fancies you, I wouldn’t blame him.” Eli grinned. I laughed as we placed out dessert orders and when the plate was placed in front of me moments later, I forgot all about the creepy man staring at us. It was delicious.
    “I’ll call Jodie to make sure everything’s all right before we go to the party,” I said as I finished the last bite. Even though I knew that he would be okay, the mum in me worried. We were due at one of the clubs in town for the annual New Year’s Eve party, which Eli’s work hosted. Some of the people that Eli worked with weren’t the type of people that I’d expect to go out partying, but I had promised Eli that I would try to mingle with his work colleagues.
    “You need to relax, babe. Jodie and Aaron know how to look after a baby, they’ll be fine.”
    “I know that, I just need to check.” Leaving Eli to pay the bill, I went outside to use the phone. It was a cold evening, so I threw my wrap around my shoulders to shelter me from the winds chill. The clouds were clearing and you could just see the stars starting to appear from behind them. I always made a point to look up at the sky, it reminded me of my husband and always made me smile. Jodie picked up the phone on the first ring and I sighed in relief.
    “Why are you calling? You should be out having fun,” Jodie scolded.
    “I wanted—”
    “You want to make sure that I could look after your son?” she interrupted me.
    “I know you can, but I just wanted to see if he was okay. He can be a fussy sleeper.”
    “He’s fine, sound asleep. Now, go and enjoy yourself. I don’t want you calling again.” I could hear the smile in her voice as she hung up the phone, leaving me talking to myself.
    “Are you ready?” Eli asked as he exited the doors.
    “Yep, Sam’s fine.”
    “I told you, didn’t I?” He smirked, putting his arm around me, as we walked the few short blocks towards the party.
    Arriving at the nightclub, we were greeted by a man who took our invitation and directed us up towards the VIP area on the second floor. The party was already in full swing by the time we got there, and lots of people milled about, talking to each other loudly.
    “Eli, I don’t know anyone,” I said, clinging to his arm tighter.
    “You’ll be fine. There are plenty of wives here that you can talk to. Most are in the same boat. Don’t worry.” I hadn’t spoken to anyone outside of my friends and family in such a long time. I had become a recluse since having Sam. Straightening my shoulders, Eli walked us towards a group of people.
    “Hey everyone. This is my wife, Saffy,” he introduced me. They all introduced themselves, but only one of them stood out to me. Elaine seemed genuinely nice and looked nervous and out of place, a lot like myself.
    As the night went on, Eli became more and more preoccupied by his work colleagues and work talk. I didn’t know anything about molecular oxygen in space, or the Orion Nebula and the Rho Ophiuchi cloud. To me, it was all foreign.
    I glanced over my shoulder to Elaine, who was sitting at the bar looking bored. Her glass was balanced on her knee with one hand as she wrapped her long blonde hair around her fingers of her other hand staring into space.
    “I’m going to the bar,” I nudged Eli, but he was too engrossed in his conversation to notice me. Rolling my eyes, I headed to grab a drink.
    “Can I have a large vodka, please?” I asked the bartender, desperately needing a drink.
    “You sound like I feel,”