A Forever Family: Their Christmas Delivery. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ hours,’ he said. ‘Can I bring anything in for you?’

      ‘No, but you can light the candle, if you want. The matches are in the top drawer of the cupboard over there.’

      He lit the candle and sat down while she brought in the dishes.

      ‘This is fabulous,’ he said after the first taste of the polenta chips sprinkled with parmesan.

      ‘Thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve made these,’ she said.

      ‘You told me to make the time for doing something I love—that goes for you, too,’ he said gently.

      ‘I guess. I’ll make more of an effort in the new year, as long as you promise to do the same.’

      ‘I will,’ he agreed. ‘I’ve been thinking—do you reckon the baby’s mother picked our block of flats at random?’

      ‘Maybe,’ Amy said. ‘Are you thinking she didn’t?’

      ‘She rang your doorbell. That might’ve been chance—but supposing you knew her?’

      Amy shook her head. ‘That’s unlikely. I don’t know anyone who’s pregnant.’

      ‘But we think she’s young and scared, right?’ he asked, warming to his theory. ‘The chances are, she hid her pregnancy from just about everyone. But maybe she knew you from school.’

      ‘I didn’t recognise the handwriting, so I don’t think she’s anyone I teach,’ Amy said. She frowned. ‘But then again...’

      ‘What if she wrote the note with her non-writing hand?’ Josh suggested.

      ‘Or what if,’ Amy said slowly, ‘she’s someone I don’t teach, so I’ve never really seen her handwriting properly? Now I think about it, there’s a girl in my form who’s gone very quiet over the last few months. I did have a confidential word with her mum, but she said Freya was being difficult because her new partner had just moved in.’

      ‘It happens,’ Josh said. ‘How old is she?’

      ‘Fifteen.’

      ‘Then maybe, if she’s unhappy at home, she’s blotting it out with the help of a boyfriend.’

      ‘I don’t think she has a boyfriend,’ Amy said. ‘At least, not one who’s at school. You normally hear the kids talking and work out who’s seeing who.’

      ‘Does she look as if she’s put on weight?’

      Amy thought about it. ‘She always wears baggy clothes so it’s hard to tell. But, now you mention it, she does look as if she’s put on weight. I assumed she was comfort-eating because she was unhappy at home and I didn’t want to make her feel any worse by drawing attention to it. Teens are under such pressure when it comes to body image. I didn’t want to say something that would make her start starving herself. But I have noticed her dashing off to the loo in the middle of form time over the last term, and I was going to have a quiet word with her next term to check she didn’t have an eating disorder.’

      ‘Or maybe,’ Josh said, ‘she was dashing off to the loo because she was in the last trimester and the baby’s weight was putting pressure on her bladder.’

      ‘That’s a good point. But why didn’t she say anything to me?’

      ‘In the cases I’ve seen at work,’ Josh said, ‘where the mum’s under age and scared, she’s either been in denial about the situation or too scared to tell anyone in case she gets into trouble.’

      ‘That’s so sad,’ Amy said. ‘To be young and scared and not know where to go for help.’

      ‘She didn’t say anything to you,’ Josh said. ‘But it would make sense that she’d leave the baby with someone she knew would help and do the right thing for the baby.’

      ‘Agreed. But this is all speculation,’ she said. ‘We don’t have any proof.’

      ‘And we have to do this through the proper channels,’ Josh added. ‘If our theory’s right, then we could do more harm than good if we go rushing over to see her.’

      ‘Plus we don’t have a car seat or anyone to keep an eye on Hope while we go and see her,’ she agreed. ‘Jane, the social worker, will know the right way to go about this. We can talk to her about it.’

      ‘Tomorrow’s Sunday—Boxing Day—and then Monday and Tuesday are bank holidays, so she won’t be in the office for a few days,’ Josh pointed out.

      ‘She did give me her mobile number, but it was for emergencies—and, because this is a theory and we don’t have any real proof, it doesn’t really count as an emergency.’ Amy frowned. ‘I guess it’ll have to wait a few days.’

      ‘Or maybe you could text Jane tomorrow?’ he suggested. ‘Then she’ll have the information and she can decide if she wants to take it further any earlier.’

      ‘Good idea,’ she said.

      ‘I’m off duty tomorrow.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘It would’ve been nice to take the baby out to the park, but as she doesn’t have a coat and we don’t have a pram or even a sling, and there’s not going to be anywhere open tomorrow where we can buy something for her, I guess we’re stuck.’

      ‘It feels a bit like being snowbound,’ Amy said, ‘but without actually being snowed in.’

      ‘And you haven’t left your flat for two days.’ Guilt flooded through him. She’d had the majority of the burden of worrying about the baby. ‘Sorry, I should’ve thought of that earlier and suggested you went out to get some fresh air or something.’

      ‘No, it’s fine, but probably tomorrow I could do with some fresh air,’ she admitted, ‘if you don’t mind looking after Hope on your own for a few minutes.’

      ‘Sure. That’s no problem.’

      After dinner, they curled up on the sofa and watched the sci-fi film together. A couple of times, Josh’s hand accidentally brushed against Amy’s and he seriously considered letting his fingers curl round hers.

      But then again, she’d said she wasn’t ready for another relationship, and he knew his own head was still in a bit of a mess.

      He was definitely attracted to Amy. But how could he trust that love wouldn’t go wrong for him again, the way it had with Kelly? It was better to stick to just being friends. That would be safer for all of them.

      ‘I guess it’s time to get some sleep,’ Amy said when she’d fed Hope and noted everything down. ‘I’ll do the next feed.’

      ‘Sure?’

      ‘Sure. Feel free to leave the TV on as long as you want, though. You won’t be disturbing me.’

      ‘OK. I’ll get my duvet,’ he said.

      ‘Take my key with you,’ she said. ‘Merry Christmas, Josh.’

      ‘Merry Christmas, Amy.’

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