Under The Mistletoe. Kerry Barrett

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      ‘It’ll be okay,’ I said, eventually. ‘We’ll get through this.’

      ‘How?’ she wailed. ‘I couldn’t afford a week’s nappies, let alone a cot or pram on my current wages.’

      My eyes filled at the sight of sensible, level-headed Jess sobbing like I did at the wrong time of the month. I shook myself. Get a grip, for Jess’s sake. I focused, for a second, on the rows of cakes I’d made for Melissa. Like a herbalist or naturopath, I decided which was the best to lift Jess’s spirits.

      Which to choose? The Santa Coladas? No, not alcohol, in her condition. And was popping candy even safe, in the early stage of the pregnancy? Maybe Jess would be better off with the plain, un-iced cinnamon spice ones. After all, lots of women got bad indigestion when expecting a baby.

      ‘Here…’ I guided Jess to one of the stools and put the plate in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak.

      ‘Shh!’ I said. ‘Don’t talk. Just eat for a moment.’

      She sniffed loudly and, like a small child, did as I said. After a few mouthfuls, one solitary tear trickled down her cheek. But cakes were a girl’s best medicine – whether it was to comfort a broken heart or ease nerves before an important appointment. I poured myself a glass of water. I’d never seen Jess so angry, chucking flour into my mouth and colouring into my hair. At least it was red and not some way out colour like green or blue or … Blue? Wait a minute – had she even done a pregnancy test?

      There had to be some mistake, I thought, as I watched crumbs tumble down her chin. This was the girl who’d grilled Miss during school sex lessons and asked if two condoms were safer than one (the answer’s “no”, due to more friction). I passed her a square of kitchen roll as she ate the last mouthful.

      ‘You’re more in need of a tidy up,’ she said and wiped her mouth. ‘Sorry. I … don’t know what came over me.’

      I forced my lips to upturn before sliding the red food colouring down to the other end of the table. ‘Just in case.’

      She half-smiled back.

      ‘Have you done a test?’ I asked, gently.

      ‘Yes. I nipped to the chemist on my lunch break and bought one of those fancy kits that tells you how far gone you are – eight weeks, it said.’ Her voice wobbled. ‘I was sick again this morning at work. Thought nothing about it until Dalek gave me the evils and asked if there was something I needed to tell her.’

      Jess and her colleagues called Dana, their boss, Dalek behind her back, because, like those monsters from Doctor Who, she spoke in a flat, monotonous voice and made everything sound like a threat.

      ‘You were sick yesterday morning, right? But I thought that was some veggie burger you’d eaten?’

      ‘Obviously not. And I’ve taken up chewing gum the last month, because recently I’m always hungry. Then I remembered Mum saying that you’re supposed to get that pregnancy nesting instinct, when you go mad cleaning, towards the end, not the start like she always did.’

      ‘So?’

      ‘Me, cleaning Ryan’s bedroom on a Saturday morning? Usually not even I’m that keen. I obviously take after Mum.’

      ‘Right…’ Mustn’t ask about the dad; not yet. Don’t do it.

      ‘So now you know why I lost it… This house is more important than ever at the moment. When it was just me living at his, Ryan found it too much. He won’t want a mini-me hanging around as well. In any event, that bloke’s moving in and–’

      ‘You know I’m here for you. We’ll get through this. Together.’

      She shrugged. ‘I can manage on my own. I’ll have to.’

      ‘Don’t be silly. That’s what best friends are for.’

      ‘I said I’m fine,’ she snapped.

      I bit my lip. Okay, she was still in shock – as was I. A pit formed in the centre of my stomach. This was what Adam wanted – kids, a domestic future together. But even if I was married, with a regular job and mortgage to boot, the thoughts flashing through my mind of how Jess’s life was about to change, made me realise… I just wasn’t ready for any of that. An unsettling flutter in my chest made me question… Much as I wanted Adam back, in the long run, was it for the best?

      ‘Of course I’m going to help,’ I said firmly. ‘Haven’t we always looked out for each other? Like the time Mum was rushed into hospital with stomach ache. You met me there and supplied me with coffees whilst I listened to the doctors…’ They told her, for the hundredth time, to clean up her lifestyle.

      Jess’s voice broke. ‘Like when I broke up with Phil…’

      Hmm, her latest boyfriend and, I guessed, the imminent father.

      ‘You dropped everything and came round to Ryan’s. We spent the whole night talking, watching rubbish TV and eating popcorn.’ She bit her lip. ‘But this is different… My mess… I… I must stand on my own two feet.’

      ‘Well, I’ll always think of myself as the kid’s slightly bonkers aunt-in-waiting. Unless… I mean, you’ve still got options…’

      Jess bit her thumbnail.

      ‘There’s no need to rush into anything,’ I continued, gently, ‘but if–’

      ‘I’m having it.’

      As I knew she would. Jess kept stick insects as a child and, to her mum’s annoyance, wouldn’t even throw out the masses of eggs before they hatched.

      ‘Then, I’ll be with you every step of the way – even if you use those eco-friendly reusable nappies.’

      ‘I’ll be a very environmentally-friendly mum – especially as, on my budget, most of the baby’s stuff will have to come from secondhand shops.’ She gave another big sniff. ‘You don’t want a best mate who’s carrying a kid around the whole time. Admit it. You think I’m a joke.’ Her chin wobbled.

      I got up and put my arm around her, shards of pain piercing my chest as her eyes swelled, all red. If only I could wave a magic Harry Potter wand and turn back time a couple of months, for her. ‘This is hormones, Jess. You aren’t thinking straight. The rational you knows I’m one hundred percent behind you. And what about the dad…?’ Okay, I know I wasn’t going to mention him but the sooner Jess faced the realities of how she was going to manage financially, the better. ‘Whoever he is, I mean, not that I’m expecting you to confirm anything, but…’

      ‘Whoever he is? I can still reach that red food colouring,’ she muttered.

      She had a point. Phil was the only bloke it could be. Jess only slept with guys she’d fallen for and it wasn’t long since she’d split with Phil, the married bastard who’d promised to leave the wife when his twins grew up – they’d just started pre-school.

      ‘Will you tell your mum and dad?’ I asked.

      ‘Not yet.’

      ‘Ryan?’

СКАЧАТЬ