Page 41 of The Three of Us
‘And my sister’s eighteen weeks preggers,’ says Miranda, all signs of fake ecstasy now completely gone, a grizzly toddler draped on her shoulder and kicking at her arm. ‘She’ll find out the sex in a fortnight, and she’s bound to want to do something a bit different to let us all know. And film it for Facebook. She loves all the attention, does Hannah. Can I give her one of your cards?’
‘In fact…’ Rosie says, slipping a small diary out of one of the pockets in her highly organised changing bag. ‘We’re thinking of having a party soon, at mine. We’re not exactly what you’d call religious types so we haven’t had a proper christening, but we’ve just found out that my husband’s parents and brother are coming over from Australia soon and they’ve not seen these two yet. How would you feel about making us a sort of non-christening, welcome-to-England, meet-the-babies cake? We’ve pencilled in…’ She flicks through the pages of the diary and settles on the page she wants. ‘Yes, here, the middle of October. Probably the Sunday, starting in the afternoon and into the evening. Does that give you enough time? We’ll be inviting the world and his wife, I expect, so it would have to be a pretty big cake! And, now you’ve put the idea in my head, let’s have it half pink and half blue, shall we? Or a rainbow of colours. I don’t fancy the traditional plain white churchy-type thing at all.’
Molly nods. She is overwhelmed at the response, from all of them. ‘I’d love that. Give me your number and we can talk about it. The design, the size, the price, and when and where to deliver it…’
Rosie taps her number into the phone Molly passes to her and hands it back, taking one of the business cards with Molly’s number on it. ‘I’ll stick it in my phone contacts later, but I’ve always preferred having things on paper. It’s the teacher in me! I’m on maternity leave, from this school actually.’ She waves her hand towards the school site across the road that they’ve all just come from. ‘Glutton for punishment, coming all the way back over here every fortnight, but there are no twins clubs nearer to home. Luckily, none of the kids have spotted me so far, although it being the summer holidays the last few times has helped. Be warned though, I’ll probably be marking your cakes out of ten when I get to taste them!’ She smiles. ‘Oh, I’m not serious, Molly. Don’t look so worried. I’m sure your baking is delicious.’
‘I’ll bring a few samples next time, shall I? I’d feel a bit of a fraud without letting you taste them before you order anything.’ Molly stops, embarrassed. She hardly knows these women but she is already assuming there will be a next time.
‘That would be lovely.’ Miranda’s eyes have glazed over again at the thought of treats to come. ‘We’d better not eat them in here though. It wouldn’t go down too well, I don’t think. Maybe we could meet in the park round the corner after the next TTC meeting, if the weather’s good? I think your antenatal class should be on the same day, Molly. It usually is. Bring a rug and a few sandwiches. And we can always get our coffees to take away.’
‘Sounds like a plan!’ Rosie says. ‘And I was hoping you might all come to the party as well. Kids too, of course. If we’ve got my husband’s friends and family there, it’s only right I should invite some of mine. Bring partners, if you want, although I’m sure some of them might not fancy a room full of strangers and screaming babies! The more the merrier though. I’ll bring proper invitations next time we meet. And, Molly, maybe you can come a bit early and bring the cake with you on the party day. What do you think?’
Molly thinks that all sounds just perfect. Cakes to make, new friends who have included her so instantly in their group, a picnic in the park to look forward to, and a baby helpline on tap. She really has had quite a wonderful morning.
Chapter 24
Jack
There is something different about Molly. She has a sort of glow about her. Jack wonders if it’s a pregnancy thing, a change in the hormones or whatever it is that kicks in once a woman’s body realises it’s got a baby on board. Whatever it is, she’s definitely happier, softly singing to herself as she stirs at the gloopy mixture in her bowl and watches it turn blue. There is an earlier batch, the same but pink, lined up on the kitchen counter, and a big unopened box of icing sugar that makes his tummy rumble at the thought of what delights are to come. If he only gets to lick out the bowls, he’ll be happy.
‘I hope I’ve made enough,’ she says, probably to herself, but he answers anyway.
‘Enough for what?’
‘I promised some samples, for a few possible customers. Cupcakes, mainly, but I thought I might try a few biscuits too.’
‘You’re giving them away? For free?’
‘That’s what sample generally means, Jack.’
‘You’ll never make any money that way.’
‘Speculate to accumulate.’
He has to admit she’s probably right, but he’s quite surprised to hear her talking like that. Like a real businesswoman, who might just know what she’s doing.
‘And can you spare a sample or two for me, do you think?’
‘If you’re good, I might.’ She gives him one of her sparkling smiles, with just a hint of naughty about it.
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he says, waving his hips in exaggerated circles. ‘And you know I’m good. It’s why you married me.’
She laughs out loud. ‘Big-head! Now get out of my kitchen and don’t come back until at least five minutes after the timer beeps.’
‘I know to keep my distance when you’ve got a bun in the oven!’
She picks up a tea towel and swipes it at him. ‘Not a bun. Cakes! There’s a difference, not that I’d expect you to know that, as all you do is eat them. Just give it time for them to cool down, that’s all.’
Molly’s bun in the oven is sixteen weeks old already and according to her list of fruit sizes has now reached the avocado stage. Jack has never eaten an avocado and isn’t sure he would recognise one if he saw one. The little fluttering movements she says she can feel in her belly are becoming more frequent. Sometimes she grabs at his hand and puts it there, hoping he can feel them too, but he’s never really sure if he can. Until he can see it and feel it, this baby is a lot more real to Molly than it is to him.
‘I’ll pop out for a pint then, if that’s okay with you?’ He puts his jacket on and checks the pocket for his wallet and keys. A long cool beer in a pub garden somewhere is just what he needs. And a bit of thinking time too. He always said he wouldn’t let work take over his life, that weekends were the time to get away from all that, but right now he finds he is thinking about it a lot of the time. The project, the deadline for getting it up and running, the dread of something going wrong.
‘Fine. But no getting drunk. You know the effect too much beer has on you.’ She looks down, pointedly, at his crotch area and shakes her head.
He kisses her on the cheek, dodging out of the way of her messy hands. How does she do that? Get the mixture all over herself, instead of keeping it in the bowl? Too much dipping and licking, probably. There is something faintly erotic about that thought, and he promises himself he really will have just the one pint and be back in time to sample whatever dipping and licking might be on offer tonight. It’s been a while.
He isn’t expecting to see anyone he knows. It’s not exactly the poshest of pubs but the only one in walking distance to have any decent outdoor space. Yet, as he takes his pint from the bar and goes through into the garden, there she is. The girl who works downstairs, the one who sits next to Carly. He thinks her name is Susan, but he can’t be sure. He remembers a meeting by the lift, when he had only been at Mandrake’s a couple of days and she had come up to him and introduced herself, although come on to him would probably be a more accurate description. There had been something a bit too obvious about her that day, as if she was sizing him up. Making sure she grabbed his attention. The new boy. Fresh meat. He hopes she isn’t going to do it again today, but there is someone with her, a bloke, so with luck he will be spared.