Someone Like You (82 page)

‘You girls go into the sitting room and gossip,’ Doug said. ‘We’ll tidy up.’ He couldn’t resist kissing Leonie goodbye tenderly as she left.

‘Talk about lovebirds,’ teased Emma.

Leonie grinned fit to burst.

‘You’re looking pretty happy yourself,’ Hannah remarked to Emma.

It was her turn to beam. ‘Well, I have some exciting news for you, Hannah,’ Emma began. ‘Pete and I booked in for IVF treatment, we were due to start next month.

I’ve been taking my folk acid and doing yoga, you name it.’ She smiled. ‘I was the best prepared, hopeful candidate in the world. And, you wouldn’t believe it…’ She paused.

Hannah waited in disbelief. Leonie was smiling, she knew whatever Emma was about to say next, obviously.

‘I’m pregnant!’ Emma said happily. ‘Six weeks, that’s all. Most people wouldn’t have noticed, I’m sure. You know me, if I’m one day late, I buy a testing kit. But I didn’t this time. I never even thought of it at first but my boobs suddenly got so incredibly sensitive. It was amazing, my own personal pregnancy tester.’

‘That’s incredible,’ Hannah said, feeling the tears of joy in her eyes. ‘I’m so delighted for you.’

‘Thank you,’ beamed Emma. ‘I know what happened.

I stopped panicking about it. We were going to have IVF

and it was out of our hands. I had hope. I read that lots of people conceive naturally after going through the IVF

programme and not getting pregnant. It was a bit like that, really.

‘Elinor, my therapist, says I had lots of unresolved issues that were literally blocking out everything else. Once they were gone, I just got pregnant like that.’ She picked up Claudia and hugged her joyously. ‘I’m so happy, it’s fantastic.

The only sad thing is that Mum will never know her first grandchild.’

They were all silent for a moment.

‘How is she?’ Hannah asked, feeling guilty because she didn’t know what had been going on in Emma’s life.

She knew that AnneMarie was much worse and that she had carers looking after her a lot of the time, but that was it.

‘She has her good days and her bad days,’ Emma said.

‘She’s on a new Alzheimer drug and it has helped her, actually. She knows who we all are and she’s much calmer, but she’s going downhill,’ she paused sadly. ‘You have to learn to deal with it. It’s heart-breaking. But I think what’s been happening makes the baby even more special. It’s like we’re slowly losing my mother but gaining another person.

Death, rebirth, the whole cycle goes on and on.’

‘That sounds like the sort of thing Abby’s always saying,’

Leonie remarked.

‘You have to become a philosopher when you cope with illness,’ Emma explained. ‘Otherwise you’d go mad wondering, “Why her, why us?” You have to accept it and deal with it.’

‘I’m sorry I’ve been so out of touch with you,’ Hannah said, touching Emma’s hand gently. ‘You’ve been through so much and I wasn’t any help at all.’

Emma patted Hannah’s hand affectionately. ‘We’re friends, we’re not supposed to be joined at the hip,’ she said. ‘It was partly my fault, anyway,’ she admitted. ‘I couldn’t cope with you being pregnant with this little pet.’

She kissed the top of Claudia’s head. ‘That’s a terrible thing to have to admit, but I believe in saying what I think nowadays. Therapy,’ she pointed out, ‘is wonderful for that. The night you had Claudia, when Leonie rang me to tell me, I drank an entire bottle of red wine with misery.

I felt so hopeless. So I pushed you out of my life, Hannah.

I’m not proud of it but I’m going to make it up to you.’

‘You don’t have to make anything up to me,’ Hannah said genuinely. ‘But I can be of benefit to you. I’ve got some lovely maternity clothes you could borrow.’

‘I can’t wait to have to wear them,’ Emma sighed. ‘I keep turning sideways and looking at myself in the mirror to see if there’s a bump yet. I’m longing for a belly, stretch marks, you name it. I’ve waited so long for this baby. I want to exult in it.’

‘Is Pete over the moon?’ Hannah asked.

‘He’s already decorated the nursery,’ Emma grinned.

‘Only kidding! He’s bought paint, wallpaper and a Disney border, though.’

They all laughed.

‘If you want anyone to stencil an Egyptian motif in the nursery, don’t forget to ask me,’ Leonie said.

‘Of course,’ giggled Emma. ‘Nobody else knows, apart from Kirsten,’ she added. ‘We didn’t want to tell anyone until three months are up.’

‘Claudia needs friends now she’s going to be living here,’

Hannah said, taking the baby from Emma. ‘She and your little mite can be pals.’

‘If it’s a girl, they sure will be,’ Emma said fervently.

‘She’ll need her girlfriends. Where would I be without mine?’

‘Stuck in an Egyptian prison cell for murdering your father,’ teased Leonie.

‘Don’t remind me,’ Emma groaned. ‘Although he’s being very nice to me these days. Kirsten says it’s so I’ll continue doing his washing, but it’s a start.’

‘Maybe we should all go on holiday again soon,’ Leonie said thoughtfully. ‘Doug wants to go away.’

‘Italy,’ suggested Emma. ‘We could rent a house in the summer. With all of us, it would work out quite cheap.

Pete and I will be economizing, I’m afraid.’

The too,’ said Hannah. ‘I can’t see Felix being reliable when it comes to maintenance money for Claudia.’

‘David’s well off, isn’t he?’ said Emma archly.

Hannah scowled at her. ‘I’ve only just left my husband,’

she said, ‘don’t go setting me up with strange men. It’s a bit soon.’

Emma and Leonie exchanged glances.

‘I think I’ll ask that nice David if he fancies a holiday this year,’ Emma said. ‘Those villas are cheaper if you have lots of people going. I’m sure somebody will let him bunk down in their bedroom.’

Hannah threw a cushion at her.

‘I swear, I am never going on holiday with you two again,’ she insisted.

The next morning was sunny but the ground was frosty.

The tyres of David’s car crunched on the gravel as he drove out of Leonie’s.

‘I shouldn’t be letting you do this,’ Hannah said. ‘It’s a hell of a long drive to Connemara and you’re missing more work.’

‘Four hours at the most,’ David replied, eyes on the road, it’s only half eight, we’ll be there in time for lunch.’

‘That’s only the journey down. I feel terrible about this.

I could have got the train,’ she said. ‘Claudia is a great traveller,’ she lied.

‘I wanted to drive you,’ David said.

‘You didn’t need to,’ she answered.

‘Hannah, why do you think I’m doing this?’ he demanded. ‘Why did I come to the airport? Because I’m crazy about you, that’s why.’

‘Stop the car,’ she commanded.

Surprised, David pulled over on to the grass verge.

Claudia, who’d been asleep in the car seat Leonie had dug out of the attic, woke up and began to bawl.

‘You get used to it,’ Hannah remarked as the wails increased. Then she leaned over and kissed David firmly on the mouth. In an instant, his arms were around her and he was kissing her back furiously. He tasted wonderful and he felt wonderful too. Different from Felix. Solid and comforting, the way she’d known he would be. His mouth was soft but not gentle, he kissed passionately, intensely.

Hannah felt herself melt in response.

She pulled away reluctantly and stared at him.

it’s going to take time,’ she warned. ‘I’ve left Felix but he still hasn’t left me, if you know what I mean. I can’t forget about him in an instant.’

‘We can take it slowly,’ David said, eyes roaming over her face lovingly.

‘Really slowly,’ she repeated.

‘Like this.’ David pulled her into his arms again and lowered his mouth to hers. Claudia roared louder. ‘You’re right,’ he said in wonder, stopping kissing her for a moment, ‘you do get used to it.’