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Rita hesitated for a second, then tilted her head. ‘Actually… I’ve got a bit of a cheeky proposition for you.’

Chloe raised her eyebrows. ‘Go on…’

‘If I let you head off now, would you mind staying a bit later on the night of the harbour fireworks? Say until nine? Just babysitting, they’ll be in bed anyway.’

Chloe thought for a moment. ‘Yeah… that should be fine.’

‘I was thinking of going with Jago,’ Rita added. ‘Unless you were planning to go yourself, of course.’

‘No, my Alfie, he hates the bangs, so I wasn’t going to take him. No problem, that’s fine. I can do that.’

Then, with a small, slightly sheepish look, she added, ‘Although… cheekily… I’d rather do my hours and come back later to babysit. Also, would it be possible to sort a lift or a taxi home after as the buses will have stopped?’

Rita nodded at once. ‘Of course. I’ll drive you. Thanks, Chloe, I really appreciate it.’

Chloe glanced down at the sleeping bundles, who were starting to shift and stir, on the edge of waking. Without looking up, she added, ‘I’m just happy you believed in me.’

EIGHTEEN

Rita stood in the nursery, folding freshly washed baby-grows into a drawer while balancing the handset between her shoulder and ear. Kelly picked up in one ring. ‘Oh Rita, hello.’ Her usually bright Cockney twang sounding completely deflated.

‘Kel, what’s the matter?’

‘It’s my boy Dylan. He’s been sent on manoeuvres, something afoot in Cyprus evidently. Got to go to a carrier there and be on standby.’ Her breath hitched. ‘And well he hasn’t called me yet and I’m so worried.’

Rita stopped what she was doing and sat down.

‘Oh darling. I saw the news and wondered if he’d be involved.’

‘I just can’t think straight until I know.’ The woman let out a heavy sigh.

‘I understand.’ Rita drew in a slow breath, as though she could take some of the weight of it from her, hold it for a moment and let it go again more gently.

‘Are you alright, Reet, anyway.’

‘Yes… well kind of but it seems minor in comparison now.’

‘Everything relative,’ Kelly replied wisely. ‘Go on.’

She hesitated, then: ‘It’s Jago, he can’t keep his hands off me, going on about it. And then when it actually comes to it… he just falls asleep before so much as a fumble. And well I’m just as bad… I’m just worried that we will never have sex again and…’

Kelly snorted. ‘Welcome to my world of only getting a look-in if he gets his daily Wordle in three or less… and my old man doesn’t have to get up the crack of sparrow to milk cows, neither.’

Rita laughed too. ‘Well, what am I meant to think?’

‘That he’s tired,’ Kelly replied simply. ‘And that you have double trouble to look after. Not everything’s got a hidden meaning, you know.’ Her voice softened. ‘That man loves you, Rita, every bone of you. I know that. So do you really.’

‘I’ve just stopped breastfeeding. I forgot how hard that was, too.’

‘See, your hormones are having another laugh, too. It’s not you. You don’t suddenly become undesirable because he’s knackered.’

Rita stared ahead for a moment, then exhaled. ‘I hate that that’s where my mind goes.’

‘Yeah, well, tell your mind to wind its bleeding neck in.’

That pulled a proper smile from Rita, even if it didn’t quite reach her eyes. ‘I’ll try.’

‘We all write a cheque our body can’t cash sometimes. Think back to when you were pregnant.’