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I look back. “Yeah?”
She wrinkles her nose at me. “Thank you.”
I smile, then go out, leaving the door open so I can hear her if she calls out.
I walk through to the kitchen, trying not to think about her pale breasts as the bubbles slid over them. What shall I make her? I open the freezer and spot the box of hoki fish fingers in batter. Oh yeah. One of my favorite snacks Mum used to make Kip and me when we were kids.
As the grill heats up, I butter a few slices of bread, then grill the fish fingers on both sides until they’re cooked and crunchy. While I wait, I text Kennedy, then Dad, telling them what’s happened. Dad comes back with:Thanks for keeping us in the loop. So glad she’s with you and she’s okay. Let us know if we can do anything. Kennedy replies with:I’m so glad! I thought I might call in tomorrow morning with a few maternity bits for her, what do you think?I reply with:Sounds great, thanks Ken xand she says:I’ll be there around ten x
I retrieve a jar of tartar sauce from the fridge, then frown and look at it. Can pregnant women eat tartar sauce? I Google it and discover it’s okay as long as it’s made with pasteurized eggs, but I decide I’m not going to risk it. Instead, I find a recipe that includes Greek-style natural yogurt, horseradish sauce, and chives, and make the sauce. I spread it on the slices of bread, add the fish fingers and some rocket leaves, and top with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Putting them on two plates, and collecting two water bottles, I bring the whole lot through to the living room.Tomorrow Never Knowshas just finished, so I turn the record over, setTaxmanplaying, and take the plates through to the bathroom.
She’s still immersed in the bubbles, head resting on the towel, but she opens her eyes as I go in.
“Snack,” I say, sinking to my knees by the bath. I offer her the plate.
She lifts her hands out of the water. “What is it?”
“A fish finger sandwich.”
“Ooh.” Her hands covered in bubbles, she lifts one of the sandwiches and takes a big bite. “Oh, damn, that’s good.”
I have a bite of my own. “Mm. Yeah.” I have a tray that spans the bath I use for a whisky and a book, and I pull it up and put her plate on it with a bottle of water. “Lean forward,” I tell her. “I’ll scrub your back.”
She meets my eyes. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” I lean on the side of the bath. “You’ve come to the palace, Cinderella. You’re going to have to get used to being treated like a princess.”
She blinks a few times. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I thought I always had to explain myself.”
“On this occasion, I’ll let it slide. Lean forward.” I hold out a hand for her to grab, and I pull her up. She takes her sandwich and has another bite as I dip a sponge into the water, then begin to soap her back.
While she eats the sandwich, I hum along toEleanor Rigby, and slowly pass the sponge over her freckled skin. I can see how thin she’s gotten, and I promise myself that she’s going to look very different by the time the twins are born. At least she’s stopped shaking now.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you today,” I say softly, squeezing the sponge so the water trickles over her shoulders. “At the clinic, I mean. That must have been very overwhelming.”
“There was a lot of information,” she says. “And so much of it I didn’t understand. I was too embarrassed to say so.”
“I’ll make another appointment with Mathew, and I’ll go with you, and we’ll go through everything step by step. Don’t worry. We’ll do it all together. I don’t know as much about pregnancy and childbirth as you think. Most of my work has been involved with IVF and conception.” It’s not strictly true, but I certainly don’t know everything, and anyway it’s different when it’s your own partner and children.
“Okay,” she says.
I brush the sponge down her spine, and she closes her eyes.
“Is that nice?” I say.
“Mmm.” She sighs.
So I do it again, washing up and down her back, while the song changes toI’m Only Sleepingand I can see she’s growing tired.
“Do you want me to wash your hair?” I ask.
Her green eyes study me, and then she gives a small nod. She lifts her hands to her hair and takes out the elastic and clips holding it up, then lets the red strands fall around her shoulders.
