‘What the hell…’ Jack snapped. ‘What do you want now?’
‘Potatoes,’ Archie said. ‘I’m starving.’
Before anyone could argue, Archie dashed in and whipped the dish from the table. He ran for the stairs again with a derisive laugh as he went.
‘That’s it – he has to go,’ Jack muttered.
Phoebe winced. All the time Archie had been living with Jack she had wanted him to leave. But not like this. This wasn’t Jack. The Jack that Phoebe loved would never throw his brother out and no matter what Archie did, Phoebe wanted that wonderful, kind, forgiving Jack to be the one to deal with it, not this furious, reactive Jack who faced her now.
‘You can’t do that,’ Phoebe said quietly. ‘He needs you.’
‘What would you know?’ Carol cut in. ‘You think you have the answers?’
‘No, but –’
‘You’ve been with Jack for a few months and you think you know everything. You think you can cure Archie?’ Carol let out a scornful laugh. ‘I’d like to see you try.’
‘Well maybe I will,’ Phoebe replied stubbornly. ‘I think he just needs some focus and a little self-respect.’
‘And how do you propose to achieve this miracle?’ Carol asked coldly.
‘I’ll… I’ll talk to him. He needs someone to take an interest, to find out what he wants from life.’
‘Money to squander is the answer you’ll get.’
‘Perhaps. But you need to look deeper than that, at why he’s doing what he does.’
Phoebe glanced at Jack. He was gazing at her thoughtfully. He looked calmer, which she was thankful for, but he also looked hopeful, which worried her. She thought she knew what he was thinking. He believed that she might be able to get through to Archie and that what she’d said in irritation and self-defence to get back at Carol was something she actually believed was possible. There might be some truth in it, but where on earth did she begin trying to get through to someone like Jack’s brother? He wouldn’t open up to Jack or his parents so he certainly wasn’t going to pour his heart out to her, someone he seemed to have very little respect for.
‘I can’t make any promises,’ Phoebe said, pre-empting any request Jack might make for her to talk to Archie. ‘He might not even listen to me. In fact, he almost certainly won’t.’
‘But he might,’ Jack replied. ‘You’re neutral ground. And he likes you.’
There was a derisive snort from Carol that they both chose to ignore. Although Phoebe was inclined to agree with what it meant – she wasn’t sure Archie liked her at all. She suspected he tolerated her the way she tolerated him. If he did like her and had told Jack as much, he had a strange way of showing it. ‘Perhaps not such a good idea today, though,’ Jack added.
‘Probably not,’ Phoebe agreed with obvious relief in her voice.
Jack rubbed a hand through his hair. He gazed at the detritus of lunch littering the table and now rapidly cooling. ‘Do you think we can finish our meal without someone committing actual murder?’ There wasn’t a sound from upstairs – not a tap running, or footsteps on the landing – nothing. Phoebe could only assume Archie had fallen onto his bed and passed out.
Carol had already taken her seat and was arranging her napkin across her lap. The action was so ridiculously prim that Phoebe didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh out loud or slap the woman. If there was one thing putting her off a future with Jack it was his mother. Her thoughts wandered momentarily to the baby she was almost certain she was carrying. What would Carol make of that? Phoebe and Jack had been together for a little over six months now. But when Rebecca fell pregnant, even though she and Jack were still young, they had been together since school. Sometimes, when she reflected on the tragedy of Rebecca dying so young, she could understand why everyone worshipped her the way they did. A life cut short like that had a way of making a dent in the soul of all who knew them.
‘You want me to fetch Maria and your dad in?’ Phoebe asked.
Jack nodded. ‘I think the coast is clear.’
The rest of the meal was completed in an even more awkward silence than it had begun in. By the time Jack’s parents left, taking Maria with them to spend the night at their house, Phoebe really just wanted to go home too. Jack seemed a little hurt and offended when she announced her intentions, but she didn’t fancy a second round with Archie when he woke up and she explained this as subtly as she could.
‘You probably need to talk to him without me in the way,’ she said.
He tried to smile, pretending – not very well – to make light of the situation. ‘I’m more sensible when you’re here.’
‘I don’t think so. You can be more honest when I’m not here.’
There was a pause. ‘I thought…’ he began, ‘I thought you were going to talk to him…’
She shook her head slowly. ‘I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea after all. It was something I said in the heat of the moment but your mum was right. I’m not part of your family and it’s not for me to stick my nose in.’
‘She’s wrong…’ Jack took Phoebe into his arms as they stood in the hallway, trying to stop her from leaving. ‘You’re a part of my family and I want you to continue to be that. She’s going to have to get used to it and she will… All I ask is that you give her more time.’
‘I’d be surprised if she ever accepted me. I will try though, if only for you.’
Jack planted a tender kiss on her forehead. ‘Thank you. I’ll talk to her.’
‘God, no!’
‘I won’t make it obvious, don’t worry. And I won’t make it sound as if you’ve complained about her.’ He smiled. ‘I can do diplomacy, you know…’
‘Ok.’ Phoebe leaned into his embrace. ‘Good luck with that.’
Jack laughed. Phoebe could feel it vibrate through his chest as she lay her head against him. ‘You’re sure you won’t stay?’ he asked.
‘I…’ Phoebe paused. With his arms around her, holding her in a safe, warm bubble of love, she felt braver. She wanted to tell him the thing that was troubling her above all else – more than the family squabbles and the one-woman hate campaign – the thing she had been keeping back for fear of his reaction. But the moment passed as quickly as it had arrived and her courage left her. Perhaps, on reflection, this wasn’t the time. And perhaps she ought to be certain of the news before she announced it. If she was wrong, there was no point in stirring things up even more.
She looked up and kissed him. ‘I have some things to do. I’ll call you tomorrow.’
There was a chemist on her way home that kept out-of-hours opening for emergencies. As far as Phoebe could tell, her situation had now escalated into at least a minor emergency. It was time she took charge of her future.
*
Lunchtimes were always a rush, but this particular Monday was even more fraught than usual. Perhaps it was Phoebe’s agitated mood, or the extra work that Dixon had dumped on her desk without warning while he went off to a meeting with the editor of the Millrise Echo. Or perhaps it was the fact that Adam Hendry had been stalking the place like a cheetah waiting to separate a gazelle from the rest of the pack so that he could pounce, forcing Phoebe to hide in any room he wasn’t likely to be in as soon as Dixon left the premises. So, while it had been a relief to get out into the sunshine with Midnight when their break came, Phoebe wasn’t exactly relaxed.
As they stood at the cash machine, Phoebe punched in her pin and snatched the money from the slot, hardly giving it time to eject the notes.
‘Oooh, totally saw your number then,’ Midnight said, peering over Phoebe’s shoulder with a grin.
‘In that case you will have totally seen my bank balance,’ Phoebe said as she turned to face her, tucking the money into a purse, ‘which is poor enough but is certainly not going to be enhanced by the arrival of a baby.’ She started to walk in the direction of the imposing frontage of Hendry’s toy shop, clearly visible towering over the smaller buildings that hugged its s
hadow along the high street. The sight gave her that dull ache in her heart again. She wasn’t ready to give up all that she had worked so hard for, and would have continued to fight tooth and nail against competitors, financial difficulties, long hours, overbearing bosses – anything that was thrown at her. But how could she fight what was going on inside her own body? Whatever happened now, this baby was coming and despite her very mixed feelings, the alternative was unthinkable. She had new priorities now, ones that she hadn’t planned for and didn’t know how she felt about, but there was no shirking them. Everything was going to change, whether she liked it or not.
‘It’ll be alright, you know,’ Midnight said.
Phoebe eyed her silently, wondering whether she’d voiced her feelings out loud without realising or Midnight had actually read her thoughts. The day felt that kind of weird.
‘Loads of women carry on working with babies,’ Midnight added.
‘Yeah, I know that. But I’ll have to take a break, and just when we’re starting to turn things around for Hendry’s. I don’t want to miss anything. I won’t have to be off work for long before I’m out of the loop and not needed anymore, then they’ll never need me like they do now.’
‘They might get maternity cover in but it’ll probably be someone shit. I wouldn’t sweat it.’
‘It’s not just work,’ Phoebe continued. ‘My flat is hardly big enough for me let alone a baby and a whole load of weird and wonderful equipment.’
‘Can’t you move in with Mr Stalker?’ Midnight asked, a faint note of surprise in her voice.
‘He’s already got a house full. And I can’t say I’m enamoured with the idea of living with Archie, who isn’t going anywhere soon, as far as I can tell.’
‘Surely a baby will change all that?’
‘Maybe…’ Phoebe sounded unconvinced.
‘You could apply for a council house,’ Midnight said brightly.
‘I could, but they’re much further out of town and as I don’t have a car it would make life difficult. Not only that but I don’t think I’d like feeling that isolated. I thought about moving back in with mum and dad for a while, but I don’t know if I could stand my mum telling me how wrong I’m doing everything every time I change a nappy…’ she shuddered. ‘Ugh, listen to me… I’m actually talking about changing nappies.’
‘So?’ Midnight raised her eyebrows. ‘You will have to, you know.’
‘I just never saw myself as a mother. Not like this, anyway.’
‘But you are going to keep it?’
Phoebe looked at Midnight who was wearing the most serious and anxious expression Phoebe had ever seen on her face. It seemed that she really was concerned about the answer to the question.
‘Of course,’ Phoebe said. ‘There’s no question of me not keeping it. I suppose I just don’t feel ready.’
‘When are you going to tell Jack?’
‘I want to see the doctor first, get a midwife appointment and find out everything I need to know.’ Phoebe sighed. ‘I’m so bloody crap at keeping track of my not very reliable periods that I don’t know for sure how far gone I am. I wish I’d kept up with writing them on the calendar, but as it is, I need the midwife or a scan or something to tell me.’
‘You must have some idea.’
Phoebe shook her head. ‘Obviously I know I’m nowhere near full term and can’t possibly be more than about four months because me and Jack… well, you know…’
‘Yeah, yeah, I get it.’ Midnight glanced at Phoebe’s midriff. ‘I don’t think it’s many weeks at all because there is literally no bump yet.’
Phoebe looked down at herself. She was wearing a neat blouse and slacks – more or less her standard work kit now. She couldn’t see any difference either but she’d certainly felt the fabric pull a little more on her trousers this past week. She’d tried putting it down to contentment or too many of Jack’s cakes, but there was no denying the truth now. Two little blue lines and a sleepless Sunday night could testify to that.
‘I’ll know more later in the week, I suppose,’ Phoebe replied. ‘Please, Midnight, keep this to yourself until then.’
‘Of course I will. Aren’t you just a little bit excited, though?’
Phoebe thought about that for a moment as the front door of Hendry’s came into view. Was she excited? Was the sheer terror that had coloured her initial reaction masking the fact that the idea of having Jack’s baby was a tiny bit attractive? It was hard to tell.
‘God knows what I think. Right now, all I can think is that I hope Dixon is back from his meeting, because otherwise I might have to customise a light sabre from our new cosplay section to fight off unwanted attention this afternoon.’
‘Need any help with that?’ Midnight grinned.
‘The customisation or the unwanted attention?’
‘Both.’
‘I think I have it covered. I suppose I could just whisper the P word and he’d be off like a ferret down a pair of Y-fronts, but I’d better keep that to myself for the time being.’
Midnight lowered her voice as they entered the building. ‘You must be the only woman in the country who’d complain about the fact that Adam Hendry is trying to get off with you.’
‘It’s the getting off bit that worries me. I’d be concerned about a bit of chivalric wooing but getting off is a definite no.’
Midnight’s reply was cut short by the sight of Steve storming in their direction like a disgruntled headmaster. All he lacked was the funny hat and the cane.
‘Oh God, he’s on the warpath again,’ Midnight hissed.
Phoebe glanced at her watch. ‘You’re not late.’
‘It doesn’t matter with Steve. I’ve probably brought too much ozone back in with me or something and it’s against company policy.’
Phoebe laughed as she swerved off towards the stairs, leaving Midnight to deal with whatever barrage of abuse Steve was intent on launching at her. It was funny, but talking about it over the last half hour, away from the confines of work and with someone as neutral as Midnight had actually made her feel a lot brighter about her current situation. If only Midnight could weave her magic over the next eighteen years and make those as easy, bringing up a child would be a doddle.
*
When she reached her office, Dixon was still missing and Adam was swivelling in his seat from side to side as he pored over a spreadsheet on Dixon’s computer screen. At her entrance, he looked up and gave a rather too satisfied smile.
‘You’re here. I’d almost given up on you.’
‘I went for a quick walk; blow the cobwebs out – you know?’
‘Where did you go?’
For half a moment Phoebe was torn between telling him that it was none of his business and the truth that she had gone to draw the last of the money from an account that would not be topped up until payday, which was ten days away. She decided that he would probably struggle with either of those concepts.
‘It was such a nice day so I wandered down the high street and back.’
‘Ah… shopping, eh?’ he said in a voice that suggested he thought shopping was the only thing women did apart from cook, clean and bear children.
‘No. Just a walk.’ Phoebe wriggled out of her jacket and hung it on the old coat rack. ‘Is there something I can help you with?’
‘Actually, there is…’
As Phoebe sat at her desk he gave her such a penetrating look that she couldn’t help the violent blush that spread up from her neck. He wasn’t just undressing her with his eyes, he was clearing the desk and ravishing her on it. If she hadn’t already been pregnant it was the sort of look that might have done the job even from ten feet away. All she could bring herself to say in reply was, ‘Oh.’
‘I’m struggling to work out what Dixon is doing here…’ he inclined his head at the computer screen, ‘and I wondered if you could enlighten me.’
‘You want me to come and have a look?’ Something that involved standing close to Adam was
the last thing she wanted to do.
‘I’d appreciate it,’ he said.
Phoebe hesitated for a heartbeat before shuffling over. Leaving a respectable distance she peered over his shoulder. But then he moved his chair, ever so slightly and subtly, and closed the gap.
While he had never yet tried to repeat the kissing incident on the rooftop – what Midnight had christened Bat-Gate when Phoebe had filled her in – Adam had made his intentions towards Phoebe very clear. Any clearer would have involved him wearing a ruby-encrusted codpiece and carrying a huge sign saying: PHOEBE – GET IT HERE. She had stubbornly dismissed it at first, despite his blatant interest, but it was now so painfully obvious that she couldn’t deny it any longer. She just wished he would get the message that she wasn’t interested without having to offend or insult him. Even if she was interested (which she wasn’t, she kept reminding herself) she had a boyfriend and Adam knew that.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, that intoxicating scent of his clouded everything. God only knew where he bought this stuff but she was convinced that it was some voodoo doctor in a seedy backstreet in New Orleans rather than an actual shop, because it had the strangest effect on her. Was this part of his power? It seemed that every woman working in Hendry’s was attracted to him and even though Phoebe was not (she definitely was not) there was no doubt that his attention was extremely flattering. She just wished he would be attentive from a distance… Peru ought to do it.
‘See this column here…’ Adam pointed a finger at the screen. Damn, even his fingers were lean and muscular, his nails manicured to manly perfection. Phoebe blinked away the thought and concentrated on the computer monitor. She blinked again and wished she could concentrate on the finger once more. She had always been crap at spreadsheets and databases at school, unable to see the point and unable to care enough to try. She hoped that whatever followed wouldn’t be too difficult for her to understand or explain. She gave a tiny, silent nod. Adam looked at her.
‘Well?’
What was she supposed to be looking at? He seemed to be labouring under the impression that she knew what he meant.
Mishaps in Millrise: Parts 1-4 in one book – plus a little extra… Page 20