Falling for you

‘That you’ve gone up to London?’

Oliver gave her a measured look. ‘That I’m his father.’

‘Oh, right.’ Inwardly shrinking away from the prospect, Juliet nodded. ‘If you want me to.’

‘It’s not a question of that. Everyone knows now. We don’t have any choice.’ After a last look at Tiff, Oliver left.

While Tiff was asleep, Juliet phoned Jake from the call box in the corridor outside the ward. Less than twenty minutes later the doors of the ITU swung open and Jake burst in. Still exhausted but too elated to sleep herself, Juliet hastily rubbed her hands over her face and stumbled to her feet. The next moment she was wrapped in a rib-crushing embrace. Jake smelled deliciously of wood shavings and varnish and was wearing paint-smeared jeans.

Fresh paint, she discovered, gazing down at the streak of lilac on the front of her skirt.

As if it mattered.

Jake was grinning too. ‘Sorry, I just couldn’t wait. I had to come straight away. It’s the best news in the world.’

‘I know.’ Letting him go, her eyes filling with tears of joy all over again, Juliet watched him pull up a chair next to Tiff’s bed and gaze at the boy intently. Within seconds, as if by telepathy, Tiff’s eyes opened.

‘Jake! You’re here!’ Breaking into a broad smile of delight, he raised his thin arms a few inches from the bed. Careful not to dislodge the IV drips running into his arms, Jake gave him a hug. In return, Tiff’s left hand curled round Jake’s neck.

The look on each of their faces said it all; deeply moved, Juliet almost couldn’t bear to watch.

‘I’m here,’ said Jake, ‘and so are you. Now, Sophie’s desperate to see you but when your mum asked the doctors, they said it wasn’t a good idea. Not for another day or so, at least. But all you need to do is carry on getting better, then they’ll move you to the children’s ward. Once you’re there, Sophie will be able to come and see you as often as she wants.’

‘Has she missed me?’ Tiff looked pleased.

‘Absolutely. We’ve all missed you.’ Jake smoothed a lock of Tiff’s hair back from his forehead.

‘Nuala and Maddy are looking after your mum’s shop. When I went over to tell them you were getting better, they both cried.’ Jake shook his head in disgust. ‘What a bunch of girls.’

‘ Mum did too.’ Grinning, Tiff said, ‘Did you cry?’

‘Watch your language. We’re men,’ said Jake. ‘We never cry.’

‘It’s because we have willies,’ Tiff agreed, indicating Juliet with a knowing nod of his head. ‘And they haven’t.’

Jake stayed with Tiff while Juliet showered and changed into clean clothes. She put on the long turquoise dress and lilac cardigan Jake had brought along for her – not perfect, but it could have been a lot worse – and applied lipstick and mascara almost as if the nightmare of the last week had never happened.

‘Now, are you sure this is OK?’ Juliet asked Tiff for the hundredth time, ten minutes later.

‘It’s OK,’ Tiff patiently repeated, ‘I’m tired. I’m going to sleep in a minute. When I’m asleep, you and Jake are going out for something to eat, so if I wake up you won’t be here. But Mel will be here,’ he went on, beaming at his favourite nurse, ‘so it doesn’t matter. She’ll be like my babysitter.’

Cheerily, Mel said, ‘Better still, I’m free!’

Juliet wondered if all the nurses regarded her as a selfish, hopelessly neglectful mother, waltzing off to a restaurant leaving her fragile seven-year-old son all alone in his hospital bed.

‘Oh please,’ Mel tut-tutted good-naturedly, catching her look of anguish, ‘don’t even think it.

We’re sick of the sight of you! Off you go.’

‘ And Mel’s the boss,’ said Jake, whose idea it had been. ‘Do as she says or she’ll zap you with a defibrillator.’

‘Jake will have his phone with him,’ Juliet told Tiff. ‘If you want me, all they have to do is ring us. We can be back here in five minutes.’

‘Night, Mum.’

‘And we’ll be back in two hours, whatever happens.’ 'K,’ mumbled Tiff.

Oh God, how could she do this to him? How could she heartlessly abandon him? ‘Look,’ Juliet said in desperation, ‘if you’d rather we stayed—’

‘Mum?’

‘What darling? What is it?’

‘Could you not make so much noise?’ Tiff murmured. ‘I’m trying to go to sleep.’

Chapter 48

‘I can’t believe it. Posh plates,’ Juliet marvelled. ‘Wine glasses made out of real glass, cutlery that isn’t plastic.’

‘And candles,’ said Jake. ‘Major health and safety hazard if ever I saw one. It’s playing with fire, having candles at a table.’

Juliet smiled. He’d brought her to Romano’s, an Italian restaurant around the corner from Pulteney Bridge with a good reputation for food and an atmosphere lively and buzzy enough to allow them to talk without being overheard. She didn’t know if Jake had chosen it for this reason but she was glad to be here.

‘Speaking of playing with fire,’ Jake went on, ‘do you feel like telling me how it all happened?’

Juliet nodded. She owed him that much at least. If she was honest, she’d wanted to tell Jake for years.

‘I met Oliver when I was twenty-five. I was working for a catering company, providing directors’