‘I did.’
‘You did
‘Jake, I clearly remember-’
‘It was a toy elephant. His name was Dolph, short for Dolphin.’
‘Why did we call him Dolphin?’
‘Because he was an elephant,’ Jake explained patiently.
‘Well, I guess that figures. But I’m sure a giraffe came into it somewhere.’
‘Now you’re just confusing things,’ he said severely. ‘It was definitely Dolph the elephant. I know because I- because its trunk was always wonky after that.’
She barely registered his verbal stumble as they laughed together. Then Kelly said firmly, ‘It’ll be all right this time. Carl says one of his sisters miscarried the first time, then went on to have three healthy babies.’
His smile faded. ‘You talk to Carl about this?’
Something tense in his voice made her bristle. ‘Any reason why not?’
‘No, no,’ he said quickly. ‘It just seems odd, talking babies with your professor.’
She would have explained about Carl’s family and all his baby sitting experience, but Jake suddenly said, ‘Maybe it’s time we went home.’ And the moment was gone.
One day Kelly arrived home early from college. Jake was in his room, but appeared as soon as he heard her. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked quickly.
‘I’m fine.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Why shouldn’t I be?’
‘Because you’re not usually home at this time?’
‘There were no lectures for the rest of today.’
‘And that’s all?’
The worry on his face touched her. ‘Jake, it’s all right. There’s no sign of a miscarriage.’
‘But it would be about now, wouldn’t it? After all-’ Jake’s words ran down. There was no way of asking exactly how pregnant she was. If the baby had been conceived on the night of the party, she was approaching the crucial time. By tortuous argument he’d half convinced himself that the child was his, but she had never confirmed it, and he was too proud to demand a straight answer.
She might already have been pregnant that night, and now be already past the danger point. But would she have allowed him into her bed if there was another man? He knew she’d changed, but that much? The thought gave him a strange pain over his heart.
‘I wouldn’t like you to suffer again,’ he said harshly. ‘That’s all. No need to make a fuss about it.’
‘No,’ she agreed. ‘I’m fine. Shall I get you something to eat?’
‘I’ll get it. Why don’t you lie down for a while?’
‘OK, I’ll lie on the sofa for a few minutes. Thank you.’
It really was pleasant to stretch out and be waited on, although she was feeling well and strong. She closed her eyes and listened to the little sounds Jake made in the kitchen. She grew dozy, and was barely conscious of his muttered, ‘Damn! No milk!’, followed by the front door opening and closing. She might have completely sunk into sleep but for the shrilling of Jake’s mobile phone. Yawning, she answered it and found herself talking to Olympia.
‘I’m afraid Jake isn’t here at the moment,’ she said pleasantly. ‘Can I get him to call you back?’
‘No need for that. Just to confirm about tonight, eight-thirty at my apartment. Can you remember that?’
‘I’ll try,’ Kelly said humbly. ‘If I have difficulty I could always write it down, couldn’t I?’
Olympia snorted and hung up.
When Jake returned with milk a few moments later Kelly was at the table unpacking her books. ‘Don’t forget you have a date with Olympia tonight,’ she said.
‘Have I?’
‘She called to remind you that it’s eight-thirty at her apartment.’
Jake stared. ‘I never made any arrangement with her for tonight.’
‘Well, you seem to have one now.’
‘You had no right to make a date for me,’ he said, outraged.
‘From the way she spoke I thought it was all fixed.’ A tiny inspired devil made Kelly add, ‘She was very concerned about your welfare. Kept asking me if you’d recovered all your strength yet.’ She added casually, ‘I told her I thought you probably had, although I couldn’t swear to it.’
‘You made that up.’
She looked at him. ‘Sure of that?’
‘Kelly, believe me I’ll wring your neck one of these days.’
‘What are you getting worked up about? It doesn’t matter to me any more. We’re both free agents.’
He resisted the temptation to burst out,
But he stayed silent. What could he say?
After a while he said grumpily, ‘I’m not going out. Something might happen.’
‘Why should it? I’ve been well all day.’
‘At college, surrounded by people to watch out for you. I’m not leaving you alone.’
‘You just did.’
‘That was ten minutes to get some milk. I’m talking about your being alone for hours.’
‘You’re being absurd, you know that?’
‘All right, all right. You don’t need to shout.’
‘I do need to shout, Kelly, because if I don’t shout you don’t hear.’
Her temper flared. ‘That’s rich, coming from the man who turned creative deafness into an art.’
‘I’m not arguing. I’ll just call Olympia back and put her off, and then the subject’s closed.’
‘Who says it’s closed?’ He didn’t answer.
‘I can’t hear you. I’ve gone creatively deaf. Remember, you’re dealing with the man who turned it into an art.’
She fumed while he made the call. She wasn’t sure why she’d suddenly got mad. Perhaps she was trying to deny the pleasure that had caught her off guard at his protectiveness. Enough! It was too late for that. Anger was safer.
Jake made an exasperated sound. ‘She’s turned her mobile off,’ he grunted. ‘Never mind, she’ll be at the studio.’ He called the studio and gave Olympia’s name.
After an impatient pause he said, ‘Do you know where she went?-all right, if she calls in, ask her to contact me urgently. Say there’s a problem about tonight.’
‘I wish you’d go,’ Kelly said, following him into the kitchen. ‘I’ve got an essay about ancient Egypt, and you’ll be in the way.’
‘I’ll be as quiet as a mouse. Anyway, I can’t go out now that I’ve cancelled.’
‘You haven’t cancelled. You never reached Olympia.’
‘She’ll understand as soon as she gets that message.’
‘I don’t think she
‘Nonsense. Why shouldn’t she?’
But she judged it wiser to stay silent. She could be wrong. Olympia might be an honest woman, sincerely in love with Jake, wanting only what was best for him.
And pigs might fly!
As the minutes slipped by he kept looking at his watch, growing impatient. The phone stayed silent.
‘I’m not doing anything.’
‘You’re hovering.’
