Page 60 of We Three Kings

The hackles on the back of my neck stand to attention. ‘Crap, is she OK?’

‘She’s got a piece of Lego stuck up her ruddy nose. I’m frantic here. Nate’s on shift. I’m trying to find someone to sit with Paige and Harry so we all don’t have to traipse down there. Could you get over? Are you local?’

I sit there and look across at Leo. I hope he doesn’t think this call has been planned so I can make my escape. ‘Can you give me half an hour?’

‘LOVE YOU. THANK YOU!’

She hangs up the phone and I look across the table. ‘I may need to go.’

‘Is everything OK?’ he says, frowning.

‘A really good friend has to get her kid to the hospital. I have to help.’

‘Is she OK?’ he asks, and I swoon at how authentic his worry feels.

‘I hope so. I’m sorry,’ I explain.

He nods slowly, smiling. ‘Hey, I’ve waited four years for this. It’s all good.’ I don’t know where tonight would have led. I’d hoped for another kiss, maybe more, but maybe we take the time to make this work. Yet maybe the evening doesn’t have to end here.

‘Nonsense,’ I say getting out my purse. ‘Ask them for a box and get all your taxi apps working. You should come along too.’

TWENTY-ONE

‘Thank holy fuckballs you’re here,’ Gemma says as she opens the door, putting her coat on without really looking at me. ‘Nate is putting some warehouse fire out in East London,’ she tells me, rifling through her handbag, still not looking up. ‘And half my family are at the fucking pantomime tonight, sod’s law, no one’s picking up their phones…’

She suddenly looks up at the door where I stand, holding a brown paper bag and a pizza box. ‘I ruined your dinner, I’m so sorr—’ But then she clocks that there’s another person standing there on her tiled porch, arching her head round to take a look at him. ‘Leo…’ she says, having a lightbulb moment.

‘Yes?’ he says.

She clocks what may be happening here. ‘Leo! Were you both…? Dinner? Oh man. I’m an awful human.’

Leo steps forward to shake her hand. ‘Gemma, right?’

‘Yes,’ she tells him. ‘I only know your name because I’m a terrible stalker on social media.’ He laughs at her honesty, which is why we all love Gemma.

‘You’re not an awful human, you’re a mum and you have a little one in distress. No harm done. Where is she?’

Gemma leads us into the house, her eyes fixed on Leo, and we go into the living room with her manically decorated tree to find Bella in a onesie, curled on the sofa, the outside of her nose incredibly red. She sees me and reaches up for a hug. ‘I tried tweezers, getting her to blow out of one nostril but it’s really wedged up there. I think I may have pushed it in further,’ she cries. Leo puts an arm round my friend. ‘The lady on 111 says they’ll have to vacuum it out.’

The thought seems to make Bella more upset. ‘But what if they vacuum out my brain. Our vacuum cleaner sucks up socks sometimes,’ she cries.

‘It’s a tiny vacuum, the tube bit is almost like the size of a needle,’ Leo tells her, stooping down. ‘I once got a peanut stuck in my ear.’

‘How did it get in there?’ she asks.

‘I was saving it as a snack,’ he jokes. I smile to see him make her laugh and look over at Gemma who has a very unsubtle grin on her face.

Bella looks up him up and down. ‘Who are you?’

‘I’m Leo.’

She swings her head up to look at him. ‘You’re tall,’ she tells him and she looks over at me giggling.

‘Bells, we’ve got to go, sweetie. Harry is asleep but he’ll be up in an hour for a bottle. There’s some expressed milk in the freezer. Do you know what to do with that?’ she asks me.

‘Can I google it?’ I tell her, thinking back to all the times I’ve babysat before and there have been clearer instructions.

‘I can handle that,’ Leo informs her. ‘Are all the bottles sterilised?’

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