Free Dear Thing by Julie Cohen Page A

walking beside her down the stepped path. She looked breezy and cheerful in white trousers, spotless white pumps and a primrose-yellow top. Romily, as usual, had forgotten to do laundry and was wearing her last pair of black jeans and a green T-shirt with a hole in one sleeve. Claire’s face held no clue to her thoughts.
    Wouldn’t she be wondering why Romily had volunteered? What if she had worked it out and told Ben, and now they were going on this outing, which Ben had insisted on paying for, to pretend that everything was all rightbecause they felt so sorry for her and her unrequited love?
    The two of them. A united front. ‘Poor Romily,’ she pictured them saying this morning, in their sun-drenched kitchen, over fresh-brewed coffee and home-baked croissants. ‘Poor, deluded Romily. It’s a good idea to do something nice for her to show her there’s no hard feelings. Let’s include Posie so she’ll remember that she’s not all alone in the world. Even though Posie would just as soon have us for parents, and who can blame her?’
    Ouch.
    She hurried to catch up with Posie, but Ben slipped in front of her and swung the girl up onto his shoulders. They strode ahead, Posie giggling madly, leaving her with Claire.
    ‘Er …’ she said. ‘How’s your holiday going so far?’
    ‘Lovely,’ said Claire. ‘Yours?’
    ‘Not too bad.’
    ‘Nice day, isn’t it?’
    ‘Yes. Very nice.’
    There was no snarling, no spitting, no ‘stay away from my man’ vibe. Maybe all Claire was thinking about was her baby. Maybe she’d already refused the idea. She’d probably be worried that any baby genetically Romily’s would have an unhealthy interest in aphids.
    By the time they got to Pirates’ Landing, Romily was ready to scream. Ben hadn’t spoken a single word to her; he was entirely engaged with Posie, laughing, joking around, going on the rides with her and leaving Claire and Romily to stand there together, watching. Claire kept the conversation light and general, marvelling at the Lego reproductions of London and Paris.
    Finally, finally, Posie ran off to play on the pirate ship-shaped playground. Romily took her chance to escape andbuy them all cups of tea, and when she got back to the bench where they’d been sitting, she saw Ben exchange a look with Claire. They were holding hands, sitting close together.
    ‘We’ve got a few minutes now to talk,’ he said. ‘About the baby.’
    Relief. Yes, it was about that after all.
    ‘Great,’ said Romily. ‘So I suppose the question is, do you want me to have this baby for you or not?’ She gave them their paper cups, which were already starting to become mushy at the seams.
    ‘It’s an incredibly generous offer,’ said Claire.
    ‘It’s the single most amazing thing anyone has ever offered to do for us,’ said Ben.
    ‘Oh, well, it’s only nine months, right? What’s nine months in the scale of things?’
    ‘Do you really want to do it?’ asked Claire. ‘I know you told Ben you did, but I want to make completely certain that you’re willing. It’s a huge ask.’
    Romily looked from one to the other of them. They were so hopeful. They’d be brilliant parents.
    ‘Sure. Why not?’
    Both of them relaxed noticeably, as if they’d been holding the same breath together.
    ‘Thank you,’ said Claire.
    ‘No problem.’ Romily kicked her feet, trying to be casual. Posie was still safely occupied in the play park. ‘So how do we go about it, do you think?’
    ‘Well,’ said Claire. She was suddenly efficient. Much more like the Claire Romily knew. ‘If we’re doing this, we’ll do it properly. We’ll get you started on pre-natal vitamins right away, for a start.’
    ‘We can make an appointment to see Dr Wilson at the clinic,’ said Ben.
    ‘Why do I need to see a doctor?’ asked Romily.
    ‘To make sure you’re healthy,’ said Ben. ‘That your eggs are in good shape and there’s no reason for you not to get pregnant.’
    ‘A check-up.