Free The Fallout by Tamar Cohen Page A

September to be out during the week. Silly man. He knows she doesn’t need a lot of sleep. She’s not that sort of child.”
    â€œYes, but Lily does,” Hannah informed her, much to Josh’s relief.
    Sasha frowned.
    â€œI do think it might be good for Lily not to be quite so regimented,” she said. “Otherwise how is she ever going to learn to cope with change? She’s such a nervous little thing as it is.”
    Josh opened his mouth to speak, but Hannah glared at him and instead he counted to ten in his head, waiting for his irritation to subside.
    * * *
    Only after Sasha had left did Josh give vent to his annoyance.
    â€œJust what was she implying by that ‘nervous little thing’ comment?” he asked, when Hannah finally surfaced from getting a completely exhausted Lily to bed.
    â€œTake no notice. She’s just overwrought. She’s not thinking about what she’s saying.”
    â€œYes, but that’s no excuse for...”
    The doorbell cut short what he had been about to say.
    â€œI thought Dan had a key?”
    â€œHe must have lost it. Or maybe he’s just being discreet in case we’re making mad passionate love on the living room table.”
    â€œIf only!”
    An awkward pause.
    Hannah went to the door, closely followed by Toby, and Josh listened for Dan’s singsong “I’m ho-ome.” He was surprised to hear just Hannah, sounding fraught.
    â€œI don’t think it’s a good idea,” she was saying. This was followed by an indistinct murmur of voices. Then she said, “Okay, okay, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    She reappeared in the doorway with a shape slumped over her shoulder. A suspiciously September-shaped shape.
    â€œYou’ve got to be kidding,” groaned Josh.
    Hannah raised her eyebrows warningly at him over the top of her charge, who was wrapped in a blanket and clearly pretending to be asleep, with just one slightly raised eyelid giving her away.
    â€œSeptember, love, I’m just going to pop you down on our bed so you can have a nice sleep,” said Hannah.
    â€œWanna go Lily’s room.” The little girl’s voice was loud, but her eyes stayed firmly shut.
    â€œNo, sweetie. Lily is asleep. You snuggle up in Auntie Hannah and Uncle Josh’s bed. There’s a good girl.”
    â€œI want my mummy!”
    â€œSeptember, honey...”
    â€œI want my mummy!”
    Hannah locked eyes with Josh over September’s head and shrugged as best as she could with a recumbent four-year-old on her shoulder, then she turned and walked out of the room. Josh listened to her trying to soothe the fractious child as she made her way along the hallway to their bedroom.
    â€œI know you do, sweetie, but Mummy will be right back, just as soon as she does this important thing she has to do. And in the meantime, you’re having a sleepover here with us. Isn’t this fun?”
    Judging by the muffled protests coming from behind the now closed bedroom door, September clearly didn’t agree that this unlooked-for sleepover in any way constituted fun.
    Twenty anxious minutes later, the flat finally fell silent. Twenty-one minutes later, there was the sound of a door being stealthily nudged open and then Hannah reappeared.
    â€œWell?”
    Josh was conscious he was using his disapproving-schoolteacher voice, but he was too irritated to do anything about it. Just how much of their lives were going to be taken over by Dan and Sasha and their crisis? Of course he wanted to help, they were their best friends, after all, but surely there was a line to be drawn somewhere? Surely he and Hannah were entitled to some semblance of a life of their own?
    â€œSasha’s gone to follow Dan.”
    Josh gave a questioning look.
    Hannah held up her hands.
    â€œI know, I know. I told her it was a bad idea. But she wouldn’t listen. Apparently one of her friends