Free Expecting Miracle Twins by Barbara Hannay

clinging vine.
    ‘It’s for you,’ he said.
    ‘Who is it?’
    He handed her the phone. ‘Your friend Gina.’
    ‘Oh.’ Mattie’s stomach stopped flipping and tied itself in knots instead. If Gina had spoken to Jake, her friend would be agog with surprise and brimming with questions. Mattie took a deep breath. ‘Hi, Gina.’
    ‘Mattie, how’s life in stunning Sydney?’
    ‘Stunning.’
    ‘I’ll bet it is.’ Gina’s voice was rippling with undertone. ‘If the man answering your phone’s deep, sexy “hello” isanything to go by, you’ve been having a ball! Crikey, Mattie, it didn’t take you long to find Jake.’
    ‘I didn’t find him. He’s a friend of Will’s from Mongolia and he’s been staying here this week.’
    ‘Oh, I remember now. Will mentioned a friend called Jake. Bit of a ladies’ man, I take it. Gosh, Mattie, has he been staying there in the flat with you?’
    Mattie glanced over her shoulder to check if Jake was listening. He’d made scrambled eggs and now he was piling fluffy spoonfuls onto a piece of toast.
    ‘It seems Will mixed up the dates, but it’s worked out OK,’ she said.
    ‘So you’ve been sharing Will’s flat with this Jake guy?’
    Gina’s own voice had risen by several decibels. By contrast, Mattie kept her tone deliberately calm.
    ‘I just told you, Gina. It’s worked out fine.’
    From the other side of the kitchen, Jake winked at Mattie, then he pointed with his thumb to indicate that he was taking his breakfast out onto the balcony.
    She waved to him and smiled her gratitude.
    ‘Is he hot?’ Gina asked.
    ‘Yes, actually.’
    ‘From what I’ve heard, he’s dangerous.’
    ‘Not really.’
    ‘Oh, my God. You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?’
    ‘Not fallen…exactly.’
    ‘Oh, Mattie, you have. I can hear it in your voice. Oh, no! I know what this means. You’re madly in love with this Jake guy and you want to marry him and have his babies and you don’t want to do the surrogacy any more.’
    ‘Gina, for heaven’s sake, calm down. Of course I’m still going ahead with it.’
    ‘Really? You’re sure?’
    ‘I’m absolutely sure. I couldn’t be surer. Do you really think I could let my best friend down?’
    ‘But will Jake mind when you’re pregnant?’
    ‘He’s not going to know.’ Mattie’s hand tightened around the receiver. She lowered her voice to just above a whisper and prayed that Jake couldn’t hear. ‘He’s going back to Mongolia today.’
    ‘So you haven’t told him about the surrogacy?’
    ‘Of course I haven’t. I promised you and Tom that I’d keep this completely private. Why would I discuss it with one of Will’s friends?’
    Right from the start, Mattie had planned to keep this project under wraps, but Tom had been particularly anxious that their plan must remain strictly secret. He’d been terrified they’d end up as a double-page feature spread in some women’s magazine.
    ‘But it must be hard to keep a secret from a boyfriend,’ Gina said.
    Mattie answered quite firmly. ‘He’s not exactly my boyfriend. I only met him a few days ago.’
    ‘But you’re involved with him, aren’t you?’
    Mattie gulped. She couldn’t possibly answer that question. Gina knew her history with Pete and she would probably get defensive. Besides, it sounded so brazen to admit that she’d slept with a guy she’d only met a few days ago.
    But it hadn’t felt brazen. It had felt totally right and perfectly lovely.
    She drew a quick breath. ‘Everything’s very…up in the air.’ To her horror, her eyes filled with tears. ‘Gina, I’ll ring you tomorrow. OK?’
    ‘I’m so sorry, Mattie. I just get so intense about this baby. Now I’ve got you crying.’
    ‘I’m not. Honestly. But I’ve got to go now. I’ll ring you soon. Or I’ll e-mail. I promise.’
    The tears began to stream down Mattie’s cheeks as she replaced the receiver. She couldn’t believe she’d dissolved so quickly. What if Jake saw her like