Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [155]
`Here.' Magdalena picked up Fenn's mobile and lobbed it at her. `Don't forget to give him his phone.'
Chapter 61
`Stand back, stand back!' Miranda burst into the side ward, almost flattening an auxiliary nurse against the wall. `It's all right, don't panic, I'm here now, make way for the official birth partner. Oh now, will you look at-that? She's only gone and done it without me. For heaven's sake, Chloe, couldn't you have waited?'
`Did my best,' said Chloe as Miranda enveloped her in a massive hug. `Crossed my legs and everything. Sorry.'
`In that case I forgive you. So.' Miranda turned her attention to the baby, lying fast asleep in her perspex cot. `You managed on your own, then. Look at her, what an angel! Phew, bet you're glad she looks like you and not Greg.'
`Well-'
`And has Fenn seen her yet? I must say, we were all pretty amazed when he rushed out of the salon like that.' `Actually, he's-'
`Quite the knight in shining armour, in fact. You'll never guess what my client said when she heard what was going on! She thought Fenn must be the father-'
`Ahem. Which client was this?'
At the sound of Fenn's voice, Miranda spun round. There he was, leaning against the door, for all the world as if he were the baby's father.
`Um, Magdalena Rosetti.'
Fenn looked startled.
`You mean you cut her hair?'
`I had to.' She beamed at him. `There wasn't anyone else.'
`Jesus, what did you do?'
`Just an asymmetric urchin crop and dyed it olive green.' Miranda shrugged. `She said she wanted something different.'
`This is a joke, right?' Fenn lowered his voice as the baby stirred in her crib.
`Of course it's a joke. Haven't I been telling you for ages how brilliant I am? Oh, and you left your phone behind.' Miranda tossed it across the room at him. `There's a message on there somewhere, too. Honestly, you wouldn't believe how nosy Magdalena is - she actually wanted to listen to it.' She returned her attention to Chloe while Fenn listened to his message. `So, tell me everything. How did it go?'
As she sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the gory details, Miranda couldn't help feeling relieved that she hadn't, in the end, been called upon to do her birthing-partner bit. Chloe truly didn't seem to mind, and it had all ended well. Phew.
Except… except, why did the niggling suspicion persist that something else had happened that she didn't know about?
What in heaven's name could it be? Chloe was looking elated - well, that was understandable, given the circumstances - but wasn't she also looking the tiniest bit apprehensive? And why, Miranda wondered, did she keep glancing
across at Fenn, almost as if she was waiting for him to get off the phone before she said whatever else it was she was clearly plucking up the courage to say?
`Is everything all right?' said Miranda, when Fenn had finished listening to his message.
`Yes.' Chloe sounded breathless.
`Are you sure?'
`Um, yes…'
There was a long, long pause. Miranda saw Fenn look at Chloe and smile slightly. Chloe went pink, like an actress on stage who has forgotten all her lines.
The silence lengthened.
Mystified, Miranda said, `Would somebody please tell me what's going on?'
Fenn held out his phone.
`Here.' He pressed Replay, turned the volume up to maximum and handed it to Miranda. `Perhaps it would help if you listened to this.'
She took it.
`Fenn, hi, it's Tina!' sang a female voice with a faint twang to it.
`That's his sister. She lives in New Zealand,' Miranda explained in a kindly aside to Chloe, who was listening as intently as she was.
`Now look, I haven't spoken to you for a fortnight,' Tina carried on, `and I need to know what' s happening over there. It's not fair, Fenn - you can't tell me you've fallen in love with this pregnant Chloe person-'
`What?' shrieked Miranda.
`-and then clam up on me like this. Okay, I know I wasn't thrilled when you first told me, but if she's that important-'
`WHAT?' howled Miranda.
`-if she really means that much to you, then go for it. Maybe I overreacted a