‘And Aoife and I need somewhere we can run to if our relationships go tits up,’ Mimi said dryly.
‘Exactly. So we’ll all have somewhere to live rent-free, no matter what happens. Hurrah!’
Sive smiled, still feeling a little guilty but enormously relieved.
‘I don’t know,’ Mimi said, shaking her head. ‘First you’re talking about becoming a fishmonger, and now you want to sell the house! I think this pregnancy is affecting your brain.’
‘What?’ Aoife spluttered, laughing. ‘What’s this about becoming a fishmonger?’
Mimi laughingly told Aoife about Sive’s list.
‘Anyway, everything’s okay with you? With the pregnancy?’ Aoife asked.
‘Yes. Everything’s fine.’
‘Do you have a due date?’ Mimi asked.
‘Roughly the ninth of May – give or take, obviously. But I’ll get a more accurate one when I go for a scan.’
‘I’ll have to factor that into my wedding plans.’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘What do you think – before or after? Would you rather be a pregnant bridesmaid or a bridesmaid with a baby?’
‘Gosh, I don’t know. Bridesmaid with a baby maybe? It’s up to you, though. I’m not going to make your wedding all about me.’
‘Well, there’s plenty of time to decide about dates. So do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?’
‘No, I have to wait a bit to find that out.’
‘Have you thought about names yet?’ Mimi asked.
‘For the baby? No. It’s a bit soon for thinking about names.’
‘But we can’t keep calling it “the baby”. You should give it a nickname at least, just as a placeholder.’
‘Oh, good idea.’ Sive smiled. ‘Hmm, it’s about the size of a pea at the moment, or a bean. What about Chickpea?’
‘Or Bean?’
‘Is that a bit generic, though?’ Mimi said. ‘What about Mung? Or Fava?’
‘Ew, too redolent of Hannibal Lecter.’
‘I like Bean.’ Sive put a hand on her stomach. ‘Yeah, I think it feels like a Bean.’
‘Bean it is, then.’
15
Sive wasa ball of nerves for the rest of the week, dreading her meeting with Ben at the weekend. It was all she could think about, her first thought on waking, signalled by a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and her last before falling asleep at night. The only time she could forget about it was in rehearsals.
‘Good luck tomorrow,’ Mimi called to her as they parted ways outside the theatre on Friday night.
‘You’re not coming to the pub?’ Sam asked Mimi.
‘No, I’ve got a hot date with my fiancé.’
