I clear my throat. ‘Yes, I am actually,’ I tell him. ‘I may need a flow chart to get my head around your family. How many siblings do you actually have?’
Everyone laughs. But I’m deadly serious. That was a fuckload of people in the driveway.
‘I’ve got two brothers and two sisters, and then there’s their partners and offspring, so I think we’re at eighteen for this Christmas.’
Jennifer and Sarah nod to confirm it.
My mouth drops open, contemplating Jennifer’s trim physique. ‘You’ve hadfivekids? But you look so young and thin.’
It sounds a bit rude, but she smiles and does a little curtsy.
‘Thank you. Bailey put an end to the baby production line. There was no way I was going to go through that again. Ten pounds, what a heffalump!’
She ruffles his hair affectionately, and I wash down my own heffalump of envy that’s formed in my throat with the rest of my tea. I stand up abruptly.
‘I should ring my grandmother and let her know I’m not coming ’til tomorrow.’
‘But aren’t you staying for Christmas?’ Jennifer asks, sounding surprised.
‘No, only for tonight. She has her own family celebrations to attend,’ says Sarah smoothly.
She seems to have been well briefed by Bailey on my movements. I’m not sure when that happened. The part between my leaving the car and making it into the house is a blur of noise and confusion.
‘Ah, well, that’s a shame,’ says Jennifer, her eyes twinkling. ‘But at least we have you for one night.’
I’m surprised that she genuinely seems to mean it. People usually aren’t so enthusiastic about having me join their gatherings. It makes me suspicious.
‘If you want to freshen up before dinner, the bathroom is right next door to Bailey’s room ...’ Jennifer continues. ‘Or feel free to take a nap. I put an extra quilt on his bed, so you should both be quite snuggly in there.’
The blood drains from my face as her meaning sinks in. Fuckity fuck. She’s assumed we’re sleeping together! I give Bailey an icy glare, and he must see I’m about to lose my rag because he says quickly, ‘I’ll go up with Holly, then come back and help you with dinner, Mum.’
I note then that there are a number of cast-iron saucepans waiting on the counter and an enormous Aga stove. Feeding this family must take a hell of a lot of organisation, but I guess they’re used to it. And Bailey said he’s head chef at the hotel, so he must have the necessary skills.
‘Speaking of food, I don’t suppose you have a spare bone for Crumpet ...?’ I say, feeling bad for asking.
‘Who’s Crumpet?’ enquires Jennifer.
‘Holly’s mini schnauzer,’ answers Sarah. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll look after him. We have some dog food in the pantry.’
So there’s nothing left for me to do but grab the handle of my bag and stalk into the hallway with Bailey following close behind. When we’re out of earshot, I round on him.
‘This is going too far. First, I’m your girlfriend, and now I’m sleeping in your bed? There’s no waythat’shappening,’ I say through gritted teeth.
Bailey shoots a swift look at the kitchen door and grabs my bag.
‘Not here, I’ll explain in the room.’ He practically runs up the stairs, leaving me no choice but to follow.
‘This better be bloody good,’ I mutter.
At the top of the stairs, there’s a beige carpeted landing with still more family photos. I glimpse Bailey heading into one of the end rooms, so I trail after him, determined to get some answers.
Bailey’s room is cosy with a queen-sized bed made up with a white duvet and a yellow quilt. Model airplanes hang from the ceiling. A row of teddy bears sits on a shelf. On one whitewashed wall, there’s a large corkboard with photos tacked to it. On the other, a life-sized poster of Justin Timberlake. The entire room is a nod to his past, but I’m not in the mood to be sentimental. I close the door behind me and lean against it with folded arms. This is as far as I’m going until I get some answers.
‘Right, tell me now.’
Bailey dumps my bag on one side of the bed and stows his own on an easy chair with a crocheted blanket draped over it.
‘It’s nothing to get riled up about,’ he says. ‘If we weren’t together, you’d get put with the kids in the lounge. That’s all.’
