Emily pulled on her woolly hat, grabbed her coat from the boot and set off down the lane. It had stopped raining and the crisp winter air was fresh against her cheeks; the kind of cold that makes your nose tingle. She adored winter because she liked the contrast of the chill outside with the warmth of the indoors, bringing with it the opportunity to curl up with a good book in front of the fire. Although those opportunities were becoming fewer as work commitments squeezed her personal time.
She turned a bend and saw the village in front of her. A sign welcomed her to Dumbleford. She crossed a trickle of a stream at the ford, caught a glimpse of the shop and post office and headed towards it.
A loud bell announced her arrival and Emily felt conspicuous in the empty shop. She found the wine sectionand, surprised by the good selection, chose two bottles of Saint-Émilion. Making for the till, she got distracted by some fig rolls. She hadn’t had those for years and suddenly fancied one. Actually, she could have eaten the whole packet. She picked them up but then remembered how her tummy had looked and put them back.
Then another thought struck her: perhaps her period was due. That was probably what it was. It was just bloating. She reached for the fig rolls again. Exactly how long had it been since her last period? It had been a while. Her eyes widened at the thought. She threw the fig rolls back on the shelf, pulled out her phone and scrolled frantically through her diary. ‘Shit!’ She was five weeks late. How had she missed that?
‘Hello?’ came the voice of a woman who had clearly heard her swear.
‘Oh, hi. Just these thanks,’ said Emily, rushing to the counter and putting down the wine. She noticed some medical supplies behind the till and scanned them quickly.
The young woman serving followed her gaze. She had short, dark hair, delicate features and a warm smile. ‘Was there something in particular you were after?’ she asked.
‘Mmm.’ Emily’s brain was working overtime. She couldn’t be pregnant – they’d used protection. Although they did say they were only ninety-eight per cent effective … No, surely not.
The woman reached under the counter and pulled out a selection of packets of condoms. ‘The older residents prefer us not to have everything on display in case it encourages promiscuity in the young.’ She rolled her eyes as she spoke.
Emily slowly drew in a breath. ‘I think it’s a bit late forthat.’ She met the woman’s gaze and the understanding passed between them.
‘Ah, then you need one of these.’ She rummaged under the counter and produced a pregnancy testing kit.
Emily swallowed hard. ‘I guess I do. Thanks.’
The woman gave a kindly smile from over the till. ‘Exciting times ahead.’
‘Thanks,’ said Emily, thinking the opposite. She paid, and hastily put the tester kit in her handbag before scooping up the wine.
‘Good luck,’ said the woman. ‘And a merry Christmas!’
Emily managed a weak smile. ‘Thanks, you too.’
Chapter Four
Outside the shop, Emily paused on the pavement for a moment. Her eyes were drawn to a young family on the village green. A small boy and two adults were playing football with two very large dogs. Another boy – and yet another huge dog – came out of the nearby pub to join them. The woman in the group was laughing and managed to kick the ball whilst balancing a baby on her hip. The man ran over, kissed her and the baby before racing off after the boys. Was she looking at her own future?
Emily was just getting her head around having Jessie in her life; she wasn’t ready to be a full-time mother and all that that entailed. She was a career girl, and far too busy trying to outdo her sister to start a family. The toot of a horn dragged her back to the present as Zach pulled up.
‘Daddy, look at the cute dogs!’ exclaimed Jessie from the back seat as Emily opened the door and got in.
‘They’re huge,’ said Zach, watching the dogs-versus-boys football match on the village green.
‘I love them. I wonder if that’s the sort of dog Santa will bring me?’ she asked, her breath steaming up the glass.
‘Jessie, we’ve talked about this,’ said her father. ‘Santa doesn’t bring animals as presents. You can’t wrap a puppy.’
‘What else is on your list?’ asked Emily, aware that Zach was already shaking his head.
‘Hmm,’ said Jessie. ‘I asked for a puppy, a unicorn, a real ice-cream van and boobs.’
‘Boobs?’ whispered Emily to Zach. He nodded.
‘Yes, boobs, like yours,’ said Jessie, very matter-of-factly. Her father went back to shaking his head. ‘Amy Renton said that her daddy said that big boobs get you anything you want. But it’s a puppy I want the most. Boobs are second.’
Zach indicated and pulled away. Jessie sighed dramatically and watched the dogs playing on the green until they were out of sight.
‘You okay?’ Zach glanced at Emily.
She nodded vigorously, clutching the wine bottles to her stomach whilst she checked and rechecked the dates in her mind. They headed up the hill to the next village and past a sign that read Henbourne on the Hill. This was it. This was where Zach’s family lived. She realised she wasn’t ready to face them yet; not while she had this giant question mark hanging over her. But she could hardly ask Zach to turn around. Emily spotted a farm, a few cute cottages and a church with a pretty lychgate, but within moments they were through the sleepy village and out the other side. She was confused: had Zach changed his mind? For a moment she felt relief.
