Page 28 of One Day at a Time

And finally, the crux of it. As the commander of all strategic discussions in the village hub of the Copper Curls, Jessie was the optimal choice for head of communications. What wasMaddie going to tell people? Of course the villagers would be curious.

Maddie had sought the emotional crutch of a caramel wafer, before going on. ‘I just don’t want to share everything until I’ve told Dylan. And I don’t want to tell him until he comes home next month. I feel that this is a face-to-face conversation, not a quick call and a “Hi, funny story, but guess what?”’

Dylan’s three-month contract in Nashville was already up, but they’d asked him to stay on for another couple of weeks because a few more scouts had shown interest.

‘It won’t come to anything, but I couldn’t live with the “what ifs” if I didn’t at least wait to see what they said,’ he’d told her when he’d shared the news in a call while she was in London.

‘Of course you have to meet them,’ Maddie had told him, all the while desperate to say no, come home, we need to talk.

His extension was up three days after her birthday, and Maddie had immediately begun counting the hours until she could let go of the story they’d come up with that night.

‘I think you should just say you got knocked up on a one-night stand on the Tinders,’ Val had offered, unhelpfully. Jessie had just about spat her tea across the table.

‘Jesus, Val, that’ll have them gossiping all the way to bloody Carlisle.’

‘Aye, but we could start a second rumour that it was with Gerard Butler, just to make it sound a bit more understandable. I mean, I would, and I’m past the age where my knees could cope with all that nonsense. It would be worth the cost of the physio.’

Maddie had waited until Jessie had stopped choking before she’d gone on, ‘I appreciate the suggestion, but somehow, I don’t think anyone will buy that Gerard Butler was on Tinder, Val.’

‘You might have a point,’ she’d accepted reluctantly.

Maddie had floated an alternative to the A-movie star ondating app suggestion. ‘I think I’m just going to say that it’s my ex-boyfriend from when I lived in Edinburgh. I might even say that I’m seeing him again. Hang on, no. That could be dangerous because I’d end up having to create a whole fictional relationship and I’ll never keep my story straight. I’ll just say it’s my ex, and we’re no longer together and it’s too painful to talk about. That’ll stop anyone from prying.’

‘I think you underestimate the levels of nosiness and interrogation the women of this village are capable of,’ Alyssa had said doubtfully. ‘My Casey works away so much that I’ve heard Morag McGee started a story that he’s banged up and only gets out once a month on day release.’

Maddie had taken another bite of her caramel wafer while she’d pondered that. ‘I’ll act emotional – it won’t be a stretch – and just refuse to discuss it. If you lot stick to the same story, people will soon stop asking.’

‘Personally, I prefer the Gerard Butler story, but okay,’ Val had mused and that had been it settled. ‘And, pet, try not to worry. I know this seems scary, but we’ve been through so much worse. Just take it one day at a time, and we’ll get there.’

At that point, Jessie and Val had got up to make more tea, and then Jessie had started humming a tune, and the next thing, both of them were singing an old song Maddie vaguely recognised, something about taking life one day at a time.

‘What’s happening right now?’ Alyssa had asked, the corners of her mouth twitching. ‘Are they okay?’

Maddie had shrugged. ‘I think my mother used to sing that song.’

‘“One Day At A Time” by Lena Martell,’ Val had quipped, as she’d returned with a full teapot. ‘It’s a classic, and I won’t hear a single argument about that. Anyway, where were we? Right, the ex-boyfriend story. We’re going with that.’

And they had. As far as the world was concerned, Maddie was pregnant to an ex-boyfriend who was no longer in the picture. Depending on how Dylan felt about it when she eventually told him, they could correct the story at a later date.

As for how she felt about it… Panicked. Scared. Worried. Fretting. She had no family, other than a load of cousins scattered across the country, and somehow she didn’t think they’d be up for a visit from a long-lost relative clutching a baby seat in one hand and a steriliser in the other. However, after the first week or so, something else had kicked in. Acceptance? Determination? Something that took the edge off the panic and gave her just a tiny shred of belief that she could do this. Her mum had raised her on her own after her dad died, so maybe this was bigger than just a contraception fail. Maybe it was history repeating itself because she was supposed to follow the same path.

Or maybe her hormones were just out of control and giving her some false sense of security and she should really double back to panic, scared and worried. If so, she was going to have to schedule that for after this birthday party because it was difficult to panic when surrounded by a squad of Scottish women clutching savoury snacks and debating whether they should nip to the supermarket for a few more bottles of rosé in case they ran out.

‘How are you holding up there, pet?’ Jessie asked, wafting past holding a tray of coronation chicken vol-au-vents at shoulder level.

‘I’m good, Jessie. Can I help with the food?’

‘Och, no, love. It’s like a military operation back there. If making ham sandwiches was a sport, Val would hold the world record. She’s the Mo Farah of mass catering.’

That made Maddie smile. ‘Jessie, in case I forget to say it, Ican’t thank you enough for everything you do for me. I’d be lost without you.’

Jessie blushed to the roots of her curly copper hair. ‘And I’d be lost without you too, ma love.’ It was a poignant, beautiful, sentimental moment… so, naturally, Jessie had to immediately elevate them back to emotional stability with, ‘Because my roots would be a mess.’

Maddie was still chuckling when she felt a buzz in the pocket of her jeans. She pulled her phone out wondering who would be calling her, because truly everyone she kept in contact with in her life was now in this room.

Except of course, for… Dylan’s name flashed up on the screen, so she made a beeline for the quiet of the staffroom so that she could speak.

‘Hey.’