Santa Baby (30 page)

ANGEL WAS IN
a panic. It was six in the morning and Tiffany had just called her to give her the news about her step-mum and the baby. She had said that she would come in and do the show, in true trouper style, but it was clear to Angel that she was exhausted. ‘No way! Take the day off. I’ll clear it with Oscar. Now go and have a rest, and give that new sister of yours a kiss from me.’

She knew she had made the right decision in letting Tiff have time off, but God knows how they were going to fill the slot. She could talk round the outfits a little bit, but not as expertly as Tiff. And she didn’t feel that great herself. She sighed. The show had to go on.

Oscar was not well pleased about her decision, but then Angel had a spur-of-the-moment brainwave when she thought about having Jez on the sofa with her for a special on hair. They could get a couple of models in and he could talk them through some styles. Oscar agreed and then there was Jez to convince, or rather calm down as he went off into orbit with excitement, and then moaned that she should have given him more warning so he could have got a spray tan and had his roots done.

‘That’s showbusiness,’ Cal told her as she filled him in on what was going on over breakfast.

‘I could do without it,’ Angel muttered. Cal had made her muesli with yoghurt, but unusually for her she no appetite. The cereal tasted like cardboard.

‘Are you OK?’ he asked, sitting down opposite her.

‘I don’t feel great, I’m probably just tired.’

‘Well, take it easy, and I’ll pick you up after the show. We can have lunch. How about The Ivy?’

It was only when Angel was in the car and Sean was driving her to London that she realised her period was late – four days late to be precise – and she was never late. ‘Sean, I’ve got to stop at a chemist right now!’ she exclaimed.

‘Just as soon as we get off the M25,’ he told her.

She looked out of the window, and realised they were still on the motorway, ‘Oh, yeah, sorry, I’m a bit distracted.’ Could she be pregnant? She did feel tired, and she had a weird metal taste in her mouth that she was sure she’d had when she was pregnant with Honey.

She tried to gather her thoughts, not wanting to get her hopes up too much – she knew how bad the crash could be if it turned out to be a false alarm. ‘Cal said you drove Tiff to the hospital last night. Thanks so much for doing that.’

‘I was glad to. Her dad called me because he couldn’t get hold of her. And I guessed that she would be staying at Mr Garcia’s. She left her shoes in the car, would you be able to give them back to her?’

‘Of course, and it was very good of you, Sean. I’m sure Tiffany really appreciates it.’

‘Well, I didn’t think Mr Garcia would be up to driving anywhere.’

There was a definite edge to Sean’s voice that Angel picked up on, distracted though she was. ‘Don’t you like Raul?’ It was unusual for Sean to voice a personal opinion.

‘I don’t have a problem with him. If Tiffany’s happy, that’s all that counts.’

It didn’t sound as if he meant it, though.

‘And what girl wouldn’t be happy to be going out with him?’ Angel commented.

‘Because he’s rich and successful?’ Sean said flatly.

‘I was thinking more that he was so good-looking and charming. I think Tiffany is enjoying the attention but I don’t think his money’s an issue for her. If anything, I reckon that would put her off. She’s very proud where money is concerned. But as you say, so long as she’s happy then that’s all that matters.’

They fell silent after that, only talking when Sean pointed out a chemist and pulled over and Angel dashed inside to buy a pregnancy test. She bought five. However accurate they were, she was never able to trust just one. She just hoped that no one had spotted her making her purchases; she could do without something so private becoming public knowledge.

As soon as they arrived at the studio Angel dashed to the loo. She couldn’t bear to wait another second to find out whether she was pregnant or not. She’d done these tests so many times over the years but she still made herself read the instructions and followed them to the letter. Then she could only wait. She stared at the white plastic stick, willing a cross to appear that would indicate a yes. Almost instantly she could see a faint outline forming! It deepened to dark blue. Yes! Yes! Yes! She wanted to shout out with happiness but was mindful of being in a public place. She had to let Cal know before anyone else found out.

‘I’m pregnant!’ she whispered into the phone as soon as he picked up.

‘You are? That is fantastic, brilliant news! See, I told you we just had to be patient.’

‘And have loads of sex.’

‘And did you have a problem with that?’

‘Nope. And it’s lucky we did because who knows when I’ll next feel like it?’ she teased. Then she was serious again as she was caught up by emotion. ‘Oh, Cal, this is just the best news ever! I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to happen for us.’

There was complete chaos in the dressing room when she walked in, as Jez was busy doing his own hair and getting in Darcy’s way. Angel let it all wash over her. She felt totally serene and, she suddenly realised, very sick. She dashed back into the Ladies and threw up. She smiled grimly as she looked at herself in the mirror. Just another fourteen weeks of morning sickness to endure, if her pregnancy with Honey was anything to go by …

Somehow they muddled through the show, with Angel taking up more of Tiffany’s role, talking about the style choices, and Jez demonstrating three different summer hairstyles: beachy hair, festival hair and party hair. Angel was usually hyper-alert when she was on TV, but today could feel herself day-dreaming when the camera wasn’t on her. She was having a baby! Everything else seemed to pale into insignificance.

‘Well, what’s your verdict?’ Jez demanded as soon as they came off air and walked back to the dressing room.

Angel looked at him blankly, still caught up in her own news.

‘On my performance,’ he prompted.

Oops! Hell had no fury like Jez not praised. ‘You were brilliant,’ she quickly assured him. ‘Fantastic. We must do it again. I’ll see if Oscar can make it a regular slot. And now I have to meet Cal.’

‘But I thought we’d have a proper debrief and go through everything,’ Jez said, a little sulkily. And Angel
realised
that she was going to have to tell him her news or risk upsetting him. She linked arms with him. ‘I need to tell you something, but it is a secret, though of course you can tell Rufus.’

He nodded.

‘I’m pregnant,’ she whispered.

Jez looked as if he was about to let out a whoop of joy. He knew how much she wanted another baby. Angel put her finger over her lips.

‘
Mamma mia!
That is joyous tidings. Who’s the daddy?’ he teased. Angel slapped him on the bum.

‘Oh, harder, please, I like it!’

An eye roll from Angel, and then she blew him a kiss as she hurried off to meet the daddy.

‘To us!’ Cal declared holding up his glass of champagne and clinking it against Angel’s fizzy mineral water. He reached out for her hand. They were so lucky, Angel thought. She still remembered the dark time when it had looked as if she might never be with Cal again and how lost she’d felt without him, even as she had tried to pretend to herself that she wanted to be with Ethan … Cal was the one, there was no other man for her.

‘What are you thinking?’

Angel never liked mentioning Ethan’s name. While she and Cal had moved on, he didn’t like to be reminded of the man she had nearly married … nor did she like being reminded of Madeleine, the beautiful French model Cal had seen while she was with Ethan. They’d both had to work hard to let go of the past.

‘Just that I’m so thankful we’re together.’

‘Me too.’

They were quiet for a moment as the waiter carefully placed their plates in front of them – Angel had gone for a simple dish of potato gnocchi, while Cal had roast chicken. Usually she’d have had fish and chips. But she
may
as well forget about eating anything like that until the morning sickness passed.

Cal waited until the waiter was out of earshot before continuing, ‘I’ve some other good news as well. The police called me this morning to say that they’ve arrested someone they’re convinced was behind the kidnap plot. They can’t go into any details because the case is very sensitive and connected to another one about to go to trial. But they think we can let down our guard.’

‘That is a relief.’ Although Angel had put on a brave face and carried on with her life as normal, the kidnap threat had always been in the back of her mind.

‘I’m still keeping up the security for you and Honey, but I don’t think we need to be quite so obsessive. I’ve already told Sean that he’s to take a month off. Apart from the time when Maya was ill, he’s taken no holiday at all.’

‘Poor Sean, I’ve noticed how knackered he’s been looking lately. He’s such a hero, isn’t he? Always helping people out. He drove Tiff to see her step-mum in hospital last night and then he was back to take me to work.’

‘Yeah, the guy definitely needs a break. He’s one of those people who is always looking out for others, but seems to forget about himself.’

Angel picked at the gnocchi. She had no appetite. ‘I know what you mean. He’s very protective of Tiff.’

‘He’s very protective of all of us, it’s his job.’

‘Maybe.’ Angel wasn’t so sure, and wondered if Sean perhaps had feelings for Tiff that went beyond his work. In so many ways she would rather see her sister with someone like him. She felt rather responsible for setting Tiffany up with Raul. She liked him, but couldn’t help wondering how serious he was about Tiffany. She really didn’t want her sister to get hurt.

TIFFANY WOULD HAVE
been interested to hear Angel’s thoughts on Sean because even now, a full week after the dash to the hospital, she could not stop thinking about him. Specifically that kiss, the memory of which burned into her, as if it had been branded on to her soul. It had been even more intense than their first kiss all those months ago … She kept having to remind herself that it was just a kiss.
Just
a kiss? Who was she kidding? Just the best kiss of her life, a part of her acknowledged, while the rational part tried its best to squash that thought. It was too dangerous, too intoxicating, too bloody overwhelming, far too sexy … because here she was watching Marie holding tiny, perfect baby Faith, and still thinking about it! Its intensity took her breath away and she couldn’t quite believe that it had finished with her running away and Sean letting her go. It had seemed like the beginning of something …

She’d had one text from him since, asking if the baby was OK, but not a word about the kiss. Hadn’t it meant anything to him at all? She knew that he’d been given a month off work. He must be spending time with his daughter and with Erin. He’d probably end up marrying her. Maya would be a flower girl …

Tiffany had replied that the baby was doing great. She didn’t mention the kiss either.

She forced herself back to the present, and focused on Faith. ‘She’s so beautiful!’ she exclaimed. And in truth she was, with her peachy skin and perfect features.

‘She is, isn’t she?’ Marie looked exhausted, but was glowing as well; she seemed to radiate happiness and love. ‘I know I should put her down in her cot as she’ll get used to being held all the time, but I don’t want to. I keep thinking of her being on her own in that incubator in special care.’ It had been a traumatic week for Marie and Chris but finally Faith was out of hospital. Tiffany had dashed over after the show to see her.

‘Can I get you anything?’ she asked. ‘Tea, hot chocolate, pint of Guinness?’ Marie had to watch her iron intake after the transfusion.

‘I’m fine. Your dad’s busy cooking up some iron-rich feast. Tell me how it goes in the real world, and what you’ve been up to? I feel like I’ve been in a bubble, worrying about Faith. I don’t even know what day it is!’

Tiffany had not been up to much except being anxious about Marie and Faith, and obsessing about Sean’s kiss. Raul was away in France on some promotional tour. Her relationship/fling/whatever she was having with him seemed to belong to another life … She hadn’t seen him since the night of the ball. She couldn’t imagine kissing him again after that kiss with Sean.

‘It’s Wednesday and I’ve just been working.’ She was about to add the one really exciting piece of news, that Angel was pregnant, but stopped herself in time as her sister had asked her not to say anything to anyone until she was over sixteen weeks pregnant and had had all the tests to check that the baby was OK.

Marie laughed. ‘You make it sound as if you’ve been
doing
something really boring, like working at a checkout, instead of appearing on TV!’ She scrabbled around on the sofa and held up a copy of
Glamour Now!
and waved it. ‘Plus having your own column!’

‘I know, I guess my mind has been on you and the baby. And realising what matters most to me.’

‘And how about Raul? Have you seen much of him? Has he whisked you off to any amazing places lately?’

‘He’s been away and I’m supposed to be flying over to Italy to meet him at the weekend and watch the race. It’s the Italian Grand Prix. But I’m not sure if I should go.’

Marie looked at her as if she was bonkers. ‘Why on earth not!’

Tiffany shrugged. ‘I don’t want to be away at the moment.’ Since the night Marie had been rushed into hospital, Tiffany had been haunted by thoughts of what might have happened … And she kept berating herself for having had her phone switched off. She didn’t want to voice her anxieties, but her step-mum knew her too well.

‘We’re all fine,’ she said gently. ‘Nothing’s going to happen. Go to Italy and have a great time. And then you can tell me all about it, I don’t get out much, I need the distraction. Well, not all of it! Seriously, you mustn’t worry about us, Tiff.’

‘I’ll think about it.’ She knew that she should be excited about the trip – all her friends were, Kara and Jez, even Angel – but there was Sean and that
kiss
. And even if she told herself simply to enjoy whatever she had going with Raul, Claudia’s words kept coming back to her. Soon it would be autumn. Would that be when she passed her sell-by date for Raul?