Page 72 of Plot Twist

‘We barely slept a wink, we were so excited,’ Bridget confessed.

I’d heard them whispering into the early hours.

‘We made you pancakes.’ Ivy grinned. ‘Becca said we’re celebrating. She helped me make this card. Is it someone’s birthday?’

She handed them the card that I’d supervised her making. She had drawn a picture of Ellie, Bridget and a sunshine and we’d written Good Luck on the front.

‘Ooooh, this is so gorgeous, thank you, Ivy,’ Bridget said, kissing her niece on the head.

‘What is the good luck for?’ Ivy asked. ‘What’s happening today?’

‘Do you remember we told you that we’re hoping we’ll be mummies and you’ll have a cousin to play with?’ Bridget said. ‘We’re going to find out more about it today, but it looks like it might be happening soon!’

Ivy squealed with excitement and hugged her aunt Bridget.

‘Is it a girl or a boy? Can you choose? What age is she? Or he? When will they move in? Can I still sleep over on Thursday nights?’

‘Wow, wow, wow,’ Bridget laughed, kissing Ivy on the forehead. ‘We don’t know the answers to any of that yet. Except one.’

Ivy glanced up at her auntie with wide, excited eyes.

‘Which one?’

‘You staying here on Thursday nights. You always stay here on Thursdays,’ Bridget confirmed with a smile.

‘Yeah!’ Ivy laughed. ‘I can’t believe all my wishes are coming true. Mammy’s back, Becca’s here and I get a cousin!’

I was touched that she squeezed me into her wishes.

I could already picture Ellie, Bridget and a child sitting happily with cousin Ivy every Friday morning at breakfast time. I wondered if the same joy was being felt over at Bellinder Cottage this morning. I thought about Riley and Jackie all night while tossing and turning in the blow-up bed in the spare room. It was a whole new nightmare scenario to add to my growing repertoire.

I just wanted everything to be OK, for Ivy’s sake. But I couldn’t imagine how that could possibly happen, given everything Bridget had told me about Jackie.

But there had obviously been some attraction between them. What if Riley had caved in and they’d spent the night together? Like, together together. What if she’d managed to change his mind? Ellie was right; Riley loved the thought of a happily ever after. He’d admitted it himself. The thought gave me a knot in my stomach.

‘It is very exciting,’ Ellie said. ‘We’ve got to get going now. You stay with Becca, and we’ll let you know as soon as we know anything, OK? We’ve got to get ready for the big meeting about it this morning.’

They barely ate a bite of their breakfast, putting it down to nerves. Instead, Ivy and I finished off the pancakes as they left to get ready. When they came back, they were grinning like Cheshire cats and clutching each other’s hands.

‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ Ellie said.

‘Right, you two, off you go then. The sooner you leave, the sooner we get the news about your new family member,’ I said.

Bridget let out a loud squeal and clapped her hands like a five year old.

‘If you get to choose,’ Ivy said, ‘I’d like a girl cousin. Same age as me. With bunches.’

Ellie and Bridget burst out laughing.

‘We’ll see what we can do.’ Ellie nodded.

Ivy and I kept ourselves busy while Bridget and Ellie were out. We got dressed, tidied the kitchen and folded the washing. Just as we started dancing to Taylor Swift, the music blasting from my phone, the side door opened.

Riley.

I spun Ivy around, feeling dizzy myself as my heart began thumping in my chest, as he offered me an apologetic smile.

Had something happened with Riley and Jackie? Riley looked exhausted. His eyes usually lit up as soon as he laid eyes on Ivy, but today they remained still, even as Ivy threw herself into his arms. I wanted to do the same, but I didn’t. I stopped dancing instead and watched him closely.