Page 29 of One Day at a Time

‘Hey, happy birthday.’ It was an audio call, not video, so she couldn’t see him but his voice sounded husky and she guessed he’d done an extra couple of shows the previous night.

‘Thank you. You’re missing a great night out. Jessie is just about to get the karaoke out and she’s been practising “Dancing Queen” all day. I’m fairly afraid. How’s you?’

When are you coming home? Please say you’ll still be coming back in a few days’ time. I need to talk to you. I need you to help me figure this out.

But, of course, she said none of that aloud. Three days. That’s when he’d be home. That’s how much longer she had to hang on for. Not that she was expecting anything from him. She didn’t want him to marry her and sail off into the sunset with his new, ready-made happy family. And sure, there was part of her that was worried he’d want nothing to do with this, with her, but at least she’d know. Three days.

‘I’m… Maddie, I’m great. The guys took me out last night – that’s why I sound like this.’

‘Ah, I forgot – your leaving party. How was it?’

A pause and she wondered if he was in an area with a dodgy signal.

‘That’s the thing – it wasn’t so much of a leaving party, more a celebration.’

‘Why? Oh, don’t tell me – did Chad finally propose to Millie-Sue?’

In their previous calls, Dylan had told her all about the guys in the band there, and how Millie-Sue turned up at their gigs every night, making sure no one went near her boyfriend, Chad. ‘Thing is, he’s the drummer and he’s great, but he’s missing his front teeth and I don’t think he’s ever been sober a day in his life,’ Dylan had told her, laughing.

The opening bars of ‘Dancing Queen’ snapped Maddie back to their current conversation.

‘Noooo.’ Dylan’s laughter as he replied made her smile. Okay, so she missed him. Baby or not, she missed having him around. Maybe when he came back, she could tell him that. No pressure, but perhaps they could try dating. Do things backwards. Baby first, then work their way up to dinner and a movie. Or maybe this was just her pregnancy hormones talking and they were only ever meant to be friends. Erm, friends that were going to be co-parenting.

‘He says he’s not making a commitment until he can afford to get his teeth fixed.’ The amusement in his voice gave her a mental picture of Dylan, jeans and T-shirt, battered-up sexy boots, maybe a cowboy hat on his head, laughing again as he spoke. In three days, she wouldn’t have to imagine that anymore because he’d be standing right in front of her. Minus the cowboy hat, because that would result in some strange looks inWeirbridge High Street. Although, she had seen stranger sights there. Last year, there had been a tense stand-off between all four Ninja Turtles and most of the Avengers over a parking dispute before the community centre Halloween party.

‘It was actually a celebration because…’ Another dip in the line. Or maybe he’d just cleared his throat. ‘Maddie, you’re never going to believe this, but one of the scouts was back and they’ve offered me a deal. A recording contract and a ten-city tour to start with.’

‘A ten-city tour…’ Maddie could barely form the words, and they came out as a whisper.

‘Sorry? I think I lost you there. What did you say?’

It was Maddie who definitely cleared her throat this time, trying desperately to ignore the blind panic that had just made a breathtaking re-appearance.

‘I said, that’s amazing! A ten-city tour!’ She forced out every word and even to her own ears they sounded enthusiastic.

‘I want to act humble, but fuck, Maddie, this is such a big deal. This kind of stuff just doesn’t happen to people like me.’

‘You deserve it. I’m so happy for you.’

‘It’s like every dream I ever had is coming true. I couldn’t be happier, Maddie. Although, I was really looking forward to seeing you next week…’

‘Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ll still be here when you get back.’ She tried to sound casual. Nonchalant. ‘And, er, when do you think that’ll be? You coming home, I mean.’

‘I don’t know, Maddie. The tour is scheduled to last for a couple of months, so I should be back after that. But I keep dreaming about where it could lead. This could be it, Maddie. The right person could see a gig. We could get signed to a record label. This could be our big break. If this all works out, then I might not be back at all.’

15

ORLA

Demi.

Until three weeks ago that name had meant absolutely nothing to her, other than a vague admiration for Demi Moore’s performance in some of her movies and a few discussions with the girls at work as to whether or not the actress’s youthful appearance was down to a facelift.

Now the word went around in her mind all day.Demi.

‘Hey, lovely, here you go.’ Yvie handed her a mug of tea and then watched her own mug carefully as she tried to sit down on Orla’s cream couch without spilling it. ‘Just putting it out there, but these sofas terrify me. It’s why I always sit on the floor with my red wine when I’m here. I’m an insurance claim just waiting to happen. Anyway, how are you doing?’

‘Would you believe me if I said great?’