‘Yes, I know.’ She smiled. ‘And I’m grateful for it.’ She sighed and sank back into her chair. ‘You’re right, it’s not food poisoning...’
‘You know anything you tell me won’t go any further.’
She groaned. ‘Alex will kill me if he finds out I’ve told you. We promised that we wouldn’t say anything.’
‘He won’t find out from me but now you’ve got me really worried.’
‘There’s nothing to be worried about,’ she said. ‘The thing is, I’m pregnant.’
‘Oh, Liz!’ A rush of elation gushed through him and he flung his arms around her. Then he hastily retreated in case his sudden movement made her feel even more nauseous. ‘That’s wonderful news.’
She smiled again. ‘It is. Although when I insisted to Alex that we should keep it a secret until after the twelve-week scan, I didn’t know I’d feel this bad.’
‘How far gone are you? If you don’t mind me asking.’
‘Eight weeks. I was hoping I’d sail through the early weeks, but, seeing as that isn’t happening, I can hardly keep it from you when food is the last thing I want to see right now.’
‘I can imagine. Is it just confined to the mornings? Do you start to feel better as you get through the day?’
‘Mostly. By mid-afternoon, I’m usually back to my normal self. Although I have to admit, it’s taking it out of me and I’m exhausted in the evenings too.’
Jay refreshed the screen on his laptop. ‘We’re going to have to rethink these rotas. No lunchtime functions for you for the foreseeable, and late functions are out too.’
‘That doesn’t leave much, does it, though?’ The telltale frown had returned to her face.
‘No, but your health is more important. I can cover whatever I can and we’ll just have to hire in more agency chefs.’
‘That’s not going to look good on the profit margins.’
‘Maybe not, but we just need to keep going until we can work out a better long-term solution. Hopefully it won’t be too long before you’re feeling better.’
‘I can still do a lot of the prep for the evenings. That might ease the pressure.’
‘And maybe take on more of the paperwork? Find some better deals with our food suppliers to take some of the sting away from higher staffing bills.’
‘Yes, I can do that.’ She paused. ‘I’m sorry, Jay.’
‘What are you sorry for? It’s brilliant news and I couldn’t be happier for you both.’ Jay knew how important having children was to both Alex and Liz, and now they had this chance they all had to do whatever they could to protect it.
‘I’m glad you feel like that. But I can’t help thinking I’m scuppering your own plans after what you told me the other day.’
‘I’m sure we’ll find a way to work it out.’
‘Yes, we will. I don’t want this to get in the way of what you want to do too. But actually, I’m glad I’ve told you, and I’m going to tell Alex you know. We decided to keep it private in case anything went wrong. I don’t think either of us could bear everyone’s sympathy if we suffered that loss, especially Alex. But you’re not everyone, Jay, and I realise now that I need yoursupport, especially as far as the business is concerned. But can we keep this between ourselves?’
‘Of course we can. I won’t tell a soul.’ He paused. ‘And as it’s time to come clean, I need to make a confession too. I’ve applied to enter a regional competition.’
‘But that’s great, tell me all about it.’
Jay outlined the nature of the competition and then added, ‘I might not even get through to the heats.’
‘I’m sure you will. When do they take place?’
‘Towards the end of March.’
She smiled. ‘Well, that’s okay, then. I should be feeling better and I can pick up the slack. And when we know for sure, we can always take fewer bookings during that period to give us both some breathing space.’
‘That’s a good idea. Maybe cut back on our own bookings and concentrate on Diva’s, so we can fulfil our contract with them.’
