“You haven’t burned anything while we’ve been doing this together.” Ashley’s head was reeling. Joanna was going to invite Nate to dinner. She wanted to punch the air. “I’m proud of you. Is this just dinner, or dinner and something more?”

“I don’t know. Best to see if he survives dinner first. Do you cook for Jon?”

“Yes, but he cooks, too. He’s always hungry. It’s kind of a joke. And I fix his computer. I’m more practical, and he’s arty.” She missed him so much. “He’s a brilliant musician. He plays five different instruments, and he writes songs and plays the guitar—I’m sure he’s going to be big one day. And he draws. Funny little sketches that look exactly like the person he’s drawing. I can’t draw, and I can’t sing. But I can fix his car, so I guess that’s something.”

“He sounds special, and you obviously have a good relationship. Maybe you should stop worrying about what to say to Jon and just call him.”

“It’s not that easy. What do I say? Do I just tell him I’m pregnant? Or do I tell him I love him and I’m pregnant? That’s double the pressure, right?” The thought of it made her feel ill. She was putting off listening to those messages because she was afraid of the outcome. Once she listened, it would be real. Whatever he said would be fact, and then she’d know, and she could no longer lie there at night dreaming and imagining.

She was scared. She was so damn scared.

“You’re assuming it’s going to be bad.” Joanna ate a slice of cheese, too. “He might be thrilled and you’ll both ride off into the sunset and live in a cottage by the sea with roses around the door.”

Ashley felt an ache in her chest. “There won’t be a cottage with roses around the door. Right now a roof over my head is the dream. Whether I can afford walls, too, remains to be seen.” A wave of gloom engulfed her. “I don’t know why I’m worrying about love, when what I really need to worry about is how I’m going to afford to live. And then there’s medical care, as you said before. I ought to see someone.”

“I’ll talk to Mel. Find out who she recommends. She knows everyone. Are we going to cook this or just eat the cheese and then the bread?”

“We’re going to cook it. Layer the cheese.”

Joanna put thin slices of cheese onto the bread the way Ashley had taught her. “Talking of being able to afford to live, I called my lawyer this morning.”