‘Are you okay with him?’ Teresa asked. ‘I can take him back if you’re not.’

Anna smiled wryly and looked across the room to her sister-in-law. ‘Are you sure you’re okay that I’ve got him?’ she asked. ‘I’m a total newbie at this.’

Teresa nodded. ‘To be honest, it’s a bit of a relief. He’s lovely and, on one hand, I can’t get enough of him, but on the other… Let’s just say I now know how dairy cows feel. The boy is perpetually hungry!’

‘How much did he weigh when he was born?’ Anna asked, jiggling the baby slightly because he’d started to wriggle.

‘Not even three kilos,’ Teresa replied, looking incredulous. ‘Which was a bit of a shock, given how long it took him to arrive! I’d thought a small one would pop out more easily.’

‘You had a long labour?’

‘Didn’t Gayle tell you all this when she phoned?’

‘Um… Not really.’ Anna concentrated on making eye contact with the baby, avoiding her sister-in-law’s gaze.

‘I’m flabbergasted,’ Teresa said, flopping back even further into the pillows of the armchair. ‘Richard keeps joking she’s stopping people in the street to give them a blow-by-blow account of the delivery, followed by a complete rundown of his vital statistics.’

Anna made a non-committal noise and concentrated on making expressive faces at her nephew.

‘What?’ Teresa said, her tone full of suspicion. ‘Anna?’

‘Erm, well… She didn’t actually call,’ Anna said, wincing slightly, but quickly added, ‘or if she did, I must have missed it.’

Teresa frowned. ‘That’s odd. Scott and I were exhausted, so he asked his mum and dad if they could share the news.’

Anna tried to make her smile look sincere. ‘It probably was a mix-up due to all the excitement.’

Teresa pressed her lips together. ‘You don’t think she, you know… did it on purpose?’

Teresa had Anna’s full attention now, even as the baby began to fidget harder in her arms. ‘No.’ She shook her head slowly, ignoring the sinking sensation in her stomach. ‘What reason could she possibly have not to tell me?’

As if he was taking this literally, little Spencer, who had been squirming harder and harder, opened his mouth and let out an ear-piercing cry. Anna looked nervously across at Teresa.

Her sister-in-law unbuttoned her shirt and held out her arms, a weary look on her face. ‘I told you… Dairy cow!’ The baby settled into a steady sucking rhythm and Teresa relaxed and smiled across at Anna. ‘That’s me, then. I’ll be stuck here for the next half an hour – if I’m lucky!’

‘Since Scott has escaped to Sainsbury’s, do you want me to make you a cup of tea?’

Teresa smiled at her. ‘Thought you’d never ask!’

Anna smiled back and went to make the hot drinks, and when she returned to the living room, she said, ‘It’s not just me then. You find her – Gayle – difficult too?’

Teresa sighed before glancing down to check on her son. ‘I put up with it for Scott’s sake. She’s intense, I know, but she’s basically harmless. I just try to let it all slide off.’