I Owe You One: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

Author:Sophie Kinsella [Kinsella, Sophie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Women, Family Life, Romantic Comedy, Siblings, Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781524799021
Publisher: The Dial Press
Published: 2019-02-05T08:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Hannah’s house is like a John Lewis catalog. All the furniture is from John Lewis, plus most of the curtains and cushions. Her wedding list was half at John Lewis and half at Farrs, and, actually, all the things blend together pretty well. They’re good quality, nothing too way out … all very tasteful.

And usually I think Hannah’s house represents her perfectly. John Lewis is such a calm, reassuring place, and Hannah’s such a calm, reassuring person. But the Hannah in front of me now is totally different. She’s on edge. Her brows are knitted. She’s pacing around her tidy white kitchen, nibbling on a carrot stick.

“He doesn’t want to know,” she’s saying. “He doesn’t want to know. I’ve tried talking to him, but it’s like he just doesn’t want to know.”

“Hannah, why don’t you sit down?” I say, because she’s a bit unnerving, pacing around like that. But she doesn’t even seem to hear me. She’s lost in her own thoughts.

“I mean, what happened to ‘for the procreation of children and their nurture’?” she suddenly says. “What happened to that?”

“Huh?” I stare at her.

“It’s from our wedding!” she says impatiently. “Marriage is, quote, ‘for the procreation of children and their nurture.’ I said that to Tim. I said, ‘Weren’t you listening to that bit, Tim?’ ”

“You quoted your wedding vows?” I say in disbelief.

“I have to get through to him somehow! What’s wrong with him?” Hannah finally sinks down at the kitchen table. “Tell me again what he said.”

“He said he’s stressed out by it all,” I say warily. “He seemed a bit overwhelmed. He said having a baby was going to be … er …”

Do not say “a nightmare.”

“What?” demands Hannah.

“Tough,” I say after a pause. “He thought it was going to be tough.”

“Well, it will be, I guess,” says Hannah, sounding upset. “But won’t it be worth it?”

“Er … I suppose so.” I bite my lip, remembering Tim’s beleaguered look. “By the way, what’s Le Mahs?”

“What?”

“Le Mahs. Or La Mars.”

“Oh, Lamaze,” says Hannah. “It’s, like, a baby system. There are Lamaze births, Lamaze toys …”

“Right. And who’s Annabel Karmel?”

“She’s the baby-puree guru,” says Hannah at once. “You need to start at six months. Ice-cube trays.”

OK, the gibberish has started again. Ice-cube trays? What’s she on about?

“Hannah,” I say carefully. “You’re not even pregnant. Why are you talking about what happens when the baby’s six months old?”

“I’m thinking ahead,” she says, as though it’s perfectly obvious. “You have to be prepared.”

“You don’t have to be that prepared. Shouldn’t you cross each bridge as you come to it?”

“No.” Hannah shakes her head adamantly. “You have to plan. You have to research. You have to start your to-do lists.”

To-do lists? Plural?

“How many lists do you have?” I ask lightly.

“Seven.”

“Seven?” I drop my coffee mug down on the table with a crash. “Hannah, you cannot have seven to-do lists for a baby that hasn’t been conceived yet! It’s insane!”

“It’s not insane!” she says defensively. “You know I like to get everything in order.

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