The Consultant's Christmas Proposal. Kate Hardy

You go to Paul: we’ll look after the kids,’ Saskia said.

      ‘But…Saskia, I can’t expect you to do that! You’re both working full time. Even if the nursery can have the kids for the extra hours, it’s—I can’t ask you to do that.’

      ‘We’re offering,’ Toby said.

      Lydia explained what they’d discussed in the car. ‘They’ll be perfectly safe with us.’

      ‘But I’ve never been away from Helena before. Not for a whole night, let alone however long I’ll be in Vancouver! And I’ve only been away from Billy for a couple of nights.’

      ‘On your anniversary, when Paul swept you away for a romantic weekend and I babysat,’ Saskia reminded her. ‘Lyd, you can’t be in two places at once. If you stay here, you’ll get yourself in a state about Paul. If you go to Vancouver, at least you know you don’t have to worry about the kids because they’ll be with us. Toby gets to play with a train set all evening, I get to sing nursery rhymes…’ She spread her hands. ‘So everyone’s happy. Helena’s too young to know what’s going on, and Billy’s going to get spoiled rotten. You can ring him every day so he gets to talk to you, I’ll get him to draw pictures to send to you, and Toby and I will text you several times a day.’

      Lydia bit her lip. ‘Thanks. And I love you for offering. But I can’t.’ She raked a hand through her hair. ‘It’s six weeks till Christmas. I haven’t even started my shopping or thought about writing cards or—’

      ‘Easy. Write a list on the plane, then fax it to me when you get to Vancouver,’ Saskia said. ‘And, no, it’s not going to be a hassle. I can get most of it through the Internet.’ She grinned. ‘And I love spending other people’s money.’

      ‘There’s no point in arguing with her, Lyd. You know she’s got an answer for everything,’ Toby said, smiling to take the sting from his words.

      ‘Are you sure?’ Lydia asked.

      ‘Sure,’ Toby said. ‘And you’ll be back home in time to do the tree with Billy. Now, go and pack. Saskia’ll book your ticket. Where’s your passport?’

      ‘Uh—I dunno, somewhere in the filing cabinet.’

      ‘GPs. They’re so hopeless with paperwork,’ Saskia teased. To her relief, it made Lydia give her the glimmer of a smile.

      ‘I don’t know how to thank you both,’ Lydia said.

      ‘Chocolate,’ Toby said in a stage whisper. ‘Now go and pack.’

      ‘I’m sorry I ruined your dinner out,’ Lydia said when Saskia came up to tell her everything was booked.

      ‘Hey, no worries. It’s not as if it was a hot date. Only Toby.’

      ‘Only? Saskia, this is our best friend you’re dismissing.’

      ‘I’m not dismissing him.’ Saskia shook her head impatiently. ‘You know I adore Tobe. But he’s not my man.’

      ‘Pity. You two would be good together.’

      Saskia scoffed. ‘Forget it, Lyd. I value him too much to ruin our friendship like that.’

      ‘Maybe it wouldn’t be ruining it,’ Lydia suggested quietly.

      ‘Yes, it would. Stop matchmaking. I’m not cut out for marriage, and you know it. Anyway, I’m busy with my career.’ Just as her parents had been. Saskia knew she’d been an accident, and not a happy one at that. Yes, she’d had enough freedom as a teenager to make all her friends envious—but she’d also grown up realising that her parents should never have got married, let alone had children. She’d learned from their mistakes, and marriage was definitely not for her.

      As for the children part…Two months ago, she’d discovered that was going to be out of the question, too. Not that she’d bothered Lydia or Toby with that choice piece of information yet. She was still thinking about it, mulling over her options. Besides, Lyd was busy with her family, and Toby—well, she needed to sort his life out before she sorted hers. Find him a woman who’d give him the love and cherishing he deserved, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to find one for himself. Toby never dated. And considering he’d told her on her twenty-first birthday—when they’d both drunk far too much champagne—that he wanted to get married and have six kids, the big noisy family he hadn’t had as a child…

      Ah. She’d sort her friends’ lives out. And then maybe her own might miraculously fall into place while she wasn’t looking.

      ‘Right. I’m taking notes.’ She waved her electronic organiser at Lydia. ‘Helena’s routine I pretty much know anyway.’ Saskia was a frequent enough visitor to the Osbourne household to know when the baby was fed and had naps. ‘You’ve got baby food in the freezer?’

      ‘Frozen in ice cubes. She’s on two cubes of savoury followed by two sweet or fromage frais. They’re all labelled, and she’s had them all before so you don’t have to worry about her having a bad reaction to new food. There are pots of fromage frais in the fridge.’ Lydia grimaced as she shut her case. ‘One thing, Billy’s decided he’s eating nothing but chicken nuggets.’

      ‘Ha. Aunty Saskia will have him on fajitas with extra jalapeños by the time you get back.’ Then Saskia saw her friend’s expression. ‘Joke, Lyd. Of course I wouldn’t give him jalapeños! Fajitas might be a good idea, though. If he gets to choose his own veggies, shredded chicken and a tortilla wrap, and he makes it all himself, he’s more likely to try it.’ Then she frowned. ‘What?’

      ‘Listen to you. Talk about child psychology. You’d make a brilliant mother.’

      ‘Godmother,’ Saskia corrected firmly. ‘I’m not cut out for motherhood.’ Especially now. Though she’d find a better time to tell Lydia about that. ‘Now, I’ve phoned the nursery manager and explained it’s a crisis. They’re fine about having Helena and Billy from eight until four, or whenever Toby or I can get there. Toby and I will synchronise shifts tomorrow, so one of us is on an early while the other’s on a late and we can work around nursery times. You can ring your folks on the way to Manchester airport and let them know what’s happening. I’ve got the hospital’s number in Vancouver, so I can leave messages there. Have you spoken to Paul’s parents?’

      ‘I’ll ring from Vancouver, when I’ve seen him and can reassure them.’

      ‘Good idea.’ Saskia hugged her. ‘Right, you’re all set. Give Paul my love. And don’t worry about rushing back. I know he’ll be able to leave hospital in a couple of days, but no way can he tackle a long-haul flight for at least two weeks after the operation.’ Preferably six, to make sure there were no complications. Though she wasn’t going to remind Lydia about that in case she panicked again. Lydia had a cool head where work was concerned, but tended to act like a headless chicken at home. And the idea of Paul having to miss their daughter’s first Christmas because he was thousands of miles away would make her cry all the way to Vancouver. ‘Toby and I will be fine.’

      ‘Yeah. You’re the best.’ Lydia hugged her back. ‘Thanks, Saskia.’

      ‘That’s what friends are for,’ Saskia said lightly.

      Lydia paused by Helena’s cot. The baby was lying on her back with her hands up by her head. Lydia leaned over to kiss her. ‘My baby. Saskia, I can’t bear this.’

      ‘I’ll take a picture of her every day and send it to your phone,’ Saskia promised.

      Lydia breathed in the baby’s scent. ‘My baby,’ she whispered again.

      ‘Your baby will be absolutely fine, I promise you,’ Saskia said. ‘I hate to rush you, but you’ve got a plane to catch.’

      ‘I know.’ Lydia kissed Helena one more time. ‘I have to kiss Billy goodbye.’

      ‘Quickly. And I’m not being horrible—the more drawn-out it is, the worse