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She was debating whether it was safe to leave hie in the kitchen, or whether she should ring and see if Grace was still up, when the phone rang beneath her hovering hand

'Is he asleep?'

David His earlier phone call to check on Tihted, as if he were impatient to have it over and done with so that he could abandon her to her tiresome maternal duties, so consequently Clare was cool

'Yes'

'Good'

Clare listened in disbelief to the ter click So much for his appreciation of the flip side of parenthood Suddenly Clare was both ravenous and angry He could have at least asked how she was feeling!

Her mind made up, she pulled open her door and stepped into the hall, only to run into David, heeling a covered trolley

'Hungry?'

'I… yes'

'I thought you ht be Hold your door for me, would you?'

Clare did so auto hiin to lift off covers When she didn't move, he paused with raised eyebrows 'What's the matter?'

She opened her enerosity in his teeth, and then closed it again That would be cutting off her nose to spite her face, the kind of thing that Tamara seemed to specialise in

'I… I just wasn't expecting…' She spread her hands vaguely

'You thought I would cheerfully go to sleep, perhaps even arrange for ht for yours?' From his silky tone of voice, Clare wondered which particular appetite he was referring to, and she flushed at both the implication and the accuracy in his sarcasm 'I really aht of anyone else but myself Heavens, I'htless way I carry on…'

'All right, all right, I'm sorry,' Clare burst out as she pushed the door closed with her back 'What do you want me to do? Go down on my hands and knees?'