Page 73 of The Suitcase Swap

Mike grinned. ‘You.’

‘Oh,’ Sophie said, not moving from where she sat poised a fraction of an inch away from him. ‘Then we’d better put all of this stuff away, hadn’t we?’

Mike had to go into work early the next morning, since he was still trying to catch up from missing work when Sophie had been ill. He hated leaving her all warm and sleepy in his bed, but he also didn’t want to wake her. She’d had precious little sleep as it was. Then again, so had he, which might explain why he whistled all day at work.

Sometime around midday, his phone buzzed. He dug it out of his pocket quickly, hoping it was Sophie, but it was a message from Amaya. She’d taken a photo of her stretched out on the patio on a towel, soaking up the sun, a pair of sunglasses on her face. Next to her sat Barney the plant, wearing a matching pair. Underneath the photo was the message:#twinning.

Mike: Cute.

He set the phone down, getting back to some of the notes the clients had sent him on the design suggestions he’d emailed them earlier in the week. It wasn’t long until his phone buzzed a second time. His hopes rose again, but this time, it was a photo of Rahul, Noah, Stella and the baby, lying on their living-room floor. They were all wearing sunglasses, though they didn’t match, except for the baby. Someone had tried to create glasses for the baby out of construction paper, but baby Archie seemed to be more interested in chewing on them. The message under their photo said:#twinningsquared.

Mike gave in and responded.Very cute as well, though I don’t think Archie’s glasses are going to work out. Did he eat them?

Noah: Yes, but we’re choosing to look at it as ‘bonus fibre’.

Rahul: He doesn’t need bonus fibre, btw. We need him to be less regular. Do you know how many nappies I’ve changed today?

Noah: Yes, my love, mostly because you keep telling me.

Rahul: How else am I going to earn my ‘World’s Okayest Dad’ trophy?

Noah: Just be glad I kept Stella from drawing on the baby with a marker, which was how she was going to problem-solve the glasses issue.

Rahul: I’m going to have to share that trophy with you, aren’t I?

Amaya: The important part of all of this is that Barney and I looked amazing. Also, that we successfully tricked Dad into joining the chat. Now we pounce!

Amaya: And by that I mean, how did the date go?!?

Mike: Don’t you all have jobs? School? Lives? You’re very invested and appear to have too much time on your hands.

Rahul: Dad, we’re home with a baby. Amaya’s brain is being turned into pudding by her workload. So no, we don’t have lives. You’re our entertainment. Now tell me how the chicken turned out? Did you do my chicken justice?!?

Amaya: Who cares about your silly chicken? I want the juicy details.

Rahul: Don’t knock my chicken. That’s my marrying chicken. That chicken won me Noah.

Noah: Yes, it had nothing to do with your handsome face, your inner beauty, or love. It was entirely because of the chicken.

Rahul: The chicken and my thicc thighs.

Amaya: Annnnd we have a new combination of words to be stricken from the chat. I do not want to hear about your thighs. Ever.

Rahul: Jealous.

Mike: You’re not really my children. I found both of you under a rock.

Rahul: Father, that is hurtful.

Amaya: I accept that I’m a rock-dwelling goblin. Let’s move along. SPILL, DAD.

There was really no escaping it. He had to give them something.Date went well.He left it at that. He didn’t add unhelpful details like, ‘I know what she sounds like moaning my name’ or ‘she’s a blanket thief’ or even the fairly mild‘the chicken tastes good even stone cold’, which would only invite questions.

Amaya: That’s it? Date went well? UGH.

Rahul: This show is boring. Zero stars.

Noah: Did she like the shirt? Will there be more dates?

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