Authors: Jacqueline Wilson
Lottie Project (32 page)
‘You mean it’s too tiring, working there and then going to look after Robin?’ I said, leaning up on my elbows.
‘The thing is, the shop manageress is going to have a baby. She wants to start her maternity leave in January – and even though I’m only temporary they’re asking if I’m interested. It won’t be for ever, of course, though she might decide she wants to stay at home with the baby – but it would still be great to get back to the work I like. But of course it would be full time, through till half past five.’
‘I see. Well. You’ll have to take it, Jo. I mean, it’s great. But . . . what about Robin? He likes you a lot.’
‘He likes you even more, Charlie. Mark hopes he’ll be able to juggle his working hours and pick Robin up from school himself. Or maybe he’ll have to find another child-minder. But in an absolute emergency I said you could always pick Robin up from school and look after him until Mark could come.’
‘Mark wouldn’t ever trust me with Robin!’ I said.
‘Yes he would. He knows that you’re really very sensible and responsible,’ said Jo.
‘Me?’ I said. ‘OK. Tell Mark he can count on me. As long as he pays me!’
‘Charlie!’
‘So we can really stay here in our own flat, Jo?’
‘You bet.’
‘And we’ll have our first Christmas here, just us two?’
‘Ah. Well. That’s the other thing I wanted to discuss.’
This time I did guess right.
‘You want Robin and Mark to come round here for Christmas?’
‘If that’s all right with you, Charlie?’
I didn’t want Mark to come at all. Still, it might be fun to have Robin bobbing about at Christmas.
So . . . I decided I’d better come up with something pretty special for our Christmas cake. I baked a square fruit cake and then carved out part of the front and made up a brown butter icing and did this posh basket weave all over to make it look like . . . a stable! With a big gold marzipan star and a fat pink marzipan angel perched on the roof. (I’m going to get to eat the angel on Christmas Day – because I’m currently so angelic!) Then I made a marzipan Mary (Jo can eat her) and a marzipan Joseph (I suppose I
might
offer him to Mark) and a dear little marzipan baby Jesus clutching a white marzipan lamb (specially for Robin).
I piped a long message in front of all my Nativity figures.
I never ever thought I’d be wishing Good Will to
any
man! I decided to add a bit.
About the Author
Jacqueline Wilson is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author who served as Children’s Laureate from 2005-7. She has been awarded a number of prestigious awards, including the British Children’s Book of the Year and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award (for
The Illustrated Mum
), the Smarties Prize and the Children’s Book Award (for
Double Act
, for which she was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal). In 2002 Jacqueline was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools and in 2008 she was appointed a Dame. She has sold over thirty-five million books and was the author most borrowed from British libraries in the last decade.
Also by Jacqueline Wilson
Published in Corgi Pups, for beginner readers:
THE DINOSAUR’S PACKED LUNCH
THE MONSTER STORY-TELLER
Published in Young Corgi, for newly confident readers:
LIZZIE ZIPMOUTH
SLEEPOVERS
Available from Doubleday/Corgi Yearling Books:
BAD GIRLS
THE BED & BREAKFAST STAR
BEST FRIENDS
BURIED ALIVE!
CANDYFLOSS
THE CAT MUMMY
CLEAN BREAK
CLIFFHANGER
THE DARE GAME
THE DIAMOND GIRLS
DOUBLE ACT (PLAY EDITION)
GLUBBSLYME
THE ILLUSTRATED MUM
JACKY DAYDREAM
THE LOTTIE PROJECT
MIDNIGHT
THE MUM-MINDER
MY SISTER JODIE
SECRETS
STARRING TRACY BEAKER
THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER
THE SUITCASE KID
VICKY ANGEL
THE WORRY WEBSITE
Available from Doubleday/Corgi Books, for older readers:
DUSTBIN BABY
GIRLS IN LOVE
GIRLS UNDER PRESSURE
GIRLS OUT LATE
GIRLS IN TEARS
KISS
LOLA ROSE
LOVE LESSONS
Join the official Jacqueline Wilson fan club at
THE LOTTIE PROJECT
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 407 04512 2
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2012
Copyright © Jacqueline Wilson, 2007
Illustrations copyright © Nick Sharratt, 2007
First Published in Great Britain
Yearling 9780440868538 2008
The right of Jacqueline Wilson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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