Kate and I spun around in our car seats to stare at him. ‘Olivia hated anyone reading out her writing when she was alive,’ I said, recalling Olivia running out of the room and hiding every time someone threatened to read an extract from one of her books.
Connor shrugged and hugged Olivia’s romance book to his chest. ‘I don’t care what you both think. If she’s looking down at us from heaven, she will love hearing me bringing her tale to life. You all know I had acting lessons as a child and took to the stage in my youth. Trust me, my reading will be epic.’
‘Which book are you reading from?’ Kate asked.
A huge grin spread across Connor’s face. ‘It’s my personal favourite.One Night with The Viking King.’
‘You can’t read that out loud in a graveyard,’ I screeched. ‘Even Olivia said she had gone way too far with the spicy scenes in that book.’
Connor let out a heavy sigh. ‘I was planning to read pages one to three. Calm down, Rachel. The saucy Viking King doesn’t arrive until Chapter Two.’
‘Right, let’s stop arguing. What’s the plan, Rachel?’ Kate asked.
I pointed down the street. ‘Olivia loved the coffee from Happy Beans Café, so I want to go and buy her a token birthday coffee.’
‘Are we still placing it on her stone?’ Connor asked.
‘Yes, we are. We all assume the coffee in the afterlife is heavenly, but can you imagine Olivia’s horror if it’s not nice? She will appreciate our coffee gift.’
Kate started the engine. ‘Olivia was our coffee queen and what better way to celebrate her birthday.’
‘A vanilla latte and a special reading from one of your novels,’ sighed Connor from the back of the car. ‘I do hope you’re grateful, Olivia. Oh, and if you could ask God to get a top talent scout to pop into your graveyard while I am reading and hear my voice, that would be great. Thanks, babe.’
Once Kate had parked outside Happy Beans Café, I ran inside with both Connor’s and Kate’s orders. There was a small queue and only one sweaty and flustered barista, so I took out my phone. A text message from Mum had arrived and it read:
Call Me ASAP.
As the barista had not made any progress in reducing the queue I called Mum.
‘Thank goodness you’ve called,’ my mother cried upon answering. ‘We have a problem. Hang on a sec.’ It sounded like she was clicking her fingers. ‘Gary, bring me my iced coffee and my ciggies.’ Mum cleared her throat. ‘Karen doesn’t want to care for Grandpa Eric over Christmas as she needs a break.’
‘Hello, Mum, how are you?’ I asked, which I knew would give her mild irritation. My mother lives life at a hundred miles per hour.
‘Rachel, I haven’t got time for greetings,’ she snapped. ‘Grandpa Eric needs to be included in the family’s Christmas plans. We’re not giving him to Bev as he will end up in a hot tub with a load of unsavoury people, so we have a problem. Has Maddie told you – I am staying in Tenerife this year.’
‘Yes, she has. I’m off to Harp Brook to dog sit for her and Frank, so I can’t be with Grandpa. Why don’t you pay for him to fly over and spend Christmas with you.’
My mother let out a wail of frustration down the phone. ‘He’s not coming to Tenerife. Good grief, I need to relax. My father drives me insane at the best of times.’
‘Well, ask Maddie if she and Frank will take him with them to Malibu.’
I heard a lighter and the noise of Mum sucking on her ciggie. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Rachel.’
‘I hear Aunty Karen is now caring for Grandpa Eric. When I visited him in the summer, he was amazing. Is he all right?’
Mum sighed. ‘He’s getting old, Rachel. Karen pops in every day. She says Grandpa is now hard work. I hate to say this, but she’s told me some of the stuff he’s coming out with, and I think he’s losing his marbles.’
‘Really? We talk on email a lot. He never sounds like he’s confused.’
‘Rachel, Grandpa needs to have someone to care for him over Christmas. The family on WhatsApp suggested thatyoulook after him. It was your cousin Fay’s marvellous idea. She said taking him to Harp Brook would give you some much needed company.’ Mum took a glug of her iced coffee.
I recalled Maddie telling me that Fay thought I was consuming too much sugar. Irritation began to nibble away at me. My cousin Fay should stick to coming up with suggestions about her own life in Australia. My heart began to thump. ‘Me? Look after GrandpaandMaddie’s dog over Christmas in Harp Brook?’
‘Yes, Rachel.’
The plan to chill out and relax over Christmas was crumbling. Why couldn’t Mum come back from Tenerife and look after her father?
‘Mum, I am going to Harp Brook for three weeks,’ I cried, making the barista turn to see if I was okay. ‘That’s a long time for me to look after Grandpa and my sister’s lunatic dog.’
