Kate added, “We’re desperate to know – is he good with his hands?”
“Well, he makes beautiful chairs,” said Freya.
Patsy let out a roar of laughter, “Did he make a move? What was it like? I bet he’s got a cracking boaby on him.”
Amelia looked puzzled.
Kate dryly explained, “She means his, you know, his manhood, but boaby sounds better. It’s friendlier.”
“Exactly,” said Patsy. “‘Prick’ sounds jaggy and painful.”
Amelia gasped in surprise. These women were earthy and outrageous. “I didn’t actually see his, em, boaby. It was only the first date.”
Maureen nodded approvingly: “Quite right. You need to get to know a man properly before you give them a look at your flower.”
Kate and Patsy guffawed. “Your flower. That’s a good one,” said Kate.
“Well, it’s a lot better than fanny,” said Maureen. “I had a great aunt Fanny and she was a horrible dried-up bitter old woman. I’ve always felt odd when people called their noonies that.”
Freya changed the subject, “That’s enough you lot. Amelia will be thinking you only have one thing on your minds. It’s early days with her and Ross and you know how shy he is. Come on, eat up. There’s not a pick on any of you girls. I’ve seen more fat on a lean slice of ham.”
They all tucked in. Jack brought Ola and Hari back and the little girl held out her arms to Amelia, who dried her feet and tickled her tummy.
Evie hadn’t said a word when they were talking about Ross, but she was taken aback by how much she minded the thought of him and Amelia having sex. Her throat felt so tightly clenched she could barely get food down, and now she had to watch as little Ola transferred her affections. Evie knew she was being petty but she always thought she had a special bond with Ola.
She’d known her since she was less than a day old, rushing up to the hospital and crying with Jack over how perfect she was, while Delima looked at them with a mixture of fondness and bafflement.
They had exclaimed over her tiny fingers and toes and marvelled at her fat little legs and arms and perfect skin, gravely declaring her to be both the most intelligent and beautiful baby in the whole world.
Evie hadn’t ever given much thought to being a mum. She’d never grown up around babies, and when they visited their cousins in Hrossey, her mother declared them to be ‘fat, disgusting little red goblins’.
But when baby Ola was born, Evie actually felt her arms aching to hold her. She was always the first port of call on the odd time Jack and Delima needed a babysitter although they usually took both children everywhere with them. She watched Amelia building more sandcastles with the little girl and felt as though this woman who had come into her life such a short time ago was slowly taking her place in everyone’s affections.
Evie began to understand how her eight-year-old sister Liv must have felt when she came along and grabbed a hold of their dad’s heart.
‘Liv was left out in the cold’, she thought. ‘I never knew just how painful it must have been for her. I don’t remember us doing things together as a family very often. She was always sulking in her room or arguing with my mum and dad. When I compare what I have to the life Liv has led, and how she is living now, I do feel bad. I really must check up on her and find out how she’s doing. I know she won’t get in touch with me, so I need to make the effort. Surely, it’s been long enough now for all the resentment between us to be forgiven, if not forgotten.’
She looked over at Amelia, who was smiling and playing with Ola. She’s settled in so fast, Evie thought. Everyone loves her after such a short time, even Ross. And look at me, still full of insecurities. Maybe they didn’t even really want her hanging around with them anymore. Amelia was so much more fun.
Evie made a huge effort to stop these negative thoughts. ‘If everyone else liked Amelia so much, I must be the problem. I just need to make more of an effort.’
Evie called over to where Amelia and Ola were burying Jack in sand. “You really have got a peedie pal there. She will have you run ragged. I’ve never known a bairn with her energy.”
“She’s a lamb,” said Amelia. She looked over at Delima and smiled at Jack. “You are both so lucky to have such a cute little girl and such a gorgeous baby boy.” They beamed.
“We think so,” said Jack. Ola banged her plastic pail with her spade and shouted “Aa-mee-ah”.
“Did you hear that? She said my name. You clever, clever girl.” Amelia lifted her up and gave her a hug.
Jack said proudly, “Well, she is very advanced for her age. We do notice she’s way ahead of other toddlers.”
“Away with you,” said Delima. “She’s a perfectly normal little girl. She just loves her aunty Amelia, don’t you, my pet?”
She added: “Right, let’s take her home now before she gets grumpy and spoils the illusion of being the perfect angel, and Hari needs his nap, too. Amelia, you’ll have to come and visit us at the sanctuary. You’ve not been by yet. It would be good to see you and the baby seals would love to say hello too.”
They all started packing up, chattering happily and making plans to meet up again next week, and there were plenty of whispers about Freya’s party, that she pretended not to hear.
Evie dropped Freya and Amelia off, refusing an offer of more coffee and cake, saying she had a painting to finish. She sat in her kitchen in the Orkney chair lovingly restored by Ross and found herself near tears. She had been with her friends today but had felt like an outsider. It was a lonely place to be, and all because of Amelia.
