She’s still staring at the ground. Sadie murmurs something to her and she looks up, her eyes red from crying. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbles.
‘Oh, Eva!’ I cry. ‘You’re okay!’ I crouch down to give her a hug, but she pulls back and stares past me.
‘Dad!’ She jumps to her feet, slips around me and goes over to Robert, who crushes her against him.
‘We were so worried about you, Eva,’ he says. ‘We’ve had everyone out looking.’
‘Sorry,’ she says, burying her head in his sweatshirt.
‘Sadie…’ I turn to where she’s standing, a little awkward amidst our family drama. ‘I can’t thank you enough for finding her.’
‘Hi, I’m Amelia. Eva and Katie’s auntie.’ Amelia comes over and introduces herself to Sadie. ‘That’s my husband, James. Well done for finding Eva!’
Sadie’s cheeks flush. ‘It was a fluke… I just—’
‘Doesn’t matter if it was a fluke or not,’ I interrupt. ‘You found her and that’s what matters. Shall we all go back to ours for a cup of tea? Or lunch, maybe? Eva, you must be hungry.’
‘Hi, Diane!’ Sadie says warmly.
I turn to see my mother-in-law has now arrived. She’s wearing a stylish mac and carrying a golf umbrella.
‘Hello, Sadie, dear. Well done for finding Eva. Come and stand under my umbrella, you’re soaking.’
‘Yes, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t found her,’ Robert adds. ‘Thank you so much.’
‘This girl is an absolute godsend,’ Diane says. ‘How did you two manage before she came along?’
‘Do you know each other?’ I ask, turning from Diane to Sadie.
‘Of course,’ Diane says. ‘Sadie brings the girls over for afternoon tea from time to time. I must say, she’s got a wonderful way with them.’
It disturbs me a little to know that Sadie has been spending time at Diane’s house. ‘How did you end up going to Diane’s?’ I ask Sadie.
‘Do the girls need permission to visit their grandmother?’ Diane answers.
‘Of course not,’ I reply. ‘I’m just surprised, that’s all.’
‘I popped in to your house one afternoon and invited them round,’ Diane explains a little huffily.
I wonder why Sadie didn’t tell me she’d been to my mother-in-law’s.
‘We were very happy to be invited,’ Sadie says. ‘My grandparents died when I was very young, and I always wished I’d known them. I told Eva and Katie they need to cherish their grandma. The girls are lucky to have you, Diane.’
My mother-in-law simpers. She actuallysimpers. Why can’t I evoke that response in her? The most I get is a sniff. But then, I guess I’ve never flattered and fawned around her the way Sadie’s doing right now.
‘Tell you what,’ Robert announces in a loud voice. ‘If Eva had a phone, we’d never have lost track of her. Why don’t we go into town and buy you girls an iPhone each?’
‘Really?’ Eva looks from her dad to me.
I try to keep my face neutral, but inside I’m absolutely seething. What the hell does Robert think he’s playing at? When it comes to parenting the girls, we normally make these sorts of decisions together. He doesn’t know the reason why Eva went off in a huff in the first place. If he’d waited for me to explain, he would know that buying her a phone now is the absolute worst decision he could have made.
‘And one for me too?’ Katie squeals. ‘Did you say one for both of us, Daddy?’
‘I did, KitKat.’ Robert looks at me with shining eyes, expecting me to be thrilled with his announcement. I throw him an icy glare before feigning excitement for everyone else. What choice do I have if I don’t want to end up being the hard-arsed bad parent once again?
None whatsoever.
After a celebratory lunch with everyone at our house, my in-laws finally leave and it’s just us and Sadie left. She tactfully takes herself up to her rooms. Eva’s sulk has vanished and she seems to be talking to me again. Katie is leaping around the kitchen telling Robert and me all the things she’s going to do once she gets her iPhone. I won’t take out my frustration on either of the girls. It’s not their fault – of course they’re going to be excited to get phones. What child wouldn’t be?
