Page 8 of Ask Another Day

‘Sloane, can you turn the printer on please?’ Holly asked as she did the finishing touches to her birthday invitations.

‘My nails are still damp, sorry,’ Sloane muttered, and Holly couldn’t help but think she didn’t sound particularly sorry, as her friend blew lightly across her nails. Sloane didn’t even glance in Holly’s direction when she spoke.

‘No problem.’ Holly disentangled herself from her desk, and clambered over Sloane who was splayed out across her bedroom floor. Her best friend had come back for the weekend to visit. At first, Holly had been so excited to spend time with her, but something wasn’t right. And if she was being honest with herself, it hadn’t been for a while now.

When Sloane had first gone away to Uni, nearly three years ago, the change hadn’t been so noticeable. Her friend had quickly adjusted to her new position as the more successful of the two, and Holly had accepted the change in their dynamics. Sloane had never been an easy friend. But at least when things were good, they were really good. That memory of happier times had always kept things OK when things weren’t so good. This weekend though, there had been a marked shift. There was a bitterness to Sloane’s tone Holly hadn’t heard before. But when she’d tried to broach it, Sloane had laughed at her.

With a gentle push of a button, the printer whirred to life, but instead of the reassuring sound of the paper being sucked into the heart of the machine, it beeped three times then fell silent. A single red flashing light told her it was out of paper. As she made her way downstairs to the office behind the bar, to get more paper, her parents’ hushed voices pulled her up short.

‘Mike, don’t, someone will hear us,’ her mum giggled and Holly felt a bit sick.

‘So what if they hear us, we’re doing nowt wrong.’

At her dad’s words, her mum giggled again. Holly coughed loudly outside the office door. ‘Please don’t be naked in there,’ she called out as she pushed open the door with one hand covering her eyes; just in case. Silently she said a quick prayer that she wasn’t about to walk in on something that would scar her for life.

‘No-one’s naked, Holly Berry,’ Sandra Loxley cooed at her daughter, gently prying her hand from her face. Her mum was telling the truth. No-one was naked, but her parents were dressed as Sonny and Cher.

‘What are you wearing?’ Holly managed to ask, as she took in the ridiculous outfits, complete with wigs.

‘Our karaoke outfits for tonight,’ her dad replied as if what she was seeing was perfectly normal.

‘The karaoke isn’t for hours though. You two are so weird,’ she moaned.

‘But you love us anyway,’ her dad said, wiggling his eyebrows at her as she swished his ridiculous wig.

‘That might have to go under advisement - especially if you start singing together tonight,’ at the sheepish look that flashed between her parents, Holly baulked, ‘No, please. No singing,’ she pleaded. ‘You promised us hosting the karaoke nights would not result in either of you two singing!’

‘But your mother has the voice of an angel, and I think the whole village needs to hear it,’ her dad countered, looking deadly serious despite wearing a long brown wig that fell like curtains framing his face.

‘Quit teasing, Mike. Don’t panic, there’ll be no singing,’ her mum reassured her.

‘Promise?’

‘Cross my heart. We just like getting into the spirit of things.’

Holly nodded, she trusted her mum to keep her word. Her dad - never, but always her mum.

‘Did you need something?’ her mum asked, pushing away from her dad’s hold.

‘Some paper for my printer. I’ve finished my birthday invites.’

‘Did you decide on the venue?’

‘The Dolphin.’

‘Not here?’ her dad sounded offended.

‘I’m here all the time, Dad. I wanted somewhere different for my 21st.’

‘Stop it, Mike. We talked about this,’ her mum’s tight tone brokered no arguments.

‘Fine,’ he huffed, moving to sit on the desk.

‘How’s Sloane?’ her mum’s questions caught her off guard. Holly was still taking in her dad’s sullen expression so she didn’t school her features quickly enough to hide her feelings. ‘That bad, huh?’

‘No. No, she’s being a bit more distant than usual.’

‘She’s often like that in the run up to your birthday, darling. Don’t take it to heart,’ her mum said at the same time her dad offered, ‘Want me to throw her out? I can do that as the landlord.’