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‘You said that before,’ hemuttered.
‘I know Jake, and I’m sorry. I truly believed it was, but your father—’ She halted abruptly, not wanting tobad-mouth their dad. Troy might have behaved like a total shit, but the kids still loved him. She had tried to explain what had happened inthe simplest of terms and without making Troy out to be a villain, but Annabellewasn’t sure they fullyunderstood. ‘It won’t be for a couple of weeks,’ she continued, ‘because we’ve got to go back to Granny and Grandad’s so you can get ready for your new school.’
‘I liked my old one.’ Jake’s expressionwas sullen.
‘I’m going to a new school in September,’ Sam told him. ‘It won’t be too bad.’ He didn’t look convinced either, but at eleven he was moving to secondary school. ‘And Ellis is going away to university. I’m going to have her room.’
‘I heard that,’ Ellis said, wafting into the games room on a cloud of floral perfume and a layered chiffon skirt. ‘You arenothaving my room.’
‘I am, too! Mum said.’
‘Great. She might have asked me first.’
Ellis didn’t look pleased and headed for the stairs muttering darkly under her breath.
‘What about me?’ Portia asked, emerging from the TV room, Izzie behind her. ‘Ellis’s room is nicer than mine. As the next oldest, I should get it. I’m goingto speak to Mum.’
Oh, dear, Annabelle thought as the girls left. Rooms really did seem to be an issue in that family.
‘Phone?’ she reminded her son, who reluctantly handed it over. He’d been trying to persuade her for months that he should have a mobile phone of his own, but she wasn’t keen on the idea.
Hastily she tapped out a message to her mum, then hurried upstairs after hearing raised voices coming from the living room, to find a heated discussion in full swing.
From what Annabelle could gather, Kate had said nothing of the sort about Sam having Ellis’s room, but Sam was trying to argue that it was only fair since Ellis was going to university and wouldn’t be home half of the time. And Ellis, whilst vehemently insisting that she kept her room, was also claiming that she couldn’t wait to go to university if it meant getting away from her annoying brother and her horrid sister.
Finally, Kate managed to assure all three of her children that just because Ellis would be away during term time, it didn’t mean she was moving out permanently, and that everything would stay as it was. This was received with glee by Ellis, and mutterings by the other two, Sam especially, who rumbled on about it not being fair as he retreated to the games room.
‘Phew,’ Kate said, as she switched the kettle on. ‘Crisis averted. Tea or coffee?’
‘Coffee, please. I’ll make it. Hang on, a sec!’ Her phone pinged and she pulled it out of her shorts pocket. ‘It’s from Mum,’ she read. ‘They’re having a wonderful time.’
Annabelle was just about to slip the phone back into her pocket when she noticed she had a missed call, and her heart sank when she saw who it was from.The last person she wanted to speak to was Troy.
Briefly she debated not phoning him back, but duty won. After all, hewasher children’s father…
‘Troy, it’s Annabelle,’ she said, walking onto the drive where she wouldn’t be overheard. ‘What do you want?’
‘What do you meanwhat do you want? You calledme.’ The voice which had once had her hanging on every word, now sounded nasally and whiney. She knew where Jake got his whiney tone from.
‘You called me first,’ she retorted, beginning to lose patience.
‘Whatever. Stop playing games. How are the kids?’
The last thing she wanted to do was to play games with Troy. Unless it was hide and seek, and he’d go hide for a very long time indeed. Preferably forever. If it hadn’t been for the kids…
‘Nice of you to ask.’ Annabelle was unable to prevent the ooze of sarcasm. ‘We’ve been gone nearly seven weeks and you’ve not once—’
‘If you’re only ringing to have a go, I’m hanging up. Do you know what time it is here?’
‘I don’t care. Look, this isn’t productive. If you don’t want anything, I’m ending this call.’
‘Bella, wait a minute.’ The whine had turned to wheedling. ‘It doesn’t matter who called who, we’re speaking to each other now.’ He paused and when he spoke again his tone was more confident. ‘Idowant something. I want you to come home.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Come back to Stralia. I miss you. The kids too’
Annabelle barked out an incredulous laugh. ‘Troy, we’ve been divorced for over a year, and we were separated for a year before that. You’re with Sallie now, remember?’
