AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Same reason as yesterday,’ I say evenly. ‘Same reason as tomorrow.’
Tolly leans forward in his car seat, straining against the restraints. ‘Let me! Let me!’
‘You can’t reach the handle, darling.’
Bella reluctantly slouches towards the garage, opening it with agonising slowness, and I tamp down a rising tide of irritation as she then stands in the middle of the drive, blocking my way, to check her mobile. When she finally moves, she drops one of her Bluetooth earbuds – a ridiculously extravagant gift from Andrew – and takes her sweet time picking it up, while I drummy fingers on the steering wheel and suppress the urge to scream.
Eventually, she gets out of the way so that I can park. I help Tolly out of the car, and go around the house. The builders are still working on the porch, their scaffolding preventing us from going in through the front, so we have to enter through the back door. I must admit, Gary Donahue’s doing a good job. The front of the house no longer sags drunkenly forwards for the first time since we bought the place.
‘I found this on the drive,’ Bella says, rudely shoving something at me as she pushes past me into the mudroom.
It’s an earring. Some sort of semi-precious blue stone: topaz, maybe, or aquamarine.
‘Whose is this?’ I ask, dumping my bag on the kitchen table.
‘Caz’s. She was wearing them the other week. Can you put it somewhere safe till I can give it back to her? I’ll only lose it.’
‘How did it end up in our driveway?’
Bella shrugs, putting her earbuds back in her ears. ‘Probably fell out of Dad’s car. Don’t call me for dinner,’ she adds, on her way up the stairs. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘Bella—’
With a sigh, I put the earring in the soap dish on the windowsill, tempted though I am to drop it into the waste disposal, and reach beneath the sink for the cat food. I need to sort out the kids’ dinner early, as I promised I’d go over to my mother’s and help herand Min with arrangements for the party, which is less than three weeks away now. My heart sinks further at the thought. I really wish Mum hadn’t invited Andrew and Caz. This celebration should be a family affair, and instead, I’ll have to deal with Caz and her spiteful games. It seems like I’m never free of her these days.
I grill a couple of burgers on the barbecue outside, and take Tolly’s into him in the sitting room. I don’t normally let them eat food in front of the TV, and he responds as if I’ve just given him the keys to Disneyland. Bella’s dinner I cover and leave on the dining table, in case she changes her mind while I’m out.
I go up to her room and pop my head around her door to let her know I’m leaving. She’s curled up on her bed, facing the wall, a thick fleece blanket pulled up around her shoulders despite the fact it’s July and 29 degrees outside.
‘Bella?’ I say softly. ‘Are you awake?’
She doesn’t say anything, but I can tell from her breathing she’s not asleep.
‘I’m just popping out to see Gree,’ I say. ‘Call me if there’s anything you need. I’ll be back before it gets dark.’
Bella doesn’t stir. I lean over her and straighten the blanket, a fist squeezing my heart. For all her teenage attitude, she’s still my baby, and right now, her face scrubbed of make-up, her slight form dwarfed by the heaped blankets and pillows, she looks not much older than Tolly.
As I turn away, the phone on the bedside table illuminates with an incoming text from Taylor, and I can’t help but read it.
U hv to get it Im desperate.
I feel a flash of maternal concern. What can the girl possibly need that’s so urgent?
Before I can dig too deeply, my own phone pings with a message from Luke.Any idea what’s going on with Dad?
I put a mental pin in the text from Taylor, and reply to my brother as I go downstairs.Is there a problem? Mum didn’t say anything to me.
She said he had a funny turn.
I sigh inwardly.I’m on my way over. Will keep you posted.
Typical of Mum, I think crossly, as I go out to the car. If Dad were really ill, she’d have told me. Instead, she creates a drama by contacting Luke, knowing the first thing he’ll do is come to me. Somehow, my brother avoids getting sucked into her games in a way I’ve never quite managed. He takes after Dad: quiet and self-effacing, he generally glides below Mum’s radar, showing up – literally and metaphorically – just often enough to be left to his own devices the rest of the time. I’ve noticed he follows much the same policy with Min.
I let myself into my parents’ house. ‘Mum?’ I call. ‘You there?’
Dad ambles into the kitchen to greet me, a crumpledcopy of theTelegraphin his hand. ‘Hello, poppet,’ he says in surprise. ‘Not at work?’
‘Working from home today, Dad,’ I say, kissing his cheek. ‘You all right? Mum said you had a bit of a turn.’
