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‘Oh Minnie, you look like a young Elizabeth Taylor,’ said her mum. Minnie did a double take at such a compliment from her mother. ‘And Fleur, a touch of the Bette Davis. What’s this all in aid of?’
‘Hair trials for Leila’s wedding,’ Minnie explained.
‘Right, show me this blog you need setting up?’ said Fleur, pulling up a stool next to Minnie’s mum.
‘Well, we haven’t got past the first page,’ said her mum, shaking her head.
‘I don’t think I’ll be able to manage if it’s complicated, Connie,’ said Tara, clasping her hands together, her brow knitted in consternation.
‘It’s not complicated, don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it,’ said Fleur, dismissing Tara with a wave of the hand.
‘Show Minnie the garden, Tara, I’m sure she’d like to see,’ suggested her mother.
‘Oh, it’s nothing remarkable,’ said Tara quietly, shaking her head, ‘but it’s something of an achievement for me.’
Tara led Minnie, Leila and Bev down a flight of stairs into the basement, where there were French windows leading out to the back. The garden was huge by London standards, stretching off to a wall of trees a hundred and fifty feet away. Nearest the house was a cobbled patio with wicker table and chairs, then beyond, an arc of flowerbeds full of white roses, purple foxgloves and orange dahlias – a wild array of colour.
‘This is all the gardener, I can’t take credit for the flowers,’ Tara explained, ‘but this I can – this is our little project.’
She couldn’t hide the pride in her voice as she showed them the vegetable garden beyond. Four neat squares of soil, all planted with rows of leafy vegetables, herbs, climbing beans and tomato plants.
‘Wow, you’ve been busy,’ said Minnie, kneeling down to smell the thyme.
‘Your mother drove me to the garden centre last weekend. I got out and bought those myself,’ said Tara, pointing to the row of herbs. Then she turned to Leila and Bev. ‘I know that doesn’t sound particularly impressive,’ Tara clasped her hands again, rubbing the back of one hand with the other palm, ‘but I sometimes have trouble getting out, I get a bit overwhelmed.’
‘We’ve all got our demons to fight, hey,’ said Bev heartily, and Tara nodded.
‘Your mother is such a wonderful woman, Minnie. She’s pushed me to make a small step every day. Doesn’t take no for an answer, does she?’
Tara spoke with such warmth in her voice, it caught Minnie off guard. She rarely heard anyone talk about her mother like that. She hadn’t often considered that her mother’s stubbornness could be such a positive trait.
‘Well, I’m glad she’s been helpful,’ said Minnie.
She could see Tara’s hands begin to shake; she was clasping them together so tightly her knuckles were turning white. ‘Please, we don’t want to overwhelm you, Tara, if it’s too much us being here,’ said Minnie softly.
‘Please stay,’ said Tara, ‘I need to push myself to do more.’ She blinked quickly, her eyes darting back towards the house. ‘Would you all have tea if I made a pot?’
They all agreed that they would.
As Tara hurried back inside, Bev, Leila and Minnie sat down on the chairs around the patio table.
‘Jeez, I need the toilet, but I’m scared to go,’ said Bev. ‘This place is like Buckingham Palace or something.’
‘Bev, if you need the toilet, go,’ said Leila. ‘It will be more embarrassing if you wet yourself.’
‘I won’t be able to go. My bladder seizes up in fancy places.’
Tara returned five minutes later with a tray of tea things and a gooseberry tart. She had a phone balanced beneath her chin.
‘Yes, Minnie and her friends popped in … her friend is helping me set up a blog page … no, I’m not overdoing it, darling. Here, Minnie was wanting to speak to you,’ Tarasaid, laying down the tray and passing the phone to Minnie. ‘It’s Quinn, checking up on me.’
Minnie felt the blood drain from her face; the knot in her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Of all the ways she wanted to hear from Quinn, this was not it. She shook her head weakly, but Tara kept thrusting the phone at her.
She finally took it and walked down the garden with it. If she had to talk to him, it wouldn’t be in front of everyone else.
‘Hi,’ she said.
‘Hi Minnie,’ said Quinn. He cleared his throat. ‘So you’ve been roped in to helping with the gardening?’
