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“You can,” I said. “I know you can. You’ve worked hard, you’re doing well. Sometimes the results don’t come in, it can be bad luck, pure and simple.”
Her face crumpled like a scared little girl, and Verity’s bluster was all gone. She looked like a child again, the girl I’d seen in her pigtails all those years ago. “She’s going to ruin my life!”
“Katie?”
She nodded. “He loves her more than me!”
Her words took me aback. “That’s not true,” I said. “Your father loves you very much.”
“Not like he loves her!” She wiped her tears on the back of her hand. “Be nice to your sister, Verity, share your things with your sister, Verity. Make sure Katie has a good time, Verity. Let Katie choose which horse she wants to ride, Verity. Make sure you give her first choice, Verity. Why don’t you wear your hair like Katie, Verity? Katie’s so pretty, Katie’s so nice, Katie’s so fucking clever and cute and sweet and blonde and fucking wonderful, Verity.”
“I’m sure things weren’t like that,” I said. “I’m sure that isn’t how your father intended them.”
She shook her head. “She turned up and it was all about Katie, sweet little Katie. He was working too hard to spend time with us, but when it was time to pick up little Katie he was always right there, driving over to get her and bringing her back like a little doll.Katie, Katie, Katie.Did Katie have a good time? Did you play nicely? Did you share?” She scowled. “And what about me?! What aboutmehaving a good time?”
The idea that Verity was shunned in favour of a younger sister she hadn’t known of until she was ten was quite ridiculous, I was certain of it, but Verity’s eyes weren’t lying. Her outburst was raw and real, and full of bitterness.
Whatever the real situation was, this was how she’d seen it. How she still saw it.
“Now she’s better than me at the office, and Dad will love her even more!”
I shook my head. “No. He won’t. He loves both of you.”
“I wanted to do better than her! That way he’d know I was better than her! Even if I’m not the pretty one with blonde hair! Even if I’m not the cutest one! The sweetest one!” The tears came thick and fast. “She’s… she’s… she’s better than me!”
So much I wanted to say. So many things to put her outlook in perspective, but I decided against it. The girl was wired and hysterical, far too worked up to be rational.
I couldn’t talk sense into her about her childhood post Katie, not just like that, but I could help her make the best of things now.
I took her elbow, pulled her to her feet, and for the first time in my life I reached out to Verity Faverley and wrapped my arm around her shoulders while she cried.
“Nobody is better than anyone,” I said. “We’re all just people.”
“She is…”
“She probably feels the same about you, have you ever thought about that?”
She shook her head. “She doesn’t. She wants all my things, my dad, too.”
I smiled. “I know for a fact that isn’t true,” I said. “She’s just trying to do her job so she can go and meet that horse whisperer guy, just the same as you are.”
“You would say that,” she said. “You love her, too. It’s obvious. You can’t stop staring at her.” Her lip went again. “Even gay men love perfect little Katie.”
I didn’t attempt to explain or deny, just let out a sigh, and hugged her a little bit tighter. “I’ll help,” I said. “Monday morning we’ll do some extra coaching.”
“We will?” she said.
“We will. But this has to stop, all this hate and bitterness, for both of you.”
“But she…”
“No,” I said. “It has to stop.” I met her eyes, forced her to meet my gaze. “Say you’ll try.”
“I don’t think I can…”
“Try, Verity, you just have totry.That’s all. Justtry.Give it a shot.”
She held off for long seconds, halfway between scowling and sobbing, and then she sighed, her lip trembling.
