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Katie stared at her. ‘For real?’
‘Yes, for real.’
And for the first time since Thea had arrived, Katie smiled. Little dimples appeared on each cheek as she grinned at Thea, flashing the orthodontic wires that were straightening her teeth. Thea could still see in her the little girl with the straight fringe and pigtails, and the freckles over her little button nose – freckles that were now hidden by makeup. Thea affectionately returned her smile.
‘I can’t wait to tell my friend.’ Katie got out her phone.
‘So, I’ll pick you both up after school.’
Katie nodded, already on the phone to her friend, thoughts of her mum stuck in a hospital bed with a broken leg now far from her mind.
‘I’ll see you at three, then.’ She guessed that if it was just a few minutes down the road to Aldeburgh, then getting to Leiston would only take about half an hour. Still, she imagined that it wouldn’t feel like very long before she was leaving the house to pick them up. She was looking forward to having the house to herself – to read a book, mooch around, and just kick back; to do nothing, and think of Miles while wallowing in self-pity. She knew she shouldn’t have let Gracie railroad her into taking time off work.
‘You will have to get there really early, though, because parking is a bitch.’
Thea raised her eyebrows. ‘Katie, language!’
‘Well, it is. That’s what Mum says, although now they can’t afford the school bus, so after this term, Mum’s going to have to come and pick us up, in between work.’
‘I’m sorry – what did you just say?’
‘Mum is going to be taking us to school.’
‘No, not that. You mentioned she’s going to work?’
Katie nodded.
‘What is it she’s doing for work?’ Thea was interested; her sister wasn’t exactly careerist – far from it. Ever since she’d left school and started work in an office, she’d been on the lookout for a husband – or someone else’s husband, as it happened – with whom she could have children and who would look after her financially. Jenna once told her that her job was being a housewife and a mother; once she had children, she had no intention of returning to work. Ever. So, this job was news to Thea.
‘I don’t know,’ Katie replied in answer to Thea’s question, and returned her attention to her phone.
‘Is she working locally?’
Katie shrugged. ‘I guess.’
Thea was about to ask Toby, but he’d left for the bus. Thea looked at the clock on the wall.
Katie followed her gaze. She got off the stool and picked up her bag.
Thea had a thought. ‘Hey, what about lunch?’
‘Oh, yeah – right. We have school dinners.’
Thea wondered why, if money was tight, they didn’t just take a sandwich. On the other hand, it saved her from having to make them.
‘Until the end of term – then we’ve got to have packed lunches.’
‘I see.’ So money really was tight. Jenna had made it sound as though her life had really come together since they’d moved out of London. Thea was starting to realise that was far from the case.
‘We should have stayed in London,’ said Katie. ‘Then everything wouldn’t have gone wrong.’ She headed out of the kitchen.
Thea didn’t know what to say to that. She followed her to the front door. ‘Well, um, have a good day.’
Just then, Katie got a text on her phone. She started texting as she walked out of the door. Thea asked, ‘Are you meant to take mobile phones to school?’ She got no response. She stood at the door, arms folded, watching her niece – who was wearing a very short skirt – heading out of the door and down the lane. She spotted her nephew walking ahead, discreetly hanging back. She guessed he was taking his time, keeping an eye out for his sister. There was no need, really. Thea hadn’t heard a single car all morning. She imagined she’d be lucky to see a handful of people all day in Pettistree – perhaps a neighbour, or some walkers venturing from Wickham Market and stopping in the village pub.
Thea closed the front door. She turned around and nearly fell over the dog. ‘Winston! You’ll cause an accident one of these days.’
Thea’s sister came to mind. She looked at the dog.Perhaps you already have, she thought.
