‘Don’t even say it,’ Tierney cried, appalled. ‘No way am I ever going to want to dance like you.’
Loving her horror almost as much as her struggle not to laugh, Lainey went to cup her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. ‘Thanks for the message,’ she said. ‘Did Auntie Daffs say how she was?’
‘Mum,’ Zav piped up, ‘is Auntie Daffs our auntie or yours?’
‘Well, she’s mine first, because she’s Grandpa’s sister, but she’s . . .’
‘She’s our great-aunt,’ Tierney told him, ‘and she’s definitely great, because for someone so old she’s seriously cool. Can we start the pancakes now?’
‘Go on, before they get cold,’ Tom replied, readying Zav for his next throw.
‘Watch this,’ Zav cried as Max came yawning and stretching through the door, T-shirt riding up round his middle, jeans sagging below his boxers. ‘I’m about to toss one. Can I do it now, Dad?’
‘Slide it round the pan a bit more,’ Tom instructed. ‘That’s it! Now tilt the pan forward . . . Good. Not too far. Remember the wrist action . . . OK,
go
!’
Zav flipped, the pancake flew and everyone cheered as it landed half in, half out of the pan.
‘I nearly caught it, I nearly caught it!’ Zav whooped excitedly, wiggling his hips and punching a hand in the air. ‘You can have it if you like, Max. Are you going to watch me play footie today? He can come, can’t he, Dad?’
‘If he wants to,’ Tom replied. ‘Don’t you have guests?’ he asked Max as Max slumped down at the table and helped himself to juice.
‘They’re still crashing,’ Max yawned. ‘Is there any coffee?’
‘Tierney, can you get the phone, darling?’ Lainey called as she went into the larder.
Bouncing round the table to go and do the honours, Tierney scooped up the receiver saying, ‘Good morning, Bannerleigh Cross. How can I help you?’
Tom’s eyes sparked with amusement.
‘Someone’s in a good mood,’ Max grunted.
‘Oh hey Stacy,’ Tierney was saying warmly. ‘How are you? Yes, I’m cool thanks. Yes, Mum’s here. OK. Mum, Stacy wants to know what time you’re meeting this morning and where.’
‘In the courtyard at Mills, around eleven?’ Lainey replied.
Tierney relayed the message. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, frowning, ‘I’ll ask. Stacy wants to know if she should book her flight yet, and if so to which airport?’
Taking the phone, Lainey said to Stacy, ‘I’ll look into it later today, so don’t do anything yet. How did it go with Martin last night?’
‘Yes, it was good,’ Stacy replied, not sounding quite as upbeat as Lainey had expected. ‘Just not sure . . . Well, he didn’t stay over again and so now I’m wondering . . . Is he married, or a commitment-phobe . . . Nothing’s ever straightforward, is it?’
‘Tell me about it,’ Lainey muttered. ‘But did he say why he couldn’t stay the night?’
‘Should you be having this conversation with children in the room?’ Max demanded.
‘Feel free to leave,’ Lainey told him.
Tom laughed.
Max glared at her, but couldn’t quite hide the flicker of humour in his eyes.
‘Let’s talk about it later,’ Stacy said. ‘I’ve got some other news too, but it can wait till then.’
As Lainey rang off, Zav arrived at the table with his final messy pancake, while Tom brought a bunch of cutlery and mugs for the coffee. ‘What was that about flights?’ he asked, sitting down next to Max.
‘To Italy,’ Lainey announced delightedly. ‘I’ve put a deposit on the villa near Tuoro that I sent you all a link to. Now all I have to do is sort out how we get there and who’s actually going to come with us.’
‘Me, me, I’m definitely coming,’ Zav shouted. ‘I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. Alfie says it’s brilliant there.’
‘Am I invited?’ Max wanted to know.
Lainey was surprised. ‘I didn’t think you’d be interested. But you’re welcome if you’d like to come,’ she added hastily.
‘It might be a good idea for you to spend the summer looking for a job,’ Tom informed him.
‘Yeah, right, that sounds like fun,’ Max retorted.
‘It’s not supposed to be
fun,
it’s supposed to be growing up and sorting out your life.’
Max groaned in dismay. ‘I so don’t need this . . .’
‘Let’s not spoil things,’ Lainey insisted, trying to head off a row.
‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to come,’ Tierney declared, her mouth half full of pancake.
Astonished, Lainey glanced at Tom as she said, ‘What do you mean, you can’t come?’
Tierney shrugged. ‘What I said.’
‘This isn’t negotiable,’ Tom informed her. ‘It’s a family holiday, so of course you’ll come.’
‘Sorry, I’m going to be sixteen by then, and I’ve got loads of things already planned for the summer.’
‘What sort of things?’ Lainey wanted to know.
Tierney flushed.
‘Whatever they are, they can wait till we’re back,’ Tom said decisively.
Tierney’s eyes glinted as she shook her head. ‘No way,’ she retorted. ‘I’m staying here – and think of it this way, I’ll be able to look after Grandpa, because he can’t be on his own, can he? Or are you planning to take him too?’
‘That was what Auntie Daffs was ringing about,’ Lainey told her. ‘She and Uncle Jack are coming to stay while we’re away. And that means all of us, including you.’
Tierney’s face was taut with defiance. ‘As I just said,’ she muttered through her teeth, ‘I’ll be sixteen by then, which means I’ll be an adult, so . . .’
‘It does not make you an adult,’ Tom interrupted, ‘and don’t speak to your mother in that tone.’
‘Why not? You always do.’
Stunned, Lainey could only watch as Tom put down his cutlery and glared at his daughter. ‘You’ll take that back right now,’ he demanded, ‘or you’ll go to your room.’
‘Why should I take it back if it’s true?’ Tierney protested.
‘It isn’t true,’ Zav cried. ‘Dad always speaks really nicely to Mum, doesn’t he, Mum?’
‘Actually, this isn’t about me and Dad,’ Lainey reminded them, wondering what was really going on with Tierney. ‘It’s about you, Tierney, and the fact that we want you to come on holiday with us. It wouldn’t be the same without you . . .’
‘Oh Mum, give me a break,’ Tierney cried, her face colouring with frustration. She couldn’t go away now. She had to stay here to be with
him.
‘This is all about you trying to find out about your family, if you’ve even got one . . .’
‘Course she has, she’s got us,’ Zav pointed out.
‘You know what I mean,’ Tierney snapped at him. She fixed her mother with seriously determined eyes. ‘I don’t want to come to Italy,’ she informed her, ‘and if you make me I won’t want to be a part of this family any more.’ Rising to her feet she began stalking out of the room.
‘Sit back down,’ Tom ordered in a tone no one ever defied.
Tierney hesitated.
‘Now!’
Pink-faced and steely-eyed, Tierney returned to her place.
‘Eat your breakfast,’ Tom commanded.
‘I’m not hungry,’ she replied sulkily.
Tom glanced at Lainey and carried on with his own pancake.
The others followed suit, eating in silence until Max said, ‘Anyone fancy a game of Happy Families?’
Zav gave a shout of laughter as Lainey and Tom struggled to suppress their own.
‘You all think you’re so bloody funny,’ Tierney cried savagely. ‘Well, I don’t. I hate you, all of you, and I can’t wait to leave home.’
‘Zav, pass the honey, son,’ Tom said, reaching out a hand for it.
‘So I’m invited to Italy?’ Max asked Lainey.
‘Of course,’ she replied, sending a silent prayer that he’d leave his black moods at home. ‘As long as you pull your weight,’ she added lamely.
He looked amazed, offended. ‘Don’t I always?’
She returned the look. ‘Can’t say I’d noticed.’
He appeared pained.
‘Do you have any spending money?’ Tom asked him.
‘No, why, are you offering? Cool.’
Even Tierney had to choke back a laugh.
Tom narrowed him a look. ‘Get a job anywhere, doing anything, until it’s time to go, and you can come.’
‘Does it have to be legal?’
Tom rolled his eyes as Tierney struggled with another laugh.
‘I’ll give you half my pocket money if you’ll do my homework,’ Zav offered.
‘How much do you get?’ Max wanted to know.
‘A pound a week.’
Max’s eyes rounded. ‘Wow! And you’d give me a full fifty p just for doing your sums? It’s a deal.’
Knowing better than to rise to it, Lainey put a hand on Tierney’s back and gave it a rub. ‘Fancy coming to the market with me this morning?’ she said softly. ‘We could pop into Moonflower and see if they’ve received anything new since we were last there.’
Tierney was shaking her head. ‘No thanks,’ she said stiffly. ‘I’m going to Maudie’s for some revising. I hope that keeps you happy,’ she shot at her father.
‘Delirious,’ he assured her. ‘Are any of you three joining us for dinner tonight? Have they been invited?’ he asked Lainey.
‘No, we haven’t,’ Zav sighed. ‘Or I haven’t anyway, and I really want to come.’
‘You’re so weird,’ Tierney told him.
‘You say that about everyone,’ he retorted, ‘and really it’s you who’s weird, isn’t she, Mum?’
‘She’s gorgeous,’ Lainey replied, going to pick up the phone. ‘Hello, Bannerleigh Cross.’
‘These pancakes are seriously good, little man,’ Max informed Zav as he reached for a third. ‘You can cook for me any time.’
‘Hello?’ Lainey said into the phone.
‘Hello,’ Max and Zav echoed back.
Lainey turned away. ‘Hello,’ she said again. Someone was there, she could hear noises in the background, but whoever it was still didn’t speak. ‘I’m going to ring off now,’ she told whoever it was. ‘Goodbye.’
‘Goodbye,’ Max and Zav repeated.
Tom was regarding her curiously.
She merely shrugged. ‘OK, I’ve got a lot to do before the party tonight, so you lot are in charge of clearing up here. If your friends wake up and want food,’ she said to Max, ‘eggs are down the road at the farm, bacon’s two fields along to the right but can run fast, same goes for the milk, but in a separate field.’ Enjoying her little joke, she dropped a kiss on Tom’s head before running upstairs to start getting her father into the day.
An hour and a half later Lainey was hunting high and low for her mobile phone. If she didn’t leave soon she was going to be late for Stacy, but she hated being out of contact in case there was some sort of emergency.
She’d rung her own number half a dozen times now, but before she could hear where in the house the phone might be the call was skipping straight through to voicemail.
‘This is crazy,’ she muttered angrily, turfing everything upside down in the kitchen again, certain this was where she’d last seen it.
She hoped Tierney hadn’t taken it by mistake, but if she had she’d surely have answered it by now.
‘Dad,’ she said, barely even glancing across to where he was playing cards with his old sales director, Marty, who usually came to visit on Saturday mornings. Snap was all they managed these days, and Peter didn’t even seem sure about that. How wonderful Marty was to spare his old friend this time. ‘Dad, have you seen my phone?’ she asked, yanking open the cutlery drawer and rummaging inside. He often hid things, probably unintentionally, but it had caused countless problems in the past.
‘Have you seen Lainey’s phone?’ Marty repeated gently.
Peter frowned. ‘Does she want to speak to me?’ he asked, glancing up.
‘Please don’t tell me someone’s put it in the dishwasher,’ Lainey groaned, wondering if she could dare to tug it open mid-wash.
Deciding no one could really be that stupid (could they?), she started back along the hall intending to go and check the bedroom again, but got only as far as the bottom stair when she heard voices, or at least a voice, coming from Tom’s study.
Looking up as the door opened, he seemed flustered as he said into the phone, ‘OK, that’s fine. I’ll read it through. Sorry, I have to go now,’ and he ended the call.
Regarding him curiously, Lainey said, ‘What are you doing here? I thought you’d gone with Zav?’
‘Max has taken him,’ Tom replied, riffling round his desk apparently searching for something. ‘I’m just about to leave, should be there in time for kick-off. Ah, keys,’ he said, lifting them up to show her.
Sure something was going on with him, but having no time to press it now, she said, ‘Have you seen my phone? I’ve looked high and low . . .’ Suddenly spotting it on his desk she cried, ‘What on earth’s it doing in here?’
‘I must have picked it up instead of my own,’ he replied, still seeming distracted.
Since that could be the only explanation, she gave him a hasty kiss and after making sure her father and Marty were OK for drinks and sandwiches, she ran out to the car. Before starting the engine she quickly opened her mobile to let Stacy know she was going to be late. To her surprise the phone displayed an old text and when she realised what it was her heart gave a twist of confusion.
Ask your husband about Julia.
She continued to stare at it. Why on earth would it be showing now, when it had been sent several days ago? She’d received dozens more since, so it should have been so far down the list as to be virtually lost, and yet there it was, filling the screen as though it had only just turned up.
To check that it hadn’t – after all, whoever had sent it might have sent it again – she scrolled through the messages, and sure enough it had arrived on Wednesday. Today was Saturday. So the only logical explanation for why it was displaying now was because Tom had gone through her phone?
She couldn’t imagine him doing that, but when she considered what this message said, her head started to spin.
After watching Lainey’s car disappear down the drive, Tom quickly reconnected to the call he’d interrupted when she’d come into his study. His expression was grim; frustration showed in every line of his face – and deepened when he found himself bumped through to voicemail. ‘I’m sorry about just now,’ he said, ‘please ring me back when you get this message.’
‘
I’M STARTING TO
think Zav and I are the only sane ones in our house,’ Lainey was grumbling as she joined Stacy at a table in the shady courtyard of Mills Café. As usual on a Saturday morning the place was bustling with market-goers, most of them hefting large bags of muddy veg and fresh crusty loaves. Lainey smiled and waved to a couple of neighbours as she sank into a chair that faced Mills’s kitchen shop, where colourful tubs of handy gadgets were spilling like tombola prizes out of the door.