That all sounded really sensible. Except that not all steps were equal, Cassie mused – it all depended where they were taking you.
Chapter 9
‘Sorry .?.?. what?’
‘We’re getting married.’
It was a blustery Saturday morning and Cassie had come home from her dog-walking duties with her cheeks ruddy and her hair standing on end to find Mam and Eric sitting together on the sofa with coffee and Danish pastries laid out on the coffee table. That was remarkable enough, added to which she noticed Mam had put heated rollers in her hair that morning and was clearly wearing makeup, which was a sure indication of an upcoming photo opportunity.
Cassie realised she really shouldn’t have been that shocked by the revelation; also, both Mam and Eric couldn’t have been sweeter or more considerate in their tone.
‘When?’
‘Well, we thought early July.’ Mam gazed up at Eric. ‘And we’d like you to be one of our bridesmaids, with your sister Maxine, of course.’
Oh sweet, suffering Jesus, that was a whole other level of dreadful.
‘Wow, I am absolutely thrilled and .?.?. kind of surprised? If I’m being honest.’
Fucking stunned was what she meant.
Mam slipped her hand into Eric’s and began, as though speaking to a small child, ‘Eric and I met at a time in our lives when we’d both lost somebody very dear to us. And we’d like to spend the rest of the time left to us together. And we’re so happy to share it with you first of all.’
She’d never looked happier, Cassie thought, even with Da. She was conscious that this was Mam’s big moment and kept smiling, but underneath she felt .?.?. what? A twinge of jealousy that her mother had managed to win the lasting devotion of not one, but two fine men. A flash of indignation on Da’s behalf – I mean, for the love of God, he was only dead less than three years. On top of that was a wave of guilt for feeling like this. It made no sense; she had grown deeply fond of Eric and you could’ve seen from the International Space Station that they were perfect for each other, so what was her problem? Change.I hate change. Just don’t cry and ruin everything, she warned herself severely.
‘And we can go wedding-dress shopping together. We didn’t get to do that the first time round.’ Mam beamed. ‘We can link up with Maxine online from Toronto so she can give her opinion.’
Cassie’s smile froze. Oh crap.
Eric was very wisely saying nothing, but he leaned in, waving his iPad. ‘Little photo to mark the occasion?’
Predictably, she looked like a startled ostrich, while Mam and Eric looked like the golden-years couple from a multivitamin ad.
Half an hour later Cassie was rinsing the cups in the kitchen when Mam slipped in beside her with an air of anticipation about her.
‘Thank you for taking it all so well, love. I understand it might have been a shock for you.’
‘It’s OK, Mam, I’m really happy for you both.’
Cassie smiled bravely as Mam went on, ‘I know things have been a little distant between you and Maxie over the years and I hope this is the perfect time to put all the silliness behind you. Life’s too short for that sort of nonsense.’
Cassie was just about to protest that it wasn’t that simple, when Mam raised her hand.
‘There’s just one other thing and there’s no point in putting it off. I hope you understand, because I know it’ll work out for the best in the long run .?.?.’
That sounded ominous.
‘So, I’m sure you’ll understand that when Eric moves in, we’ll be wanting the house to ourselves.’
‘Of course, that goes without saying,’ said Cassie out loud with a smile.
Inside her, her ten-year-old self was wailing,I’m being evicted from my own home.
The next moment her sensible side kicked in: face it, we’re all adults, even though blood, in this case, didn’t seem to be thicker than water.
‘You don’t want to be stuck here with us oldies, you want to be up and out, getting on with your own life. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the end.’
Cassie had an image of herself like some perky prairie dog popping out of a burrow.
