It was early evening by the time Alan and Cara had given their notes on the rehearsal and everyone had changed out of costume. When she was ready, Sive joined Ciara, Maria and Irene in the auditorium as they waited for their charges.
‘Are you all going to the pub?’ she asked them, and they said they were.
‘It’s nice for the boys to have a chance to get together,’ Irene said. ‘And we promised them pizza.’
Alex and James appeared as they spoke, trotting down the steps from the stage.
‘Where’s Jack?’ Ciara asked James.
‘He’s coming,’ James said. ‘He has to go around the long way because Cara won’t let him do the steps on his crutch.’
‘Health and safety,’ Alex elaborated.
‘You go on ahead,’ Ciara said to the other two women. ‘We’ll see you there.’
‘Maybe Mitch’ll carry him to the pub,’ James speculated as they drifted towards the door.
Ciara rolled her eyes. ‘I hope Mitchdoesn’tcarry him. He’s well able to walk.’ She sighed wearily as the auditorium door opened and Jack came hobbling down the aisle towards them.
‘Well, I just might have the solution,’ Sive whispered to her. ‘That was a really kind thing you did for Alex,’ she said to Jack as he reached them, a little breathless from the exertion.
He shrugged. ‘Ain’t nuffink. James didn’t want to do it and I’ve already been on TV. Seemed only fair.’
‘Well, it was still really nice of you.’
‘It was,’ Ciara said, ruffling his hair. ‘I was very proud of you. You’ve definitely earned your pizza.’
‘Yay!’ Jack grinned, licking his lips. ‘Can’t wait!’
‘Ah, well, I’ve got a surprise for you,’ Sive said with a secretive smile. ‘Something even better than pizza.’
Jack’s eyes widened. ‘What’s better than pizza?Twopizzas?’ His face lit up.
Sive shook her head. ‘You’ll see. I got Chloe at the bakery to make something specially for you.’
‘But I want to go to the pub with James and Alex,’ Jack protested.
‘That’s fine. We’ll pick it up on the way and you can bring it to the pub with you.’
Ciara frowned, intrigued.
‘I’ll just tell Sam I’m going.’ She found him in the wings, chatting to Cara. They were planning to go straight home, but she’d already apprised him of her plan, so she told him that she’d meet him back at the theatre in a few minutes. Then she left with Jack and Ciara.
They called into The Halfpenny Place and Chloe handed over Sive’s order to her. ‘Made specially for you,’ she said to Jack. ‘I hope you enjoy it.’
‘What is it?’ Jack asked excitedly as Sive handed him the parcel wrapped in wax paper. ‘It’s heavy.’ He weighed it in his hands. ‘Is it a deep pan pizza? Or chocolate cake! I bet it’s chocolate cake.’
‘Why don’t we wait to open it until we’re in the pub?’ Ciara took it from him so he could negotiate the door with his crutch.
In the pub they joined Maria, Irene, Alex and James at a long table. Alex and James were in the middle of a conversation about their career ambitions.
‘I’d like to be an Avenger,’ James said. ‘Or Daniel Craig’s son.’
‘Oh? In what?’ Sive asked, joining the conversation.
James shrugged. ‘Some movie where he has a son. I just think he’d be a cool dad.’
‘I’d like to be Tom Cruise’s son,’ Alex said. ‘That would bereallycool.’
