She’d started noticing sequinned dresses in shop windows, cosmetic sets in magazines, and roast turkey commercials on TV. Not working in an office, she missed out on hot dogs and mulled wine at the Christmas markets with workmates.
Before Greta could say anything else, Lottie added, ‘Dad just lets me be myself, you know?’
A sharp sting pierced Greta’s heart, and she took the pan off the hob. ‘Are you going there because I stayed out overnight?’ She turned to face Lottie. ‘Your dad knows about this, right? There’s only a few days left until you break up for Christmas at school.’
Lottie shrugged a shoulder. ‘I’ll call him after dinner. I’m sure he won’t mind. It’s nicer there, and the view’s better,’ she said. ‘You’ll be okay here on your own, right?’ She lifted a hopeful eyebrow.
There were probably a hundred other reasons why Lottie wanted to stay with Jim, and it looked like she’d already made up her mind. Greta told herself that some time apart might be a good thing. Let Lottie see that clothes didn’t wash themselves, and meals didn’t appear by magic. Jim was less organised than she was.
‘Yes, of course. I’ll be absolutely fine.’ Greta forked spaghetti into bowls and carried them to the table. Lottie brought over their glasses of juice.
While they ate, the scraping noise of their forks against bone china was the only sound filling the void between them.
Later that evening, after Lottie had been holed up in her room for a while, Greta rang Jim. ‘Have you spoken to Lottie today?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, she called me earlier. Said she wanted to move in with me for a while. Is that okay?’
‘Move in?’ Greta’s voice thinned. ‘She told me it was just staying over.’
Jim hesitated. ‘Perhaps I phrased it badly. It’ll probably only be for a few days. I think she’s finding things tough right now and needs a break.’
Greta’s frustration got the better of her, bubbling over. ‘I know the feeling,’ she snapped. ‘But nobody’s offering me a luxury escape.’
Her fantasy place was only accessible by drinking weird coffee, guarded by an old lady fiercer than Cerberus.
‘It just feels like . . .’ she may as well come right out and say it ‘. . . a kick in the teeth. Christmas is supposed to be a time for family.’
‘It’s only for a short while,’ Jim said. ‘She’ll probably soon realise it’s much nicer staying with her mum.’
Greta’s ears pricked. He sounded caring and understanding.
‘I’m sure she’ll want to come home before Christmas,’ Jim added.
‘I hope so,’ Greta replied, not entirely convinced.
Jim’s voice was full of certainty. ‘I know she will,’ he said.
*
GRETA’S ACTING SKILLScame in handy, forcing a cheery face as she helped Lottie to pack a small suitcase. She pretended her daughter was going on holiday for a few days, rather than admitting Lottie wanted to move out for a while.
They were polite, passing socks and deodorants to each other, like strangers sharing a hotel room, rather than mother and daughter.
‘You can call me if you’ve forgotten anything. I can drop it over for you,’ Greta offered.
Lottie clenched her jaw. ‘Thanks. I’ll be okay.’
‘I know you will. I’m just saying, if you do find you’re missing anything . . .’
‘Thanks, Mum. I’ll bear it in mind.’
Greta swallowed a tight feeling in her throat, then added simply, ‘I’ll miss you. Let’s keep in touch. Okay?’
Lottie gave her an embarrassed smile.
Jim came to collect Lottie later that evening. ‘Think of it like an extended sleepover,’ he whispered to Greta while Lottie was doing a final sweep of her bedroom to check she’d packed everything she needed.
‘I know,’ Greta said, though she felt like she was breaking in two. Not only from Lottie leaving just before Christmas, but also an empty feeling inside she couldn’t seem to shake. Her last visit to Mapleville had been full of extreme ups and downs, and Edgar’s warnings kept popping into her head. The shark still made an occasional appearance, too. Her craving for a cup of Iris’s coffee was getting stronger, and her arms were pink from scratching.
