This time she complied with his request, if that’s what it was and looking around Jim could see they were clearly surprised by her compliance.
“Who is Deborah Kenner?” he asked.
“Kara’s sister,” replied Pippa. “Do you know about Kara?”
Jim nodded. “So, what’s wrong with her?”
“She’s Kara’s sister that is what’s wrong with her,” replied Tasha, her voice raised again.
“You can’t hold her family against her, Tasha.” Paul chided her slightly.
“Watch me.” She sunk back in her seat, sulking again.
Jim stood up and pulled her to her feet, aiming his words at her grandparents, “Sorry, I just need to steal Tasha away for a moment.”
He led her back up the lawn, far enough away that they could not be heard, but close enough so they didn’t look suspicious.
“I get you have an issue with Kara, but you can’t blame her sister for what happened between her and Gerry. Now you really need to calm down because the shouting, sulking, pouty routine is really beginning to piss me off and I do not expect to be shouted at by you in front of people, or told to butt out. Count to ten or take a deep breath or whatever you need to do to calm down, otherwise I may forget there are other people here and take things into my own hands. Do we understand one another?”
“Yes,” she muttered.
“Baby, that sounds very much like petulance.” He rested his hand on her ass and squeezed gently.
“I would just like my past to stay there. Why can’t Dan find himself a girlfriend who isn’t anything to do with Gerry or Kara?”
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s his choice not yours. Let’s go back to the table where you should start by apologising to your grandparents for your language at least.”
She nodded.
“And just remember she is not guilty for what her sister did. None of us get to choose our family, do we?”
Taking her hand in his, they returned to the table where Tasha immediately set about apologising. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, and I shouldn’t have sworn, but I didn’t even know Dan knew Deborah.”
“Nat, don’t worry about it. It was a shock,” said Paul, a little too forgiving too soon for Jim.
Dan appeared from the house a few seconds later, with Deborah.
“Fuck,” muttered Pippa.
“Pippa!” chided Tasha, feeling a little hypocritical after her own outburst.
Dan sat next to Celia leaving an empty chair for Deborah next to Tasha. After introducing them all Tasha tried to avoid all conversation with Deb, as she was now being called. She didn’t want to risk saying somethingspank-worthy,plus, she knew she was being unfair to Deb by holding her sister’s actions against her, after all, she’d never want to be judged for her parent’s actions, as Jim had indirectly pointed out.
Conversation flowed around them and Jim asked all of the right questions to get the information Tasha wanted.
It turned out Deb went to the same college as Dan and was studying hair and beauty. They’d met in the canteen and got chatting and it had been a few weeks before they realised they had a connection when Deb had said which high school she had been to and Dan revealed his older sister had gone there and his younger sister was still there. Then, when she found out Tasha was his sister they made the connection with Kara and Gerry.
Tasha was warming to the younger woman, but she still didn’t like the idea of Kara having any connection to her.
Celia was pouring fresh drinks when Deb spoke directly to Tasha and addressed the elephant in the room. “Kara said you went to the exhibition the other night.”
Jim nodded. “Yes, we did.”
Tasha said nothing.
“I don’t really get art, but Kara says Gerry is very good,” she said nervously.
“I believe he is,” said Celia while Tasha had started a conversation with Pippa about the summer holidays, refusing to discuss Kara or Gerry.
