“You bake too?” Sara’s words sounded as if she’d hurled the biggest of insults towards Tasha.
“Hmmm.” Tasha turned to Lizzie. “Did you sleep well, eventually?”
“Did we wake you?” asked Danielle uncomfortably.
Tasha decided she couldn’t actually admit that she hadn’t closed her eyes to sleep until after four so they hadn’t woken her.
“No, not really, although your dad was all for getting you up at six a.m.,” Tasha said to Lizzie making her laugh.
“I’m really sorry,” said Danielle.
“It’s fine.” Laughed Tasha.
“I’m surprised Daddy hasn’t phoned to tell you to get us up.” Lizzie laughed back.
Tasha arched a brow. “Well actually...”
Lizzie hugged Tasha. “But you’re one of us, so you left us to sleep.”
“Not quite. But I know that when you’re at sleepovers sleep is not high on the list of things to do.” She hugged Lizzie back.
“Can I have a big sleepover here for my birthday next month?” asked Lizzie suddenly.
“Is it your birthday?” asked Tasha thinking there was another significant birthday she was oblivious to.
“Not until October, but I will have my sweet sixteen then.”
“I see, so you just want a sleepover then?”
“I guess,” replied Lizzie, smiling.
“You’ll have to ask your dad.”
Sara interrupted, “Have it at home.”
“No thanks, Mom. Everyone wants to meet Tasha, so I’ll ask Daddy. Should I text him?” Lizzie seemed oblivious to her mother’s hurt feelings.
“I don’t know. Maybe leave it a while, he was in a meeting,” said Tasha as her own phone rang to Train’sMarry Me. He’d done it again she realised as she saw the phone flashing with ‘J cell’. She quickly pressed the answer icon. “Hello, I think I may need to put a lock on my phone.”
Jim’s laugh rang down the line. “I would just decipher the code so why bother? You haven’t replied to my text baby, are you okay?”
“Sorry, something came up,” she explained without revealing anything at all.
“What came up?” He sounded agitated and concerned at the gap in his knowledge of the latest events.
“The girls are up and Sara has arrived.” Tasha felt uncomfortable talking like this, knowing they could all hear her conversation.
“They should think themselves lucky that they weren’t up at six this morning.” He yawned.
“They know that. You sound tired.”
“That’s because I am,” he replied. “But that is not because of the girls giggling, as you know.”
“I know no such thing,” protested Tasha.
“Lies, Natasha? Do you need another trip to my office? I would do that for you, honey.”
Tasha laughed although she knew that in spite of his jovial tone the offer wasn’t entirely a joke. “Your generosity knows no bounds, James.”
