“I hope you told her to grow up and stop being so spoilt,” snapped Abby, shocking the others.
Tasha noticed Jim glaring slightly at Abby before firing a warning glance at Bobby.
“No. I was a little more tactful and empathetic to her feelings than that,” said Tasha to a doubtful looking Abby. Smiling at the other woman Tasha tried to explain, “Look, this can't be easy for her; she is a hormone filled teenager who lives across two houses with a stepfather who openly disapproves of most things she likes and a father who by his own admission allows her to have anything she wants so long as it's safe and appropriate. She has had five stepmothers who seem to have been very different from her own mother and each other but who all knew that she was beyond their remit and she manipulated them and their situation to her own advantage. Eventually she gets it all straight in her head and no stepmother to contend with and bang! I turn up and from day one everybody is saying I'm different, which I guess I am; I'm foreign, I'm close in age to her, I have a sibling her age and I am struggling to fit into my role here, but the one thing she had to hang onto was that she, she and Philip were still number one on Jim's list. Then she sees things that tell her she's not, I am, and whilst I know I'm not, she doesn't. So, what I actually told her was that I believed her father loved us all the same amount, me, her and Phil, but in different ways.”
Bobby grinned across at her while Jim just stared at her, almost in awe, while Abby said nothing, her expression betraying nothing of her thoughts.
“Oh, and I told her we have seriously hot sex that clouds her father's judgement,” Tasha added dryly.
“Tasha, please tell me you didn't.” Jim looked horrified and a little afraid until Tasha laughed.
“No, of course not. You are so easy to wind up.”
“That is gonna cost you, baby,” he replied flatly making her smile until Bobby caught her attention by mouthingtell him.
“Lizzie,” she called. “Abby and I are going shopping tomorrow, but she’s clueless about where I need to go, so I was wondering if you fancied it?” Tasha knew Lizzie already had plans to go out with her friend Danielle for the day.
“I can't!” cried Lizzie disappointed. “Deanna is taking us out.” She pouted and frowned.
“Don't worry, we can go next week, but would you find me the best places to go for some shoes and clothes? You know the kind of things I like. Maybe you could email me the details.”
“Sure thing. Daddy can I use your computer, I've left my laptop and iPad at Mom's?”
“Sure, sweetie,” he called to her.
“My iPad is on the bed if you prefer.” Smiled Tasha.
“Okay,” cried Lizzie running into the house.
“What are you up to?” asked Abby.
Ignoring her, Tasha turned to face Jim and took a very deep breath. “There's something you need to know, but I need you not to go completely ape.”
“Go on.” Jim bristled as he sat more upright.
“I’ve had a message, through Bobby from my dad's public defender—” was as far as she got before Jim leapt to his feet and replied in just one word.
“No!”
“Jim, please let me finish. He wants to know if I’ll visit my dad, to what end I'm not sure, but the defender knows he needs a good defence attorney if he stands any chance of getting a lenient sentence or acquitted. He contacted Bobby with a message when he figured that you two were brothers to see if I was in a position to assist or at least visit him.” She hoped she’d remembered correctly what Bobby had told her earlier.
“And you have told him to go fuck himself!” snapped Jim and although unsure whether it was a recommendation or a question Tasha shook her head.
“I haven't said anything. I wanted to talk to you first and as Bobby knows the legal stuff—”
“You thought you’d tackle me together,” he accused angrily. “You know what I'm going to say, Tasha. There’s nothing to discuss, and you—” he turned to Bobby “—I can't believe you would do this, bring this to my fiancée, in my home and not even mention it to me first.” Anger, frustration and fear rolled off him as his face contorted through the rollercoaster of emotions he was trying to temper.
“Jimbo, I couldn't discuss it with you first because you would have said,screw him and don't tell Tashaand I’m obliged to tell her.”
They all sat silently for several long minutes.
It was Bobby who eventually broke the silence. “You two need to discuss this together, but I’ve said I’ll be at your disposal, legally, both of you. Abby, come on, we'll go down for Lexi and leave you guys to it. Call me later, yeah?” He looked at his younger twin.
“Yeah, whatever,” replied Jim tightly as Lizzie appeared with sheets of paper.
“These are the best places Tash. I've emailed them too. I'm really bummed I can't come with you, but I can't cancel on Danielle now.” Lizzie let out a long, loud sigh, feeling disappointed that she was missing out on what she perceived as spending time with Tasha and a shopping spree.
“It's fine and we'll go another time,” reassured Tasha, knowing that theshopping triphad only ever been a means to get rid of Lizzie.
