‘Not too much time, I hope,’ she said as she placed the champagne flutes at each setting. ‘You haven’t forgotten I’m going out in a bit?’
The smile on his face fell. ‘I’m sorry if you’ve got something more important to do, Kat; I just thought it would be nice to have some time, the three of us together.’
If there was a competitive sport for making her feel like crap she wasn’t sure which of her parents would win the gold medal. ‘Come on, Dad, don’t be like that. I’ve already had it in the neck from Mum. You’ve known for ages I had plans tonight, so you’ve caught me a bit off-guard with all this.’
Gavin Bailey set the bottle down on the island with a thump that made Kat wince. If he tried to open it now there’d be champagne everywhere. ‘I hadn’t realised spending a few minutes with us was such an imposition.’
Kat’s mum hurried over, bearing a tray of sausage rolls, prawns in batter and other hot snacks. ‘Hey, hey, what’s with all the glum faces?’ She frowned at Kat. ‘What did you say to upset your father?’
Of course it would be her fault, wasn’t it always? ‘Dad said we were celebrating but won’t tell me what and all I did was point out I was going out soon.’
Her mum shook her head as if gravely disappointed. ‘Your dad’s been working really hard these past weeks, at least let him relax and enjoy himself for five minutes.’
Maybe he’d have had more than five minutes to relax if you hadn’t been too busy sweating with Warren to pull your bloody weight at the coffee shop.
Kat raised a hand and rubbed at the ache forming between her brows. The only way to head this off before it turned into a full-scale row was for her to fall into her usual pattern of appeasement. ‘I’m sorry, it’s not my intention to spoil anything. And you’re right, I don’t have to rush off straight away. Let’s take all this next door and sit down and then Dad can tell me his news properly, okay?’
The party at the Penroses’ would likely go on into the early hours, and her mum was right that Kat wouldn’t be missed in the crowd. Even if her absence was noted, Rachel Penrose’s only concern would be for Kat’s welfare. ‘Being late’ to anything went against Kat’s every instinct, though, so she’d sneak a quick text to Chloe and give her a heads up.
Kat shot her mum a work-with-me-please look and, thankfully, her mother accepted it. ‘Yes, let’s take these things next door. You bring the plates and your dad can manage the champagne and the glasses, can’t you, dear?’ Jen bustled out of the kitchen, all smiles.
If she hadn’t grown up with the ups and downs of her mother’s moods then the last few minutes would’ve given Katcognitive whiplash. She turned to her father, who was still glowering. Once upon a time she would’ve quaked at the idea of being in his bad books, but Kat had learned the hard way that it didn’t matter what she did; he’d find fault and she’d grown to accept the inevitable. She knew why he did it, but she didn’t have to like it. ‘I meant what I said about not meaning to spoil things, so let’s call a truce, shall we?’
Instead of snapping a harsh retort, Kat was taken aback when her father’s smile appeared once more. ‘I suppose it’s a good thing that you’ve finally learned to assert yourself a little; it’ll stand us in good stead for the future.’
She didn’t like the sound of that at all. ‘What future?’
Instead of replying, her dad picked up the bottle and glasses and followed her mother, leaving Kat no choice but to trail after him.
When she walked into the living room, he was twisting the wire cage off the champagne while her mum hovered at his elbow with a glass at the ready. ‘I was going to wait until next week to tell you, but then your mother suggested it’d be nice to do it while we had you at home, so I thought why not.’
Kat shot an accusing look at her mum, but her attention was fixed on the bottle in her husband’s hands. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised her mum had rewritten the narrative to suit herself.
Before she could say anything, her dad spoke again. ‘I’ve had the nod from the area manager about expanding the franchise, so as soon as the Nicholsons’ shop comes on the market I’m going to buy it.’ The cork flew from the bottle with a loud bang and her parents laughed like they didn’t have a care in the world as they did their best to capture the golden bubbling wine as it frothed out.
Her dad grabbed the half-full glass from her mum’s hand and thrust it towards Kat. ‘What do you say about being your own boss, then?’
Kat took the glass in shaking fingers as the implications of her father’s words crashed home. ‘You want to buy the Nicholsons’ and open a second branch of Java Brava?’
Face wreathed in a smile, her dad poured champagne into a second glass and passed it to her mum. ‘That’s right. I know you’re ready to spread your wings, so this is the perfect opportunity for you!’
Having accepted the champagne, her mum turned to Kat and raised the flute in her direction. ‘A franchise of your own to run, isn’t it exciting?’
‘That’s a bit bloody rich coming from you when you can’t stand to set foot in the one we’ve already got!’ Kat burst out. ‘Not to mention the Nicholsons’ shop is directly opposite The Cosy Coffee Pot. Even if I wanted my own franchise – which I absolutely don’t – there’s no way I’d open one that would directly compete with my best friend’s business!’ She stared between her parents. ‘This is madness, you must see that.’
Her father’s smile vanished as he raised his glass and took a deep swallow. ‘Issy Kernow has had the monopoly on the seafront for far too long. There’s more than enough business in the summer to go around. If you’re going to run your own franchise, Katrina, you’re going to have to harden that soft heart of yours. Friendship doesn’t trump everything.’
Kat knew she’d never get him to understand her feelings on that, so she returned to the most important point. ‘But I don’t want to do it. I can’t stand coffee, for one thing, and I’m only still working for you because I don’t want you to be left in the lurch.’ That plus the fact that jobs were hard to come by in Halfmoon Quay and decent ones were rarer than hen’s teeth. She held out abeseeching hand towards her father. ‘Please, Dad, tell me you’re not serious about this.’
Her father gripped his glass so hard Kat was worried he’d snap the stem. His eyes had narrowed to hard flints and it was all she could do not to wilt under his glare. ‘I’m perfectly serious. I thought one of us should make an effort to plan for your future as you’ve shown no signs of doing it for yourself.’
He couldn’t have shocked her more if he’d leaned over and slapped her in the face and he’d never in his life raised a hand to her. ‘That’s not fair and you know it.’ She’d had plenty of plans for the future, but she’d given them up because one of her mother’s affairs had grown serious enough she’d actually moved out for several months. Her father had gone completely to pieces and he would’ve lost the franchise if Kat hadn’t stepped in and taken charge. Her mother had eventually come home, tail between her legs, and her parents had gone back to their old routine like nothing had ever happened. They’d told everyone Jen had left to nurse her mother – a mother Jen hadn’t actually seen in all the years Kat had been alive. Kat had missed out on the chance to go to university, and only her friends knew why. She’d considered applying again the following year, but had been too afraid to leave in case it happened again.
All that anger, all that resentment about putting her own life on hold while her parents lived this constant melodrama surged through Kat and she balled her fists as she glared at her father, daring him to try and blame her again. She hoped he would because then maybe they could all be honest with each other for once. Instead, he dropped his gaze and muttered, ‘I’m only trying to do what’s best for you.’
Given the other lies he had convinced himself of, Kat supposed he might even believe it. ‘We can talk about it next week.’ She had no intention of changing her mind, but she needed to get out of there and work out what the hell she wasgoing to do with the rest of her life. One thing was for sure, she was done being a part of the endless mess of her parents’ marriage.
4
