Of course, they would always have that private, intimate history.
“And Mum still wants to video call my sisters before dinner tonight,” he was saying.“She’d love it if you could join us.I would too.Just don’t believe a word Femi or Gabi say about me.”He pushed his chair back.“Leave the mess.I’ll clean up.I’ll just grab a quick shower first.”
Then he stood from the table and took his phone with him.
Dan’ssisterslookedsomuch like Carina, especially the younger one, Femi, who also wore her hair back in a tight ponytail like their mom.Femi and Gabrielle were close in age—late twenties, like Libby—and they were both swamped by children.Some were the same age as Karim, some younger, some older.Legs, arms, and smiling faces filled the screen.It was just as well that Libby had offered her laptop for the call.She wouldn’t have been able to make out who was whom on Dan’s or Carina’s phone screens.Laughter and squeals flowed.The happy sounds were contagious, pushing aside the unnerving start to Libby’s day.
She’d forgiven herself for sleeping through Karim’s calls, and as for the way Dan had acted over Isabella… Well, she’d excused that too.It was Christmas Day—he’d given her and Karim sweet, thoughtful gifts—and today wasn’t the time to address the subject of his ex.It wasn’t any of Libby’s business anyway.That’s what she’d be wise to remember, even though her gut said otherwise.
“That’s mad that you’re also a Jones, Libby,” Gabrielle said, bringing Libby’s attention back to the call.Like everyone else on the screen, Gabrielle wore a thick sweater.It was cold and dark in England.Fairy lights twinkled on the wall behind her.“What are the chances of you having the same surname?”
“That’s exactly what your brother said when he found us in his room.”
They all laughed at the coincidence, except Dan, who simply half-smiled and shook his head.“Man, I was feeling rough that night.”
“Good!”Femi shouted.“It served you right for disappearing like that.”
“I still can’t believe you did it,” Gabrielle added.
“He had his reasons,” Carina said evenly, “and he’s sorting himself out now.”
Dan’s knee nudged Libby’s thigh.“This is the part where my mum and sisters talk about me as if I’m not in the room.”
In the background, one of his brothers-in-law snickered, like he knew how that felt.Libby smiled.Then everyone started talking over each other again, like they’d done at the beginning of the call.
Dan’s sisters were transfixed on him, their eyes wide and adoring—even when they were nagging him about the way he’d left England.But there was something else, too, in their eyes.Something that took the heat out of their words.With their banter and easy smiles, children clambering over their laps, Libby recognized it as relief.His sisters had their brother back.
“And you’re posting your first video tomorrow?”Femi asked.
“That’s right,” Dan said.“It’ll be early morning for you.”
In a day and a half’s time, the UK would wake up to Part One of Dan’s story.
Oh, god.Had they done enough preparation?Was she ready for that amount of exposure to her two-bit channel?
“I hope everyone likes it,” Libby blurted out loud.
“Of course they will!”Dan’s sisters and Carina said at once.
“Everyone will love seeing Dan again,” Gabrielle said.“You were hiding out far too long.If you hadn’t run—”
“Yeah,” Dan said, “we’ve gone through all this already, Gabs.”
“And as for Isabella,” Femi said, “you didn’t mind me giving her your new number?”
“No, it was fine.”
For the briefest of moments, no one spoke.Then Femi gushed about their videos again.“Everyone’s going to love seeing that you’re okay, and that’s the main thing.”
“Too right,” Gabrielle added.“And you’re somewhere exotic, your videos will be perfect.”
Libby had to hand it to Dan’s family.They were just like Dan in sweeping the subject of Isabella to the side right in front of her.Because Libby was certain that if she hadn’t been on this call, they’d have been talking about Isabella freely.After all, Isabella was due to be part of this family—shehadbeen a part of the family.Did they miss her?Were they still friends?And surely they would have mentioned that her song was top of the UK charts.That was major!Like Dan winning gold after a record-breaking sprint.The traffic on the internet for Isabella would be immense today, and the pop star was also following and sharing Libby and Dan’s videos, which was, again, immense.Didn’t anyone want to acknowledge that today?
“What about your parents, Libby?”Femi asked.“Do they celebrate Christmas?Are they in the States?”
“No, and yes,” Libby said.“They’re not big into Christmas at all, but yeah, they’re still in California.I’ll call them later.”
And guaranteed, her call with Mom and Dad would be different from this one.It would be more like an interview with two stern-faced bosses, like some sort of audit on how she’d been living her life in oblivion and denial of all the things that were really happening under her nose, kept secret by the authorities.Libby must’ve been a test-tube baby, where the petri dish had been swapped with someone else’s.
