They both looked at their mum. She said, ‘Sorry. It proved impossible to keep it a secret when I started buying stuff and inviting people.’
‘Inviting people?’ Kate looked at her mum. ‘I thought it was just meant to be a family party.’
‘Yeah, I thought that too,’ said Bridie, surprised. The last thing she wanted was all their friends and neighbours from the village invited over, asking her about her life in London. She sighed. Thanks to Hannah, at least she wouldn’t have to tell them she was back living at home.
Their dad looked at their mum. ‘I thought you’d finished the party planning.’
‘Yes, that’s true,’ she replied.
‘Mum!’
Bridie looked from her mum to Kate. ‘What are you doing here, then?’
Bridie’s mum said, ‘Kate and Andy had a little falling-out this morning, so she came here.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Bridie, not feeling sympathetic at all, which she knew was mean – but then her older sister never felt any sympathy towards her when things weren’t going well in her life.
She couldn’t resist adding, ‘You can have my room.’ She tried not to grin but failed miserably. How funny it would be if Kate ended up living back at home with their parents.
‘It’s all Bridie’s fault.’
Bridie looked at her sister. ‘Excuse me? What’s my fault?’
‘Andy and me falling out.’
‘I don’t know what … you … mean.’ Actually, Bridie did. ‘Layla.’
‘Exactly.’
Their dad started to unpack the takeaway. ‘Perhaps someone can tell me what’s going on?’
‘Andy promised Layla she could attend drama classes at school – the drama club. He signed the permission slip and everything.’
‘She still wants to go to the drama club after …?’ Bridie trailed off, thinking that after Layla had seen her impromptuperformance on stage, she probably wasn’t her favourite auntie anymore.
‘Yeah, it hasn’t put her off, obviously.’
Bridie was relieved to hear it.
Rufus said, ‘But, of course, you’re putting your foot down.’
‘Of course.’
‘Why – of course?’
‘I don’t want her on stage embarrassing herself or meeting unpredictable arty types who will ruin her life.’
Bridie was about to tell her that what had happened in her life should have no bearing on Layla’s future or the decisions that her sister and Andy made, when their mum slammed her fist down on the table, making everyone, including her husband, jump. She said, ‘I am heartily sick of the arguments that arise whenever we get on to the subject of theatre and acting.’
‘Well, at least two of us agree on something,’ Kate said smugly.
‘Be quiet, Kate, for once.’
Bridie looked as shocked as Kate at that comment coming from their mum. Although Bridie always thought of herself as their dad’s favourite, she knew Kate was their mum’s. Not that either of their parents would ever admit to it. But for their mum to tell Kate to shut her face, essentially, was unprecedented.
Bridie glanced at Kate and was surprised to see the ice queen’s bottom lip quivering at the put-down.
‘Now, I don’t want to hear another word on the subject. Although it wasn’t nice what happened to Bridie – and I’d like to give that arse, Julian, a piece of my mind …’
