“Oh, you’ll enjoy them so much,” Skylar said. “They make a squeaking noise to tell you that they want a snack, and a grunting sort of sound to say that they’re happy, and all sorts of other noises, too. They complain, and they purr, and they tell each other if they’re lost or lonely. They’re very comical, you’ll see.”
“But why do I have to change fromyourclass?” Georgia said. “Don’t you like me anymore?”
More tears welling up at that, and Scarlett moved to sit beside her dad and put her arm around Georgia. She also glared at Skylar and said, “Yeh. Whydoesshe have to change? Did you decide that, or Dad?”
Zane said, “I decided it. And watch your tone.”
“Well, I’msorry,”Scarlett said. “I was justasking,because she’s mysister.”
Duncan said, “Dad probably didn’t decide. Schools do all sorts of mad things. Like when you’re in P.E. class and instead of playing cricket, they’re making you talk about weird stuff.”
“What weird stuff?” Zane asked. He was still eating his dinner. A focused man.
“You know,” Duncan said vaguely. “Weird stuff. Not as much in my year, but in Year Seven, they do. I know, because I heard.”
“What?” Zane said, totally blank.
Scarlett sighed.“Excuseme? Puberty? Alcohol? Consent? Hello? But you didn’t answer me. WhydoesGeorgia have to switch classes? I don’t think it’s because Ms. Fairburn doesn’t like you, Georgia. She was just teaching you how to dive about five days ago!”
“Of course that’s not why,” Skylar said. “I like you very much, Georgia. But you see, I have a … a personal relationship with you now. With all three of you, but you’re the only one in my class.”
“Except Scarlett was,” Georgia said, still sniffling, but looking slightly less devastated.
“Yes, she was,” Skylar agreed. “But imagine how you’d feel if I had a pupil in my class who got to see me every day. Maybe somebody I even sometimes told bedtime stories to, and tucked in at night, and made breakfast for, and …”
“And kissed on the head,” Duncan said. “You like to kiss kids on the head, but you probably don’t do that in school. Teachers don’t kiss pupils on the head.”
“Exactly,” Skylar said. “Wouldn’t that make you feel sad, Georgia, to know that another pupil could get cuddles from me anytime, even after school, but you couldn’t?”
“I guess,” Georgia said. “Except that I want to be the one who does.”
“But that wouldn’t be fair,” Skylar said. “Not if you were in my class. This way, though, Icangive you cuddles and sit next to you at your dad’s rugby match, because youwon’tbe in my class and it won’t be unfair to anybody else. And you and George can hold guinea pigs together.”
“And you could do my reading with me at night,” Georgia said.
“She could if she was here,” Scarlett said. “That was just in Wellington, though. She’s not going tobehere.”
“She’s here now,” Duncan pointed out.
“Yes, because she wanted to talk to Dad. Obviously.”
“Well,” Duncan said, “that?—”
“Yeh,” Zane said. “She’ll be here more, and you lot will probably be at her house more, too, because the two of us are going out. Dating. In a relationship.”
“Having sex, you mean,” Scarlett said.
“Pardon?” Zane’s tone was icy, and Skylar wouldn’t have wanted to be on the other side of that stare.
“Well, obviously,” Scarlett said, though she wasn’t sounding quite as confident. “Nan and Mr. Bulstrode sleep in the same bed. They probably don’t have sex, because they’re really old, but you told us youdohave sex, so if you’re going out with Ms. Fairburn?—”
“That’s none of your business,” Zane said.
“Excuse me,” she said. “We live here? You’re ourdad?”
“It’s still—” he started, then didn’t seem to know how to go on.
“First,” Skylar said, “it’s probably better if you start calling me ‘Skylar,’ since I won’t be Georgia’s teacher anymore. You see how much more comfortable that is? And my kids will start calling your dad ‘Zane.’” You weren’t meant to introduce your kids to the new love interest, but they could hardly help it, could they? “And second, people’s sex lives are private. If they decide to have sex, it’s not something they talk about.”
