“Uh huh, I think for a bowl of your mac and cheese I could, yes.” She laughed. “I want to see you.”
“I want to see you too.”
Billy caught sight of someone looking at her and wandering over in her direction.
“I have to go—I think one of the coaches wants a word.”
“Put me on speaker.”
“Hi, Imogen’s mum?” the woman asked, a hint of an accent in her words. “I’m Katrine. I’m head coach for the women’s first team.” She held out a hand. “I just wanted to say that I think Imogen has a huge future ahead of her, you should be proud.”
“Oh, we are.” Rosa’s voice came from the phone, and Katrine looked around trying to find its origin.
“Immy’s other mum is on speaker,” Billy explained, holding it up. “So, you think she has what it takes?”
“If she applies herself, focuses on what she needs to, trains hard…she has a chance to succeed. But it’s not down to me—the youth team coaches will make their decision. Either way, she should keep playing.”
“Thanks, we’ll tell her,” Billy said as Katrine held a hand up and walked away. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes,” Rosa said. “Our girl has potential, but we knew that already. How long before you’ll be home?”
Billy paused at that.Home. How different that one word sounded to her now.
“As soon as she’s changed and back out again. Probably thirty minutes or so.”
“I’ll have dinner on the table.”
Chapter sixty
Imogen waved goodbye to new friends and fell into step with Billy as they crossed the car park to the little sports car.
“So, pizza?” Imogen asked over the roof of the car. “I was thinking—”
“Actually, I spoke to Rosa and she’s cooked your favourite, so I said I’d bring you home, and she invited me to eat with you, so you can fill us both in on your day.”
“Oh…I guess that’s fine.” Imogen pulled the door open and climbed in. “I like Mum’s cooking.”
“Why did you want to get pizza then?” Billy asked once she was settled in her own seat.
Imogen shrugged in that way teenagers do. “I suppose I just wanted to have more time with you. I don’t usually see you on weekdays.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Billy said, twisting the key and starting the engine.
“C’est la vie, right?” Imogen smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes like it usually would.
“I know you want us to be more like a family. We get that, and we’re trying to make more moments where we can all spend time together. Like now—it’ll be nice to eat together.”
“Yeah, but then you go home and I won’t see you until Saturday night, and then I’ve got football on Sunday again, and I dunno…I guess it just feels like the older I get and the more stuff I get to experience, the less I see of you and Mum, and if we all lived together, then that wouldn’t matter so much because I’d see you both at breakfast or after school.”
“I’m sorry it’s not as simple as that. It wasn’t what we planned for.”
“I know…can’t help what happened,” Imogen said quietly, then she added, “Not that I really know what happened.”
“Is that your subtle way of asking for more information?” Billy indicated and spun the wheel so they could take the turn.
“Maybe.”
“Okay. You know you can ask and tell me and your mum anything, right?”
