Before Libby could say anything, there was the sound of thundering footsteps down the hall.
“Auntie Lib!” Rebecca’s son, Hector, came charging into the kitchen, his arms spread wide as he threw himself at Libby.She scooped her nephew up into a hug, burying her face in his hair and inhaling his comforting scent of apple shampoo and rice cakes.
“I can’t believe how big you’ve got,” she said, releasing him. “What are you now, eighteen?”
“You know I’m only four,” he said, frowning at her. “Mummy says you’re going to look after me for the rest of the Easter holidays.”
“I am?” Libby looked at Rebecca, who was busying herself dripping hot water over the coffee.
“Can we go to the Natural History Museum? I want to see the dinosaurs.”
“Hector, why don’t you go and finish that drawing for Granny? And then you can show it to me and Auntie Libby,” Rebecca said.
The boy ran out of the room. There was a long silence as Rebecca focused intently on the coffee.
“So that’s why you offered for me to stay here,” Libby said eventually. “You need me to look after Hector for you.”
“No! I offered for you to stay here because I’m a kind sister who wanted to help you out.” Rebecca’s voice was full of indignation, although her ears had gone slightly pink.
“So you don’t need me to look after Hector, then?”
“Not if you don’t want to. But I thought you might enjoy hanging out with your nephew—you hardly ever see him, after all.”
“I thought you had a live-in nanny?”
“We do, but she’s had to go back home—family emergency, most inconvenient. That’s why we have a free room for you to stay in.”
So, there it was. Libby had known that there had to be anulterior motive for her sister’s invitation; Rebecca never did anything unless there was some benefit for her.
“How long do you need help for?”
“Only a week or two, until Rosalita’s back. And it’s perfect timing, really, as by that point you and Simon will have got over all this nonsense and you’ll be home again.” Rebecca handed Libby a cup of strong-smelling coffee.
“I don’t know, Bex. Obviously I’d love to hang out with Hector, but I’m not sure my head’s in the right place. I mean, look at me. I’m a mess.”
Her sister let out a long sigh. “How many times have I asked for your help since Hector was born?”
“Well, never, but—”
“And do you or do you not have free time at the moment, given I assume you won’t be working for Simon while you’re on this break?”
“I do, but—”
“Well, there you go, then. Besides, it’ll do you good. Hector will be a distraction from wallowing over Simon.”
Rebecca had always been able to overrule Libby like this, ever since they were kids; no wonder she was so successful in her job as a corporate lawyer. Libby took a resigned sip of her coffee. “Mmm, this is delicious.”
“It’s Kopi Luwak, from Indonesia. The beans get eaten by civets, who then defecate them out, and they get fermented in the process. It costs a fortune because we only buy beans from totally free-living civets.”
Libby grimaced and put her mug down.
“So, will you look after Hector, then?” Rebecca said.
Libby paused before she answered. Maybe it wasn’t such abad idea? It would be good to keep busy; besides, she loved Hector, who was the only member of her family who didn’t treat her like a complete moron. “Okay, sure.”
“Excellent.” Rebecca picked up a piece of paper that had been resting on the counter and handed it to Libby. “I’ve printed out his schedule for you. Every morning he’s got football club, and then there are various activities in the afternoon. His tutor comes on Tuesday. He has piano on Wednesday and you’ve got tickets for an exhibition at the Science Museum on Friday.”
“Wow.”
