Page 17 of Yearning Difficulties

‘That’s right,’ Chris said good-naturedly. ‘At Logan and Bibi’s Halloween party. At their old house. I saw you very briefly, before you disappeared upstairs, I think. Did you go to that one, Kill?’

Chris was friendly and personable in a way that made it seem like a magic trick. He was polite, pleasing and popular.

Killian’s opposite.

‘Kill,’ Chris prompted, when his brother ignored his question, ‘were you at that party?’

‘No,’ said Killian, speaking far too sharply and giving his twin a fierce look, ‘I wasn’t.’

‘Speaking of parties,’ Dr Bergery said, as leek and potato soup was poured into our bowls by the maid. I gave her a small smile of thanks. ‘Sorry to talk family business in front of you, Zella, but needs must. Boys, your cousin is moving to town. Permanently.’

Both boys almost dropped their soup spoons.

‘Cherry?’ they chorused.

‘Cherise,’ their mother corrected them. ‘Please. She’s far too old for that nickname.’

I glanced between them all. ‘Are you and your cousin close?’

‘Not really,’ Killian answered. ‘She’s a bit wild.’

‘She’s a free spirit,’ corrected Dr Bergery. ‘She’s my brother’s child. Clyde Reynolds? He lives with his wife and daughter over on Peach Street. Cherise is his daughter from his first . . . well, from earlier in his life.’

‘Oh, yeah, Clyde,’ I said quickly. ‘He works at the council with my dad.’

‘That’s right! And his wife Sloane and her darling daughter, Ashley, are such a help at the school. We would never get the parents to read their emails if it weren’t for Sloane!’

I knew a little of Ashley Reynolds. She was in the year below me and ‘darling’ certainly wasn’t the word I would use to describe her.

‘Cherry’s never lived with Uncle Clyde,’ Christian remarked. ‘Does he know what he’s in for?’

‘Stop that,’ Dr Bergery said, but she smiled a little. ‘She’ll be arriving over the weekend.’

‘Batten down the hatches,’ Killian muttered to me. ‘Storm Cherry’s coming.’

‘Help her out at school,’ his mother added, eyeing them firmly. ‘She’s cycled through a few of her own; she clearly needs better role models in her life.’

I noticed that she was speaking to Christian and not Killian.

‘Speaking of school,’ Killian said, as I ate some of my soup. ‘Have you picked your writers for the seminar yet, Mum?’

I almost choked on the spoon in my mouth.

‘I’ve not,’ Dr Bergery said casually. ‘Though Logan Minola is definitely on my radar. No matter how intimidating you boys find him, I like him. A dazzling brain.’

‘Zella’s a brilliant writer,’ Killian said brazenly.

I tried to pinch him but he grabbed my fingers to stop me and brought my hand to the table, refusing to let go. Both Dr Bergery and Christian’s gazes landed on the joined hands and their eyes widened.

‘Oh!’ Dr Bergery said, her voice light and her eyes warm. ‘Killian. I-I didn’t know it was like that.’

I watched Killian frown. ‘Like what?’

‘Oh, I’m quite relieved,’ his mother went on. ‘You’ve spent the past year moping around over that mystery girl. This is . . . well, it’s nice to—’

‘Mum!’ Chris interjected. His mother’s words hung in the air.

Killian glanced at his brother. ‘I—’