Page 122 of Sunrise By the Sea

Marisa, meanwhile, had noticed something else, and could barely pay attention as the group took the stage, to a roar of screaming from a group of mums who were having the time of their lives and had forgotten they even had children.

Behind the boys on stage, leaving them plenty of room for dancing, was the most beautiful big shiny black grand piano she had ever seen. It must have been two metres long, it was ridiculous. Her heart started to beat very quickly. He was going to love it.

‘Is that for . . . ?’ She couldn’t say his name. ‘Is that for the piano player?’

Kerensa looked round from where she was dancing away. Then she looked closer at Marisa.

‘Ah yes,’ said Polly. ‘My business partner loves thepiano player.’

Kerensa’s face beamed with delight.

‘There are five Backstreet Boys a foot away from us and you are asking about the gigantic hairy piano player?’

Polly smiled too.

‘You have it bad!’

‘They’re wearing leather skin-tight trousers!’

‘I would not like to see the twins’ piano teacher in leather skintight trousers,’ said Polly, craning her neck briefly to see if they were out there, then guiltily checking her phone to see that they were safe with Huckle, who was bored out of his mind in the tent, and deciding not to worry about them for five seconds in a day.

Marisa glanced around to see if he was anywhere.

‘He’ll be in the holding area for performers,’ said Kerensa. ‘I can take you there if you like.’

‘Oh no, I—’

‘And now!’ shouted out a Backstreet Boy. ‘Where’s the birthday boy?’

There was no response. Lowin was out, doing the purest, most fun thing an eight-year-old could conceivably do on his half-birthday, no matter how much money you spent on it: splashing in some water, surrounded by all his friends.

‘We wanna say a special hello to the birthday boy.’

Without a word, Kerensa marched onto the stage.

‘Well, as I’m afraid he’s not here, I guess I’ll have to do,’ she said, proffering her face for a kiss.

Chapter Seventy-five

As soon as the set was over, instead of wafting off to Backstreet Boy around the place, Kerensa turned to Marisa and Polly with a look on her face Polly knew only too well.

‘What?’ she said.

‘She loves the piano player?’ said Kerensa.

‘It’s not going to work out,’ said Marisa. ‘He’s hung up on his ex and . . . hang on, I don’tlovehim.’

‘Be quiet,’ said Kerensa. ‘He’s a man. You’re a hot woman. It’s a beautiful day.’

‘And my therapist says you shouldn’t look for external validation . . .’

Kerensa rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ She looked at Polly. ‘Let me dress her.’

‘She’s not a dolly!’

‘Oh, but she is though. Look how pretty! How good will she look in red.’

‘Better than me,’ said Polly.

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