Page 32 of Faking It (and falling in love)

“Why thank you.” Philippa took a breath. Was this the right time? Would any time be the right time? “Is that the last one?”

“Yep,” said Dottie, closing her homework book with a flourish.

“Brilliant. Now, I have something to talk to you about,” said Philippa.

“You do?” Dottie’s eyes went wide and then narrowed. “Last time you said you needed to talk to me, you told me you and Daddy were splitting up. What is it this time?”

“Oh, please don’t worry, darling. No, it’s not like that. It’s just something you need to know. It’s sort of neither good nor bad. Just a thing.” Philippa felt out of her depth already, but now she’d started she knew she couldn’t back out. “It is partly about me and Daddy splitting up, I suppose.” She reached out and took her daughter’s hand. It was clammy from gripping the pencil. “Do you remember we told you that we split up because we’d grown apart and we wanted different things?”

“Yep. I figured that was about Daddy wanting to play golf and you wanting to concentrate on your business,” said Dottie, expectantly.

“Perhaps a little,” said Philippa, not in the mood to unpack her daughter’s view of her as a workaholic right now. “But part of it was also because your dad and me were really just like best friends and not like husband and wife. And that’s because I’ve have realised more recently that actually I’m gay.”

Dottie’s eyes widened again. “Gay like LGBTQIA plus?” she asked, pronouncing each letter individually and with great care.

“Er, yes,” said Philippa. “Just like that.”

“Cool,” said Dottie. “Miss Anderson and Ms Rajan love each other and they live together.”

Philippa’s eyebrows rose. She wasn’t sure how Dottie knew about Chrissie and Nisha, but she reminded herself of her daughter’s penchant for listening to and sharing playground gossip. “They do,” she agreed.

“Have you got a girlfriend?” Dottie fixed her with one of her unavoidable stares.

“Not right now,” said Philippa, sounding more casual than she felt.

“Does Daddy know?”

“Yes. He was one of the first people I told,” said Philippa, “and he was very kind to me, even though I knew he was upset as well.”

“Good,” said Dottie. “Daddy’s a nice man, isn’t he?”

Philippa nodded. “He is. And maybe one day I might have a girlfriend. Would that be ok?”

“That would be great,” said Dottie. “I think it would be good if you were able to meet someone who stopped you working all the time.”

“I don’t work all the time!” exclaimed Philippa.

“Hmm,” said Dottie. “But anyway, now I’ve done my homework can we have strawberry milkshake?”

“Yes,” said Philippa, relieved the conversation was over and marvelling that it had been a far bigger deal to her than it had been to her girl. “In fact, let’s go out and get celebratory milkshakes. Let’s go down to the Vine.”

“Awesome!” said Dottie. “Can I have pancakes, too?”

Philippa had to give Dottie credit – she knew when to ask for a treat!

The Vine was busy, with other Sunday morning parents looking for an easy way to feed their children. The pancake and milkshake option was a popular one.

“Uncle Charlie!” said Dottie, racing over to a table where Philippa’s old friend sat with a man with close cut fair hair. Helooked familiar; no doubt Philippa had seen him working in the Jam Pot.

“Hey, Charles,” said Philippa. “Don’t worry, we won’t crash your party, just coming over to say hi.”

Charlie put up his hands. “No apologies needed, you are, after all, my two favourite ladies. In fact, why don’t you join us?” Charlie gestured to the table. It was big enough for Philippa and her girl to join, and Dottie slid into a chair without any further invitation. Philippa followed at a more sedate pace.

“Thanks.” She smiled at Charlie and his companion, assuming this was the man who had inspired Charlie to turn away from his love-’em-and-leave-’em ways. “And is this the debut of your new person?”

Charlie reddened, the man beside him giving a small laugh. “Well, I suppose it is. Dottie, Philippa, I’d like to introduce you to Jack.”

“Go on,” said Jack with a twinkle in his eye. “You know you can say it. I believe in you.”

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