Page 102 of Good Sisters

‘I dunno … grow vegetables and meditate, go for long walks and read more books.’

Jack cracked up. ‘Sophie! You’d hate it. You’re a city girl through and through. Imagine no shops, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, nail bars … You wouldn’t last a week.’

I giggled. He had a point. I did like city living. But when I saw how calm Marco’s life was, it had made me think.

‘Okay, I agree, but think of how much less stress we’d have. No commuting, no wondering where Jess is because there’s only one bar in town and nowhere else to go to get into trouble. Robert could walk to the local school and play football in the village square. No phones ringing all the time, no commitments, no family dramas, just us and nature.’

‘You hate spiders, bugs, flies, mud, dust and most animals. You love your comforts. You like having places to go and people to see. You’d be bored rigid.’

I snuggled into his chest. ‘You’re right, I wouldn’t last a week.’

‘It would be nice to know where Jess was at all times, though. I worry about randy teenage boys. Is it still off with Sebastian?’

‘As far as I know it is. Why? Has she said anything to you?’

‘No.’

‘Good. Even Julie, who tries to see the good in everyone, said he’s awful and the triplets can’t stand him either.’

‘To be fair, the triplets together are a force. Maybe Sebastian finds them hard to deal with, and you can’t tar the kid because you don’t like his parents.’

‘I know, but I just get a bad vibe from him.’ If Jack knew that Sebastian had been in the house alone with Jess, he’d have freaked. I’d never told him because Jess had begged me not to and I didn’t want to add to his worries. He had enough on his plate with his rotten ex.

‘Well, she dodged a bullet by breaking up with him.’

‘Definitely. She seemed upset at first but she’s in better form now, thank God.’

I snuggled into Jack’s chest again and was luxuriating in this rare one-on-one time with him before Jess came back from basketball training and Robert needed to be picked up from football, when my phone rang. It was Gavin.

‘Ignore it.’ Jack held me tighter.

I’d call him back later. I closed my eyes. The phone buzzed. Text message from Gavin:CALL ME ASAP. URGENT!

I sat bolt upright. ‘Oh, no, it must be Dad. Something must have happened.’

My fingers shook as I called his number.

‘Is it Dad?’

‘What?’

‘The emergency! Is it Dad? Is he okay?’

‘I dunno, I presume so. He was fine yesterday.’

‘What’s wrong, then?’

‘It’s Lemon.’

‘What?’ For a second I forgot his baby was called Lemon and thought he was talking about the fruit.

‘She’s gone mental, Sophie. She won’t sleep. She’s screaming all the time. She’s turned into a monster.’

‘It’s probably colic,’ Jack, who was listening in, said. ‘Robert had it. Tell him to walk her around in one of those baby-carrier things when she’s bad.’

‘Jack says she’s probably just got colic. Have you tried carrying her around when she’s grizzly?’

‘Yeah, I have her in the papoose all the time.’

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