Page 2 of Good Sisters

‘You always look like an angel,’ I said.

The triplets made vomiting noises.

Harry put his arm around me. ‘Let’s go while they’re still relatively calm. I’ll drop you off at your dad’s and take the boys straight to the church.’

I rested my head on his shoulder. ‘Thanks.’

‘Today will be exhausting. It’s awful for you, Julie. I’m here for you, darling.’

‘I just can’t believe it, Harry.’ I welled up again.

‘It was very quick, which makes it even harder to take it in. Anne was such an integral part of the family. It’ll be a big adjustment for you all.’

He was right. Mum was the glue that had held us all together. What were we going to do without her?

Gavin opened the door before I’d even rung the bell.

‘Help!’ he whispered.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Louise is doing my head in. She keeps bossing me and Dad around and snapping at Sophie.’

‘It’s just her way of processing grief. She’s devastated too.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘She’s hiding it well.’

I stepped into the kitchen and took in the scene. Sophie was sitting down with her head back, holding a tissue against each eye to stop the tears ruining her make-up. Dad was leaning against the countertop, looking shattered. Louise was typing furiously into her phone.

‘Hi.’

‘You’re late,’ Louise informed me.

I glanced at the clock. I was two minutes late.

‘Told you,’ Gavin muttered.

Ignoring her, I turned to Dad and hugged him. ‘How are you?’

‘Ah, sure, as well as can be expected.’

‘We’re all here for you, Dad.’ I kissed his cheek.

‘Thanks, love.’ He patted my shoulder.

Louise sighed impatiently and marched out to the front door. ‘The undertakers should be here by now,’ she huffed.

Dad shook his head. ‘She has the poor undertakers tormented.’

I felt Louise was getting a hard time and it was, as it always has been, my job to defend her.

‘Every family needs an organizer,’ I said.

‘Organizer?’ Sophie looked up from reapplying her concealer. ‘She’s like a bloody sergeant major. She ripped my head off when I told her she had a ladder in her tights, even though I had a spare pair in my bag, which I gave her.’

‘Just ignore her, she’s upset.’

‘So am I, Julie!’ Sophie said. ‘I was closer to Mum than she ever was. And poor Jess is distraught. She was really close to Mum too.’

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