Page 50 of Good Sisters

‘Girl mates or boy mates?’

‘Girl mates, Julie.’

‘You’re very dressed up for the girls. Is there not one boy among these mates? A gorgeous girl like yourself must have fellas chasing you around.’

I could feel Sophie listening, but she just kept putting candles on the cake.

‘Oh, my God, Julie, stop. This is so embarrassing. Do you interrogate the triplets when they go out?’

‘Yes, but sure they’re only interested in chasing a ball. So?’

‘So nothing, Julie. I’m meeting some mates.’

‘Jeepers, Jess, you should apply to the secret service. Talk about giving nothing away,’ I teased, but she didn’t laugh. ‘Well, be careful, some boys are dickheads.’

‘Okay, thanks for the tip.’ I could tell she was surprised by my harsh choice of words, but she needed to be warned and Sebastian was a jerk.

‘She’s right, Jess,’ Sophie said. ‘A lot of boys are only after one thing and they can be very persuasive and charming to get what they want.’

‘Especially boys who’ve been spoiled by their parents. They’re the worst,’ I said.

‘Yes, they’re completely self-centred and only care about themselves,’ Sophie said, hammering home the point.

‘OMG, can you both please stop? This is so embarrassing. Mum, can I go now?’ Jess begged.

‘After the cake,’ Sophie said.

‘Muuuuum,’ Jess pleaded. ‘I’ve done everything to help you today. I’ve waited for hours to go out.’

‘Okay,’ Sophie said, but I could see she didn’t want to let her go. The teenage years were so bloody difficult. ‘But keep your phone on and don’t turn off phone locator.’

‘And don’t waste your time on boys who are not nice and kind,’ I shouted after my niece, as a parting shot. Jess acted so sassy and strong, but she was actually quite fragile. Her parents’ separation had really affected her. Then Pippa had come along and Robert was born. She’d had a tough time being shunned by Pippa and seeing her dad all over his new baby son. For a while she had felt rejected and sidelined. I had watched her struggle with it. She was a fantastic girl, but I worried that the wrong guy could play on that fragility and her need for attention and affection.

‘Did you get any info from the triplets?’ Sophie said, the moment the front door slammed.

‘None,’ I said. ‘Sorry. They’ll keep an ear open, though. They can’t stand Sebastian, so they don’t hang out with him, but they have a couple of friends in common. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.’

The doorbell went – it was finally almost pick-up time. I was exhausted. As parents began to arrive to pick up their kids, we called Robert over and told him it was time for the cake and candles.

Robert frowned. ‘But Mummy and Daddy aren’t here yet. We can’t.’

‘I know, sweetie,’ Sophie said gently, ‘but everyone is going home now. Julie is going to video it so your dad can watch it when he gets home and we’ll send it to your mummy too.’

‘Oh, okay.’ He looked forlorn and I had to block the urge to grab him into my arms and wrap him up tight. The poor little thing.

‘Hey, Robert, let’s see if you can blow all the candles out in one go,’ Tom said. I smiled at my kind, sweet boy. ‘I triedon my last birthday, when I was eleven, but I could only blow out five at once. Can you blow out six?’ he asked.

‘I can, I can!’ Robert was up for the challenge.

We gathered everyone around the table and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ as Robert blew out his candles in one go, using a fair amount of spit but achieving his goal.

Tom high-fived him.

Just as Sophie was picking the candles out of the cake, the door flew open and Pippa swooshed in, dressed to the nines in a long black velvet coat. She brushed past everyone, stood on my foot as she nudged me out of the way, and enveloped her son in a big hug.

‘Hello, darling, did you make a wish for me? Here I am!’

‘Mummy.’ He hugged her, thrilled she was there.

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