Page 116 of The In-Laws

Nancy was sitting at the end of the kitchen table.

‘Did you want to see me?’ Katie asked.

‘Sit down.’

Katie fought the urge to tell her to sod off, and sat down.

‘As you know, I want Lucy to take over the agency as soon as she’s old enough.’

‘If that’s what she wants.’ Katie was not having Lucy being bullied into doing something she might not want to do when the time came.

‘She does want it.’

‘She’s nine, Nancy. She’s perfectly entitled to change hermind as she gets older. When I was nine I wanted to be a lion-tamer.’

‘Yes, well …’ Nancy left the you-are-an-idiot implication hanging between them. ‘As you probably know, Melanie is setting up a rival agency.’

‘She’s setting up an agency. I’m not sure whether it’s rival or not.’

‘It’s a literary agency. What else can it be?’

Katie shrugged. ‘Healthy competition?’

‘Anyway, this betrayal has left me with a decision to make about my interim successor.’

Katie said nothing. She waited.

‘I’ve decided it’s going to be Jamie.’

‘Okay, great. Good choice.’ Katie was not going to grovel with gratitude.

‘Jamie will have more responsibility. He’ll be travelling more often and doing more entertaining of authors and publishers.’

‘Right.’

Nancy’s eyes narrowed. ‘He needs a solid partner, someone he can rely on to keep things going smoothly at home. Someone he can bring out with him, when needs be, to wine and dine important people and do it well.’

‘Mm-hmm.’ Katie waited for the insult to come.

‘You will need to step up.’

‘In what way?’ she asked. If Nancy wanted to insult her, she was going to have to spell it out.

Nancy waved her arm towards Katie. ‘Well, your drinking will have to be curbed. You’ll need to edit yourself before opening your mouth, and you’ll have to read a lot of books so you can be good company for these people. Jamie will need someone he can trust to behave in an appropriate way by his side.’

Katie pressed her thumb into her palm so hard she thought it might break through the skin.

‘Nancy,’ she kept her voice low and cool, ‘Frank’s marriage is over and Ross’s is hanging by a thread. Jamie and I are very much together, very much in love and very happy. This little speech of yours, clearly designed to make me feel lesser than, is not going to intimidate me. I will talk about whatever the hell I want to talk about. People actually find me great company. I will read what I feel like reading. The one thing I do agree with you on is alcohol. It has not been my friend lately and I’ve cut it out. So you don’t need to worry about me making a show of myself in front of your precious clients. I have always supported Jamie. I think he’s the bee’s knees. I know he will run the agency so well. You’re lucky to have him.

‘If, and it’s a big if, my Lucy decides she wants to join the firm, then that will be her decision and only hers. No one will be pushing my daughter into doing anything she does not want to do. I will be protecting her and making sure she makes her decisions on her own terms. I understand that you are part of my life because I’m married to Jamie. I understand that my outburst was wrong and I have apologized again and again for it. However, if you host another lunch and exclude me, Jamie and our children will not be attending. I will walk across hot coals to make Lucy happy, so despite years of putting up with your snide comments and constant put-downs, I will sit at the table with you. But I will not have you belittling me in front of my children ever again. You may not rate me as a person or a professional, but you will not disrespect me in front of my children, just as I promise not to disrespect you either.’

Nancy’s eyes widened in surprise. Katie could see she had not expected that.

‘Jamie and Lucy are my priority.’

‘I also have a son, Nancy. Toby.’

‘Yes, well, he’s very young. I’m not sure what to make of him yet.’

---