Page 117 of The In-Laws

Give me patience. Katie kept pressing her thumb.

‘As I was saying,’ Nancy continued, ‘they are my priority and I accept that you are part of the package. So I will be civil to you as long as you are civil to me.’

‘Fair enough.’ And it was. If they both treated each other with respect, they’d muddle through.

‘I would like to suggest that Lucy comes into the office after school one day a week to learn the ropes.’

‘Lucy is nine. She will not be going into any office after school. Come back to me when she’s seventeen.’

Nancy gritted her teeth. ‘Fine. Then I would like to spend an hour every Sunday morning discussing books with Lucy.’

‘That sounds lovely.’ Katie stood up and winked at her mother-in-law. ‘Look at us, Nancy, compromising already. We’ll be bezzie mates in no time.’ Katie chuckled at Nancy’s sour face and called the twins to bring them home.

THREE MONTHS LATER …

39. Melanie

Joni and Janis stared out of the window, nudging and pushing each other to get a better view.

‘Is she definitely coming?’ they asked, for the millionth time.

‘Yes, and please don’t go nuts when you see her. Be cool,’ Melanie told them.

‘Be cool.’ The twins cracked up. ‘Mum’s telling us to be cool, like, seriously!’

Melanie grinned. ‘Okay, well, be calm then.’ She loved seeing her daughters so excited and happy.

‘You’ll scare her away with all your hype,’ Katie warned them.

‘You’re just as excited as we are.’ Joni nudged her aunt playfully.

‘I so am! The girls in the salon are dead jealous!’

‘Even Theo’s impressed you’re signing Xina,’ Amanda said, smiling from behind her new desk in the small area they were grandly naming Reception. ‘He’s fuming that he’s missing it, but he was so excited to go to his friend’s eighteenth birthday party in London.’

‘Is that the guy whose dad is a lord or something?’ Joni asked.

‘He’s a duke.’

‘Theo told us his parents had rented out a whole nightclub and flown in DJ Mastermix to play.’

‘They have.’

‘Oh, one of your la-di-da London mates.’ Katie grinned.

Amanda laughed. ‘Not so la-di-da. More full of crap and not my friend at all. It just took me a while to figure that out.’

Katie nodded. ‘You have us now instead, doesn’t she, Melanie?’

Amanda smiled. ‘Yes, I do.’

Joni held out her phone. ‘Look, Theo sent us a photo of Juniper. She issoooooocute.’

Melanie glared at Joni. She had warned the girls not to go on about the new baby in front of Amanda. Theo was smitten, but that didn’t make things any easier.

‘Joni!’ Janis hissed.

Joni turned bright red. ‘Sorry, Auntie Amanda, I wasn’t thinking … It’s probably weird … Sorry.’

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