Page 18 of The In-Laws

‘Any chance she’d write a memoir?’ Melanie asked.

Katie marvelled at her sister-in-law’s ability always to look for an opportunity. When she thought about it, Melanie was more like Nancy than any of her sons. ‘Don’t think so. She wrote one a few years ago.’

Melanie sighed. ‘Frank needs to find an author. With Ross home and on the prowl, I’m worried that he’s going to start raising questions about Frank’s worth to the agency. He hasn’t landed a publishing deal for any of his music “geniuses” in years.’

‘He’ll find one soon.’

‘It’s been eight years since Toto Lane’s book, and it tanked.’

‘Well, there’s no way Ross can get rid of him. Jamie won’t have it and neither will Nancy. They love Frank, and Nancy has the added guilt of the accident and that whole thing too.’

‘I know, Katie, but if Ross takes over when Nancy retires, he could well fire Frank.’

‘Nancy’s going nowhere. She’ll live till a hundred and twenty, I reckon. Like a well-groomed vampire.’

Melanie shook her head. ‘The fall has definitely aged her and knocked her confidence a bit.’

‘She hides it well.’

‘I think Nancy may take a step back and hand over the reins of the agency sooner than we think.’

Katie clicked off her hairdryer. ‘Why does Ross get to swan back from London and presume he’s going to take over? Why can’t Jamie and you run the agency?’

‘I’m not family.’

‘You are too.’

‘Not blood family. We’ll always be just in-laws.’

She had a point there. But why did Ross get the agency, not Jamie and Frank? Okay, Frank was a bit useless, but Jamie was brilliant. The only thing was, Jamie liked to do his work and come home. He was good at his job but he worked to live, not like Melanie who lived to work. She was the obvious person to run the agency. Katie wondered how Jamie would feel about that. ‘There’s no way Ross would fire his brother,’ she said.

‘Half-brother, and don’t forget there’s a lot of resentment there.’

‘Because Ross was sent to boarding school when Nancy divorced his dad?’

‘Yes. Frank always said that Ross felt left out. Nancy should never have sent him away like that while she got remarried and had more kids.’

‘Nancy has a heart of ice,’ Katie said, shaking her head. ‘Who sends a devastated nine-year-old kid to boarding school? At least my dad kept me at home.’

‘I know. It must have been hell for him to visit in the holidays and see two new sons playing happy families and taking his place.’ Melanie turned her head from side to side, admiring her hair. ‘I think Nancy still feels a bit guiltyabout it all, which is why she’s so “Hail, Ross the King” now that he’s back.’

‘Why should our husbands be sidelined because of a bad decision Nancy made?’

Melanie shrugged. ‘Families are complicated. Blood is thicker than water, as they say.’

‘Well, no one is firing Frank and that’s final. I’ll talk to him and see if we can think of a cool musician who hasn’t written a memoir yet.’

‘That would be great. Honestly, you know Frank. He never worries about anything. He’s so bloody zen it drives me nuts. I think he overdoses on meditation and therapy.’

Katie roared laughing. ‘I don’t think you can overdose on either and, let’s face it, there’s a lot worse things he could be addicted to. I wish I was more zen. I think Frank’s amazing. He’s so wise and calm.’

‘Calm is overrated,’ Melanie muttered, as her phone beeped again and she buried her head in another email.

6. Melanie

Joni stared at her plate. ‘What’s this?’

‘Lasagne.’ Melanie continued to read the WhatsApp from Peter, who was freaking out about the masses of edits he’d just received from his new editor, Larissa.

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