Page 57 of The In-Laws

‘Oooh, now I’m interested. Show me.’

Amanda googled him and held up her phone to show Katie.

‘Niiiiiiiice.He’s fit in a geeky-sexy writer kind of way. Does Frank have to be worried, Melanie?’

Melanie laughed. ‘It’s a bonus that he’s easy on the eye, but it’s his writing that impresses me.’

‘I still fancy the pants off Jamie. No one else could come close.’

Melanie said nothing. Amanda wondered if she even had sex with Frank. She couldn’t imagine it. Did she still find Ross attractive? It was hard to tell because she was so angry with him. They’d always had a good sex life, though. They’d moved on from the ripping-each-other’s-clothes-off sex to regular sex and it had been good. It was what made the betrayal so much worse. He was ‘getting action’ at home. He wasn’t ‘deprived of sex’. Since she’d found out about the affair, she hadn’t let him near her. He’d tried a few times, but she couldn’t bear him to touch her.

‘Frank and I haven’t had sex in years,’ Melanie admitted suddenly.

‘What?’ Katie was shocked.

Amanda wasn’t. It made sense.

Melanie shrugged. ‘We just got out of the habit. I work late, and, well, it just fizzled.’

‘When you say years, how long are we talking?’ Katie asked.

Melanie thought about it. ‘Two, maybe three.’

‘Melanie! You have to get back in the saddle,’ Katie urged her.

‘I know, but it’s almost been so long that I don’t know how. To be honest, I don’t really miss it. Is that bad?’

‘Yes! Sex is good for you. Orgasms give you a high and it keeps you close to your partner.’

‘You’re eight years younger than me. I was having sex eight years ago,’ Melanie defended herself.

Katie put a hand on Melanie’s arm. ‘Melanie, I hear stories all day long from women in my salon. If the sex dries up, the marriage will too. You’re not seventy! I bet you and Ross have sex,’ Katie said, turning to Amanda.

Amanda shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. This was not a conversation she wanted to have. But her sisters-in-law were staring at her. She needed to say something.

‘We go through phases. Generally we’re pretty regular, but lately … well …’

‘Living with Nancy would put the brakes on anyone’ssex drive.’ Katie smiled. ‘Imagine your headboard banging and Nancy telling you to keep it down.’

Amanda laughed, grateful for the distraction. Thankfully, before anyone could ask her any more personal questions, Jamie came back from his run. Melanie and Amanda headed off quickly, leaving Katie to talk to her husband about Poisonous Bitch Gate.

20. Katie

Katie sat on the edge of Lucy’s bed. Her daughter had her arms folded over her chest and was looking up at the ceiling. She was not going to make this easy. Katie felt a bit fuzzy-headed after all the wine. She shouldn’t have had that last glass. She needed to tread very carefully here.

‘Lucy, I’m sorry you’re upset. I should not have lost my temper and called Nancy a bad word but –’

‘A VERY bad word. Even Joni and Janis were shocked.’

‘Well, yes, okay, it was a very bad word, but Nancy was also really rude to me and she has been for years.’

‘I’ve never seen her be rude to you, except today, and she only called you a stupid fool, you called her awaaaaaaaayworse word.’

That’s because nine-year-olds don’t understand digs or passive-aggressive behaviour and how it eats away at your self-esteem.

Keeping her voice steady and her frustration buried, Katie kept going. ‘You may not have seen it, but it happens all the time. Even Melanie said so, and you know Melanie always says it straight.’

‘How is Granny mean to you?’

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