Page 66 of The In-Laws

‘Me too.’ Amanda was relieved.

‘One more minute, girls, come on,’ Katie urged them.

They swam for another minute, then climbed out. Surprisingly, Amanda’s skin hummed with a very pleasant, warm sensation. She didn’t feel cold at all. She dried herself briskly with a towel.

‘Don’t you feel great now?’ Katie, the newly obsessed sea swimmer, asked.

Amanda nodded. ‘I have to admit, I do. Although I did think I was going to die when I first got in.’

‘Melanie?’ Katie turned to her sister-in-law, who was pushing her arms into her thick dry-robe.

‘I actually did enjoy it, brought me right back to my youth. It’s definitely a good way to start the day. I usually like to be in the office really early, but I’ll join you every now and then.’

Amanda opened her basket, poured hot coffee and handed it around, with the buttered freshly made scones. They sat on the wall, cosied up in layers of warm clothes, sipping the coffee.

‘You’re an angel for thinking to bring coffee, and these scones are amazing,’ Katie said.

‘Yes, the coffee is bliss,’ Melanie said, cradling her cup to warm her hands.

The hot drink was warming Amanda from the inside. She realized she felt better than she had in weeks. The heavy feeling on her chest had been lifted, temporarily at least. Maybe this was why everyone became so obsessed with swimming and couldn’t shut up about it.

When Amanda got home, she was humming to herself, feeling a wave of good mood from her little adventure. She walked into the kitchen, where Ross was making himself coffee.

‘Where’ve you been? I woke up and you were gone.’

‘I went for a swim with Katie and Melanie.’

‘What?’ Ross looked shocked. Amanda didn’t blame him. It wasn’t as if they were all mates.

She opened the fridge and took out some eggs. ‘Katie texted and asked if we’d join her. I think it was some kind of cleansing ritual for her after the Nancy episode.’

‘She needs a lot more than a swim to cleanse herself. I don’t know what Jamie ever saw in her. She’s punching way up with him.’

Amanda felt protective of her sister-in-law. ‘That’s notfair. Katie’s a really nice person and they seem to have a great relationship.’ She broke the eggs into a bowl and began whisking them.

‘I really don’t want you hanging out with her. She’s a bad influence. She needs to stop drinking and get a grip on herself. She’s vulgar and uncouth.’

Amanda bristled with annoyance. ‘That’s nonsense, Ross. Yes, she overreacted, and she knows that. But she’s apologized and tried to make amends. That’s all she can do.’

Ross sipped his coffee. ‘I must say, I was not impressed that you helped write the lyrics for that godawful song.’

Amanda popped the eggs into a saucepan, adding only one spoonful of butter and one of milk, just the way Nancy liked her scrambled eggs. ‘Katie was trying to make amends, and I was happy to help her apologize.’

Ross rinsed his cup and placed it in the dishwasher. ‘That was the tackiest apology I’ve ever witnessed. She has no class.’

Amanda used to think Katie was a bit tacky and a messy drunk, but as she was getting to know her better, she saw her big heart and kind nature. Ross’s unkind and cynical take on his sister-in-law said more about him than it did about Katie.

‘And who are you to judge anyone? Who are you to call anyone else tacky? You have no place on the moral high ground, Ross. You fell from grace with a big bang, remember? Katie is incredibly kind and thoughtful. She just snapped, Ross. Your mother has spoken down to her for years.’ Looking directly at her husband, she added, ‘We all have a breaking point, Ross. We all snap when we’re pushed too far.’

Ross looked uncomfortable. ‘Regardless of what you think of me and the many mistakes I have made, I wouldnever shout abuse at an elderly woman. I think Jamie needs to have a serious conversation with Katie about boundaries.’

Amanda shook the wooden spoon in Ross’s face. ‘Jamie supports his wife. He loves her. He thinks she’s great, and even though he was angry with her, he still had her back. That’s what love is. That’s what true love looks like. You wouldn’t know about that because you have done the complete opposite to me.’

‘Amanda, I do love you,’ he said quietly, ‘even though my actions have not shown that.’

She sighed. ‘Look, Ross, we have no friends here, we only have your family. We rely on them for work, a home and support. You cannot fall out with them. I know you feel you’re the odd one out, but Jamie and Frank have been very welcoming. You have to get rid of the chip on your shoulder. They are your brothers and they are also your colleagues. We have to make an effort to fit in and find our place among this family. You need to try to build a relationship with your brothers, not fight with them and belittle their wives, who, by the way, are really great women. We have had so much upheaval this year, and so much more to come, that we need all the support we can get. I like my sisters-in-law and I’ll be seeing both of them whenever I want. If you have any brain, you’ll do the same with your brothers. It’s very lonely here, Ross. I lost my best friend when you betrayed me. I need friends.’

Ross reached for her hand, but Amanda pulled back.

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