overflowing bin.
'Have you eaten?' he asked, as if I were
the one who'd come barging in, not him.
'No. I'm not really hungry. I'll have a
snack later.' I took a deep breath, then said, 'Do you want a coffee? Or
something alcoholic?'
'Wine would be nice,' he said.
I took the bottle from the fridge that
Nick had brought round the last time he came.
'Shall I open it for you?'
'I can do it fine.'
He held up his hands in mock alarm. 'Whoa!
Of course you can, Mirrie. I was just being polite.'
I stabbed the corkscrew into the cork and
twisted it down crookedly. When I pulled, only half the cork came out. Brendan
watched me, smiling sympathetically, as I gingerly extracted the crumbled
remains of the cork from the bottle and poured three glasses. He held his up to
the light and carefully picked out a few bits of cork from the wine before
drinking.
'We should have brought a bottle round
ourselves,' said Kerry. 'Because, actually, we have a favour to ask.'
'Yes?' I asked warily.
'Well, something amazing's happened. You
know that man who was coming round a second time to look at my flat on Sunday?'
'Yes.'
'He's made an offer. Only a bit less than
what we were asking.'
'That's brilliant,' I said.
'He seems really keen. And he's a
first-time buyer. He's not in a chain at all.'
'But he is in a hurry,' interjected
Brendan.
'Ah,' I said. I had a horrible, horrible
feeling that I knew where this was going.
'He seems to think,' said Kerry, 'that he
can exchange and complete in a matter of a week or two. He says his solicitor
told him that as long as she can do the search immediately and there's no
problem with the survey, then he could be in by the end of next week.'
'It has been known,' I said dully.
'But Bren's already given up the place he
was renting and we can't move into our new flat by then,' said Kerry, 'though
the owner's in an old people's home and our solicitor promises she'll do it as
quickly as possible.'
'So,' said Brendan, smiling at me. He
poured himself a second glass of wine and took a slurp of it.
'So if that happens, which maybe it won't
anyway, we're in a bit of a fix,' said Kerry. 'And we wondered if we could come
and stay at yours. Only for a few days, a week or two at the very most.'
'What about...?'
'Of course we'd go to Derek and Marcia's,'
said Brendan, 'except their house is going to be a complete bomb site for the
next few months. Well, you know better than us the nightmare that can be to
live in. They might even have to move out for a bit themselves.'
'Would it be possible, Miranda?' asked
Kerry.
I wondered why Kerry wanted to stay with
me in the first place. If it had been the other way round, I would have tried
to keep a safe distance between Brendan and his ex-girlfriend, not put them in
the same small flat together, even if — or especially if — that ex-girlfriend
was my sister. Maybe I just had a more suspicious nature than she did. Or maybe
she was asserting to herself, and to me and Brendan, that she knew she had
nothing to fear. I looked at her, but I couldn't read her expression.
'My flat's so small,' I said hopelessly.
'I haven't even got a spare bedroom.'
'You've got your sofa bed,' said Brendan.
'It might not even happen,' said Kerry.
'And we won't get in your way. We'll keep everything tidy and cook for you, and
you'll hardly notice us before we're gone. A week.'
'Haven't you got friends with a bigger
place? Where you'd be more comfortable.'
'Miranda, you're my sister.' Kerry had
tears in her eyes. She darted a look at Brendan and he took her hand and
stroked it. 'You're family. It's not such a big thing we're asking. Mum
and Dad were certain you wouldn't mind. I thought you wouldn't mind. I thought
you might even be pleased to have us here. It didn't occur to me that
'Perhaps Mirrie is still finding it
painful,' said Brendan softly.
'What?!'
'We shouldn't have asked you,' continued
Brendan. 'It wasn't fair. Maybe you're not ready for this.'
I squeezed my wine
'Have you eaten?' he asked, as if I were
the one who'd come barging in, not him.
'No. I'm not really hungry. I'll have a
snack later.' I took a deep breath, then said, 'Do you want a coffee? Or
something alcoholic?'
'Wine would be nice,' he said.
I took the bottle from the fridge that
Nick had brought round the last time he came.
'Shall I open it for you?'
'I can do it fine.'
He held up his hands in mock alarm. 'Whoa!
Of course you can, Mirrie. I was just being polite.'
I stabbed the corkscrew into the cork and
twisted it down crookedly. When I pulled, only half the cork came out. Brendan
watched me, smiling sympathetically, as I gingerly extracted the crumbled
remains of the cork from the bottle and poured three glasses. He held his up to
the light and carefully picked out a few bits of cork from the wine before
drinking.
'We should have brought a bottle round
ourselves,' said Kerry. 'Because, actually, we have a favour to ask.'
'Yes?' I asked warily.
'Well, something amazing's happened. You
know that man who was coming round a second time to look at my flat on Sunday?'
'Yes.'
'He's made an offer. Only a bit less than
what we were asking.'
'That's brilliant,' I said.
'He seems really keen. And he's a
first-time buyer. He's not in a chain at all.'
'But he is in a hurry,' interjected
Brendan.
'Ah,' I said. I had a horrible, horrible
feeling that I knew where this was going.
'He seems to think,' said Kerry, 'that he
can exchange and complete in a matter of a week or two. He says his solicitor
told him that as long as she can do the search immediately and there's no
problem with the survey, then he could be in by the end of next week.'
'It has been known,' I said dully.
'But Bren's already given up the place he
was renting and we can't move into our new flat by then,' said Kerry, 'though
the owner's in an old people's home and our solicitor promises she'll do it as
quickly as possible.'
'So,' said Brendan, smiling at me. He
poured himself a second glass of wine and took a slurp of it.
'So if that happens, which maybe it won't
anyway, we're in a bit of a fix,' said Kerry. 'And we wondered if we could come
and stay at yours. Only for a few days, a week or two at the very most.'
'What about...?'
'Of course we'd go to Derek and Marcia's,'
said Brendan, 'except their house is going to be a complete bomb site for the
next few months. Well, you know better than us the nightmare that can be to
live in. They might even have to move out for a bit themselves.'
'Would it be possible, Miranda?' asked
Kerry.
I wondered why Kerry wanted to stay with
me in the first place. If it had been the other way round, I would have tried
to keep a safe distance between Brendan and his ex-girlfriend, not put them in
the same small flat together, even if — or especially if — that ex-girlfriend
was my sister. Maybe I just had a more suspicious nature than she did. Or maybe
she was asserting to herself, and to me and Brendan, that she knew she had
nothing to fear. I looked at her, but I couldn't read her expression.
'My flat's so small,' I said hopelessly.
'I haven't even got a spare bedroom.'
'You've got your sofa bed,' said Brendan.
'It might not even happen,' said Kerry.
'And we won't get in your way. We'll keep everything tidy and cook for you, and
you'll hardly notice us before we're gone. A week.'
'Haven't you got friends with a bigger
place? Where you'd be more comfortable.'
'Miranda, you're my sister.' Kerry had
tears in her eyes. She darted a look at Brendan and he took her hand and
stroked it. 'You're family. It's not such a big thing we're asking. Mum
and Dad were certain you wouldn't mind. I thought you wouldn't mind. I thought
you might even be pleased to have us here. It didn't occur to me that
'Perhaps Mirrie is still finding it
painful,' said Brendan softly.
'What?!'
'We shouldn't have asked you,' continued
Brendan. 'It wasn't fair. Maybe you're not ready for this.'
I squeezed my wine
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