would soon no longer exist.
6
Ed watched as Marsha vigorously beat butter into the potatoes with a wooden spoon. He had a handful of knives and forks in one hand, but he made no move to put them on the table. Marsha glanced up at him.
‘What? You look miles away.’
Ed shook himself. ‘Oh, nothing. Just thinking.’
‘Always a mistake.’
Emma appeared in the doorway. ‘What is?’
‘Thinking,’ Marsha replied, indicating her brother with a nod of her head.
Emma went over to him and laid her cheek against his for a moment. ‘Love you,’ she muttered in his ear. Which was what he’d been thinking about: love. He would like to talk to Marsha about this love thing when they got the chance. It confused him and made him feel uneasy, in some ways dishonest. Because it felt too easy, Emma loving him like this. Suddenly. Not that it wasn’t what he wanted. And the sex was mind-blowing – he couldn’t get enough of her.
But he just wasn’t sure if she really meant it, or whether it was just something she said sort of automatically when she was in a relationship.
The flat doorbell rang. ‘That’ll be Lucy. Get it, will you?’ Marsha said.
‘So, Sunday it is.’ Lucy helped herself to a couple of sausages. ‘The mystery will finally be revealed!’
They all looked at her.
‘Mystery?’ Marsha asked.
‘Yeah, about Mum. I told you the other day. I knew you weren’t listening.’
Marsha laughed. ‘OK, so tell us again.’
Lucy sighed. ‘She’s been weird for two weeks now. Sort of preoccupied, but then really generous, and cooking all these huge meals. Can’t explain really … it’s as if she’s hiding something.’
‘And you think she’s going to tell all on Sunday?’ Ed asked.
‘Well, don’t you think it’s odd she is so insistent that we’re all there?’
Ed shrugged. ‘Mum’s always insistent we’re there. It’s her thing, all that nurturing stuff.’
‘You didn’t tell me about Sunday, babe,’ Emma chimed in.
‘No, well, she said just us three …’ He saw Emma’s eyes flash and knew he was in trouble.
‘Did you ask if I could come?’
Ed nodded. ‘Of course I did, but she said just family.’
‘And I’m not family?’
‘Emms, this isn’t about you, OK?’ Marsha spoke sharply. ‘Go on, Luce. You really think there’s something up?’
Ed could hear the worry in her voice.
Lucy nodded. ‘Yeah. I can’t think what, but something. I don’t think I’m imagining it.’
Emma got up and stamped off to the bathroom. Marsha rolled her eyes at her brother.
‘And did you ask her why she was being weird?’ Ed asked Lucy.
‘I did, but she and Dad fobbed me off. Sort of pretended I was deluded. But I saw the look between them.’
‘So Dad’s in on it too?’
For a moment there was silence. Emma came back to the table and plonked herself down, her face set in a sulky pout.
‘What are the options?’ Ed asked them, pouring out more wine.
‘Maybe they’re splitting up,’ Emma volunteered, her interest sparked.
‘Very helpful, Emms.’
‘Just saying …’
‘I don’t think it’s anything bad. She seems distracted rather than miserable,’ Lucy said.
‘Maybe Mum’s just about to sell her cake business for millions, and they’re going to up sticks and move to the south of France.’
‘Not!’ Ed laughed at Marsha’s suggestions. He envied his parents’ focused lives. They seemed always to have knownthe direction they wanted to take, then taken it.
‘Can we change the subject, please, guys? They’d have told you if it was anything serious.’ Emma sounded bored, but Ed knew she was just pissed off. She wouldn’t let it drop that she hadn’t been included in the brunch.
‘Well, come Sunday, we’ll know.’
Annie took the blueberry muffins out of the oven and laid the baking sheet carefully on the top of the stove. The muffins sat plump and golden in their waxed cases, the tops dotted with crystals of coarse baking sugar.
‘Smells
6
Ed watched as Marsha vigorously beat butter into the potatoes with a wooden spoon. He had a handful of knives and forks in one hand, but he made no move to put them on the table. Marsha glanced up at him.
‘What? You look miles away.’
Ed shook himself. ‘Oh, nothing. Just thinking.’
‘Always a mistake.’
Emma appeared in the doorway. ‘What is?’
‘Thinking,’ Marsha replied, indicating her brother with a nod of her head.
Emma went over to him and laid her cheek against his for a moment. ‘Love you,’ she muttered in his ear. Which was what he’d been thinking about: love. He would like to talk to Marsha about this love thing when they got the chance. It confused him and made him feel uneasy, in some ways dishonest. Because it felt too easy, Emma loving him like this. Suddenly. Not that it wasn’t what he wanted. And the sex was mind-blowing – he couldn’t get enough of her.
But he just wasn’t sure if she really meant it, or whether it was just something she said sort of automatically when she was in a relationship.
The flat doorbell rang. ‘That’ll be Lucy. Get it, will you?’ Marsha said.
‘So, Sunday it is.’ Lucy helped herself to a couple of sausages. ‘The mystery will finally be revealed!’
They all looked at her.
‘Mystery?’ Marsha asked.
‘Yeah, about Mum. I told you the other day. I knew you weren’t listening.’
Marsha laughed. ‘OK, so tell us again.’
Lucy sighed. ‘She’s been weird for two weeks now. Sort of preoccupied, but then really generous, and cooking all these huge meals. Can’t explain really … it’s as if she’s hiding something.’
‘And you think she’s going to tell all on Sunday?’ Ed asked.
‘Well, don’t you think it’s odd she is so insistent that we’re all there?’
Ed shrugged. ‘Mum’s always insistent we’re there. It’s her thing, all that nurturing stuff.’
‘You didn’t tell me about Sunday, babe,’ Emma chimed in.
‘No, well, she said just us three …’ He saw Emma’s eyes flash and knew he was in trouble.
‘Did you ask if I could come?’
Ed nodded. ‘Of course I did, but she said just family.’
‘And I’m not family?’
‘Emms, this isn’t about you, OK?’ Marsha spoke sharply. ‘Go on, Luce. You really think there’s something up?’
Ed could hear the worry in her voice.
Lucy nodded. ‘Yeah. I can’t think what, but something. I don’t think I’m imagining it.’
Emma got up and stamped off to the bathroom. Marsha rolled her eyes at her brother.
‘And did you ask her why she was being weird?’ Ed asked Lucy.
‘I did, but she and Dad fobbed me off. Sort of pretended I was deluded. But I saw the look between them.’
‘So Dad’s in on it too?’
For a moment there was silence. Emma came back to the table and plonked herself down, her face set in a sulky pout.
‘What are the options?’ Ed asked them, pouring out more wine.
‘Maybe they’re splitting up,’ Emma volunteered, her interest sparked.
‘Very helpful, Emms.’
‘Just saying …’
‘I don’t think it’s anything bad. She seems distracted rather than miserable,’ Lucy said.
‘Maybe Mum’s just about to sell her cake business for millions, and they’re going to up sticks and move to the south of France.’
‘Not!’ Ed laughed at Marsha’s suggestions. He envied his parents’ focused lives. They seemed always to have knownthe direction they wanted to take, then taken it.
‘Can we change the subject, please, guys? They’d have told you if it was anything serious.’ Emma sounded bored, but Ed knew she was just pissed off. She wouldn’t let it drop that she hadn’t been included in the brunch.
‘Well, come Sunday, we’ll know.’
Annie took the blueberry muffins out of the oven and laid the baking sheet carefully on the top of the stove. The muffins sat plump and golden in their waxed cases, the tops dotted with crystals of coarse baking sugar.
‘Smells
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