‘Yes, but your room is the size of an aircraft hangar.’
It was. It took up the entire side of the house and had two bathrooms and a dressing room. It was bigger than the entire flat Carmen had rented back home, and that had had four people living in it.
‘Anyway, play your cards right and you might be.’
‘Are youpimpingme to Blair Pfenning?’
‘I’m just saying, he’s, like, I mean, he is really, really rich.’
‘You are!’
The bell rang and they looked at each other and grinned.
‘You get it,’ said Sofia.
‘Can I pretend it’s my house?’
‘No.’
‘Can I pretend I live here all the time and that’s normally my room?’
‘If you want to share it with him, sure.’
‘You super pimp!’
And that was how he found her, still giggling merrily, a little flushed from the wine and indubitably happy to see him, which was just how he liked it, and for a fleeting second he wished he’d brought some mistletoe. On the other hand, the bottle of Veuve Clicquot seemed to make up for it.
‘I was expecting some complete slum!’ he said, taking off the spanking-new brogues he had nipped back in for the previous afternoon. He thought thisMonarch of the Glenlook might be his new thing and was wishing there was a MacPfenning tartan. ‘You work in a shop!’
‘I much prefer it when you do that fake charm thing you do with people you don’t know,’ grumbled Carmen, stepping back.
But still, she couldn’t help being proud of the haven her sister had made with the sweet smell of the expensive scented candles and the warmth and tasteful modern paintings – real, actual paintings with paint on – on the dark blue walls.
‘Well,’ he said.
Sofia descended the stairs as gracefully as any eight-months pregnant person can, i.e. not very. But her smile was lovely.
‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Welcome, Blair.’
‘Look at your beautiful house!’ he said, gallantly, flashing the teeth. ‘It issokind of you to have me for dinner; I really can’t believe you’re letting me impose in this way.’
‘Too much! Too much!’ hissed Carmen.
‘Shut up!’ Blair whispered back. Sofia observed them both with some amusement.
‘Come, let me show you round,’ she said, but just as she did so there came the most ear-piercing scream.
They all jumped as Phoebe came barrelling out of the front room, closely followed by Jack, who was trying to look like someone who was not running for his life in terror but merely concerned for his sister.
Phoebe was in floods of utterly helpless tears and turned from Carmen to Sofia.
‘What on earth is it?’ said Sofia.
The TV noise from next door abruptly came to a halt and Pippa marched to the door, her small face furious, her little mouth pursed.
‘THAT,’ she exclaimed, ‘is FAR too frightening for children.’
‘What have you been watching?’ said Sofia immediately.
