‘PHOEBE!’
‘Please don’t screech,’ said Sofia. ‘Tea?’
‘I’ll do it,’ said Carmen, conscious that Sofia had a massive bump in front of her stomach and her mother had kept reminding her that she was there tohelpas she wasn’t paying rent. They were still being a little stiff with each other.
‘No, no, you catch up with the children,’ said Sofia, filling the kettle. The kettle looked expensive, thought Carmen. How did you even buy an expensive kettle?
Pippa sat down.
‘My favourite show on television isJust Add Magic, but we don’t watch much television because Skylar says screen time is very bad for your eyes and also your soul.’
‘Who’s Skylar?’
‘She’s the nanny,’ said Pippa just at the same moment as Sofia said, ‘She’s someone who helps us out.’
‘Where is she?’ said Carmen.
‘Oh, she’s a student so she’s at a class now. You’ll meet her … PHOEBE!’
There was the noise of stomping on the stairs and everyone looked up.
Another version of Sofia appeared, but this one was not glossy: instead, she had messy tangled hair. She was plump, her face looked sticky, and her lower lip stuck out so she appeared to be pouting.
‘Were you asleep, darling?’ asked Sofia, looking up.
‘No,’ said Phoebe in a grumpy voice.
‘This is your aunt, Carmen.’
Phoebe regarded Carmen with an unimpressed gaze.
‘I know she doesn’t send birthday presents,’ said Pippa, ‘but you have to be nice to her. Kindness wins!’
Carmen winced. Phoebe was still staring at her. It was not a cheery look.
‘Did you bring us anything?’ said Phoebe finally.
It hadn’t occurred to Carmen. She mentally filed through the contents of her bag and remembered a packet of Kettle Chips she’d been planning on sharing with Sofia over a bottle of wine that of course Sofia couldn’t drink. Oh lord.
‘PHOEBE,’ said Pippa. ‘That’s rude. That’s rude, isn’t it, Mummy?’
Sofia waved her hand in a faintly disparaging manner.
‘It is rude though.’
‘Shut up!’ said Phoebe.
Carmen felt the uncomfortable sensation of both sympathising with and faintly disliking quite a small child.
‘Um,’ she said, and opened her big bag which, filled with clothes just thrown in when she’d woken up late for her train, practically exploded all over the kitchen, by far the messiest thing in the house.
‘Wow,’ said Pippa.
Carmen retrieved the Kettle Chips with effort.
‘Here you are,’ she said, hurling them in the children’s general direction. ‘Share those?’
As if summoned by a whistle only he could hear, Jack came hurtling back into the kitchen at full steam.
