Page 39 of The Little Provence Book Shop
‘Come back, won’t you?’ she said.
‘You know me. Never say no to a cheap holiday.’
She laughed and gave him a little shove. Kevin, as a pretty successful architect, wasn’t short of money, but they often joked about his frugality – the result of their not having much money as they’d grown up.
‘Careful. Don’t want your burly protector launching himself at me,’ he said and they both laughed.
‘Sorry about that.’
‘It’s OK. It’s nice to think you have friends looking out for you.’
‘He’s not really afriend.’
‘Well, what would you call him?’
‘I just…’ But it was too complicated; they didn’t have time. Kevin’s taxi would be here soon. Instead, she offered a cup of tea and they made their way through to the kitchen where he sat waiting patiently, fiddling with the corner of a coaster.
‘What’s up?’ she asked, setting his mug in front of him and wondering at this suddenly silent version of her usually talkative brother.
‘Just thinking.’
‘Careful!’ she joked.
‘I think I need to do it too,’ he said.
‘What? Move to France?’
He laughed. ‘No, I think I’m a London boy through and through,’ he admitted. ‘But you know. Find myself. After Mum,after everything. I’m a thirty-three-year-old bloke feeling lonely because his sister’s having an adventure. How sad is that!’
‘Aw, don’t be silly. You just wanted to sort things out. And a lot of that was my fault. I get it.’
‘Yeah, but this has all made me realise I’ve kind of let my life get swallowed up too,’ he admitted. ‘So much focus on Mum, and of course that’s what we both wanted to do. But it made my world shrink. And maybe it’s time I think about whatIwant. I was convinced I was trying to fixyourlife, but maybe your going just showed me how small mine’s become.’
She slipped into the chair opposite him and grabbed his hand. ‘Well,’ she said. ‘I guess we’re both kind of rebuilding things after everything that happened. And maybe that’s OK.’
‘We’re in this together?’ he offered.
She laughed. ‘Both losers.’
Their eyes met and there he was again, her affable, upbeat big brother. ‘Ha. Yes,’ he agreed. ‘Both complete and utter losers.’
By the time the taxi came the atmosphere between them was upbeat. And as she waved her brother off, she felt a sense of freedom. That she had someone in the world who loved her enough to let her make her choices, mistakes, decisions and support her no matter what. Monique was right – there was no doubt that blood or no blood, Kevin was herrealbrother.
With her late start, her time in the bookshop passed quickly and it was soon four thirty. She slipped out of the shop and took the short walk to the school to pick up Lili. Waiting outside, she exchanged a few words with the other mums and, although she didn’t know them very well yet, realised that she felt part of a collective whole; no longer so much on the outside.
Lili raced towards her when she exited the classroom, and flung her backpack at Adeline’s feet. Adeline picked it up andslung it over her own shoulder then bent down to smooth Lili’s hair back into place. Her daughter often looked adorably rumpled after school – eyes bright, and usually quite well-rested after the afternoon siesta all the children were encouraged to have.
‘Good day?’ she said.
‘Lunch was disgusting,’ her daughter told her seriously. ‘Too much spinach.’
She nodded. ‘Oh dear. What else did you do today?’
Lili shrugged. ‘I dunno.’
Her daughter seemed to have a switch that clicked the moment she reached her mother, separating her life at school from her home life. At first, Adeline had thought that maybe Lili was hiding something from her, but she’d come to realise that Lili genuinely couldn’t remember. School was compartmentalised in another area of her brain – she’d now tucked it away until tomorrow.
Refusing to hold her hand, Lili skipped ahead on the narrow pavement, Adeline keeping an eye out for cars in case her daughter stepped out into the road. There were never many, but they came up unexpectedly sometimes.
