Georgie had wanted to hide away and die, but her mum had other plans. At 8p.m. that night, when her traitorous ex and Linda, who was now in on the plan and happy to go along with it, had sat down in the cinema, Jessie, Georgie and Fi had gone in five minutes later and sat in front of them, then all four conspirators had giggled and crunched their popcorn all the way throughSweet Home Alabama. The young guy had fled that night, and the sight of Reese Witherspoon probably still gave him traumatic flashbacks.
Now, Georgie had the feeling she was about to face a similar level of ambush. Up on the makeshift stage, Moira and Loretta had fashioned two tambourines out of packets of crunchy pasta and entered their country era, so her mum went in front, cutting a path between the dancers, back to the space at the front door where she’d been stationed earlier. Mrs Dawson and her sister were still happily tapping their feet to the music while their fingers worked their magic on their needles.
‘In the name of the holy jumpers, they brought their knitting?’ Jessie spluttered, chuckling, before telling Georgie to, ‘Wait right here and don’t move.’
Georgie did exactly as commanded, already trying to pre-empt the conversation, and come up with excuses, arguments and explanations as to why she’d kept Ollie’s job offer to herself and why she’d rejected it… even though the very thought of that still made her wince. That said, she knew she’d done the right thing. Definitely. Absolutely. It was just going to take a minute to stop feeling like it could turn out to be a huge regret.
Her mother, meanwhile, disappeared into the throng, giving Georgie the chance to have a quick scope of the street outside. A couple more inches of snow had fallen since she’d arrived and the streetlights were creating a stunning glow that made the whole scene look like the set of a Christmas movie. It was completely deserted too, so no sign of the Nesbit triplets. Hugo had almost given himself a heart attack chasing them earlier. Georgie just hoped that no one was planning on driving home from here tonight because there wasn’t a car out there with four inflated tyres now. Apparently, it was their party trick and their mortified mother, Linda, had explained that they’d bought somegizmo off eBay that took the air right out of the valve, before despatching her husband to track them down and get the mini-rogues home. Linda was now recovering from the incident by boogying on the dance floor while belting out ‘Man, I Feel Like a Woman’.
However, the Hemsworth-esque bloke who’d arrived in the big Range Rover might not recover from the triplet’s tyre-deflating mischief quite as quickly. Georgie was beyond curious to know who he was. Alyssa’s new boyfriend? If so, she’d kept that quiet. Georgie had no idea Alyssa was even seeing anyone.
Two minutes after she left, Jessie was marching back this way, carrying a tray with two cups of tea, two small glasses of sherry and a plate with two slabs of cake. She put it down on Mrs Dawson’s table and was rewarded with beaming smiles from both sisters and a squeeze of the hand. ‘Thanks, Jessie,’ Mrs Dawson said, her voice croaky with the passage of the years. ‘Best night out I’ve had in ages. I told Olive it would be worth missingCoronation Street.’
‘Aye, she did,’ Olive, sitting next to her, fingers going like fury, concurred.
‘What was that?’ Mrs Dawson asked, straining to hear her equally hard of hearing sister.
Now that her mum was satisfied that Mrs Dawson and Olive had been taken care of, she flipped her attention back and Georgie braced herself for impact.
‘Georgie, I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest. And just so you know, your brother already caved and told me the truth, so there’s no point lying to make me feel better.’
Georgie made a mental note to kill Grant later. He never could keep a secret from their mother.
‘If there were no obstacles in the way of it, would you have wanted to take that job in America?’
‘Oh Mum, there’s no point in…’ she began to argue, but Jessie stopped her immediately.
‘Just a yes or a no, pet.’
That’s when Georgie accepted that resistance was futile.
‘Yes. But, Mum, it’s done now and?—’
Jessie stopped her again, cutting in with, ‘And what were you planning to do after it? Come back to the salon or do something else?’
The question surprised her, mostly because it was one that she’d barely contemplated. She’d figured leaving the salon and coming back after six months wasn’t a viable option, especially because there was also the possibility that the TV job could be extended or renewed for another season. She repeated all that to Jessie, who took it all in.
‘So if there was a way that you could take that job?—’
Now it was Georgie’s turn to cut her mum off. ‘Mum, no. Absolutely not. I’ve told you, I’m not letting you change your plans for me. No way. You’re leaving tomorrow and that’s it.’
Her mum shook her head. ‘I’m not.’
Georgie felt sick. ‘Mum, you are. I can’t let you give that up for me. You’ve done enough.’
Her mum glanced over her shoulder, to check that no one was within earshot, and that the two lovely old dears next to them were still happy.
‘Georgie, much as I love you, I’m not giving it up for you. The truth is, I never wanted to go. I’ve been dreading it since the moment I agreed to it.’
Wow. This was a shocker. Back in the salon this afternoon, when Cathy had asked her about Jessie’s feelings on leaving, Georgie hadassured her that her mother was happy about it. And even when her dad had hinted at Mum’s reluctance earlier, Georgie hadn’t believed him because her mum had acted like she was totally on board with the plans. First prize for faking enthusiasm goes to Jessie McLean.
‘But what about Dad?’
Her mum frowned, and Georgie felt her heart sink. They’d had a fight. Had they split up? Was she going to be a thirty-eight-year-old woman navigating her parents’ divorce? And who was getting her and Grant in the custody battle?
No, not possible. Her mum and dad loved each other.
Or was that something else her mum had been faking?
