‘Arthur said you’ve been stomping about up there for ages. He’s got an early start tomorrow. Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘Can I come in then?’
‘I’m in my pyjamas.’
‘And? It’s just me.’
I tried to come up with another excuse but my head was fried.
‘Or shall I call Mum and tell her I’m worried about you?’
Sometimes, having a twin was downright infuriating.
I opened the door. ‘I said I’m fine.’
‘You’ve been crying.’
‘I’m missing Seb.’
Isaac pushed past me and sat on the bed.
‘You know I’m just going to bug you until you cave.’ He leant back against the wooden headboard, crossing his arms as if settling in for the night.
I did know, and seeing Isaac had reminded me of an idea.
‘Seb’s just told me that we’ve got a massive energy bill to pay. I can’t afford the instalments.’
‘But he’s helping?’
I briefly explained why he’d never bothered asking me for rent, and how it was my time to pay my share. I also came clean about the Debt Swamp, because I needed him to know that I was desperate, although I made it sound more like a Debt Puddle, because I needed him to think I wasn’t a total disaster.
‘I’ve got loads of waitressing and bar experience. Can I help you out with the weddings?’
‘All the event staff work Friday to Sunday, for continuity. The Saturday is a relentless, fourteen-hour day. That’s too much on top of your actual job.’
‘I can handle it! I’ve worked all day in a restaurant and then gone straight to a night shift as a carer before.’
Isaac shook his head, although his tone was sympathetic. ‘I can’t risk hiring people who are going to be dead on their feet a few hours in. Our clients pay top-rate for a flawless service.’
‘Please. I really, really need this. All the crap I’ve waded through the past ten years, until last week I’ve never asked you for anything.’
He pulled a wry face. ‘And now it’s a homeanda job.’
‘The room is Elliot’s. And I seem to remember you couldn’t find anyone else to take it.’ I looked him in the eye and waited while he wrestled with knowing how much I needed this.
‘You can help set up on Friday, and with the Sunday morning clearing up. Not the Saturday. You need a day off and I need staff trained to Robin Hood’s Barn standards. On the condition that Mum and Dad okay it, you keep up and aren’t completely knackered on Monday morning.’
‘Thank you.’ I closed my eyes until the rush of tears had been safely squashed back behind my eyes again. ‘I have one condition, too, though.’
‘Sis, you aren’t in a position to be making demands.’
‘No, but I’m in the position where I have to beg for them. If I show you I can hack it, then you let me do some Saturdays. Once a fortnight. The long shift plus tips will make all the difference.’
Seeing his forehead wrinkle in protest, I pushed on.
‘I can’t bear being stuck in the Debt Swamp. My whole life is stuck there until I get out of it. If I have to work every day for a year the physical toll will be worth the mental relief.’
