‘She can come to my doll hospital. Christmas likes to lie with the babies when they’re in their beds.’
Eve’s heart broke hearing Flora’s offer.
‘You’re a very kind person, Flora.’
Flora nodded. ‘I am, except when I’m hungry and then I can be a right pain, Hil says.’
Eve smiled and lay on the rug. ‘Myles? I think we need to hear some Fleetwood Mac.’
Myles got up and found the album and put it on his record player. The needle hit the vinyl, the comforting crackles came through the speaker and then the sounds of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham singing ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ came through the speakers. Eve sang at the top of her voice, remembering the harmonies like the alphabet.
Edward hadn’t denied he had slept with Serena to Amber. She accused him of being with other women from the publisher’s.
Was she just one in a long line of women he’d used and discarded once they were of no use to him?
She pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans where it was digging into her and looked at the screen.
Seven missed calls from Serena.
Multiple texts.
‘Shit,’ she said and jumped up.
‘You said shit,’ said Flora excitedly.
‘Get over it – shit isn’t even a swear word anymore,’ said Myles to Flora.
‘It is to me. It’s a swear word until you’re in big school, Daddy told me,’ Flora argued back.
‘Hang on, I need to make a work call. Don’t leave here,’ she told the children and she went out into the stairwell, thankful there was phone coverage.
She looked at the texts.
Call me. Where are you? Call me now. Eve, this is not okay. Eve? Call Me Now!
Eve took a deep breath and then dialled the number, hoping today wouldn’t get any worse.
35
‘Amber, put the hammer down,’ said Edward.
‘No, I won’t. I hate you.’ Amber was storming around the car still, hitting it at odd intervals.
‘You said you were away. You were here the whole time. I could have seen my children at Christmas.’
‘Not with a hammer you won’t,’ he said.
She smashed a back light as a comeback.
‘Amber, you know this behaviour is just going to mean you don’t get to spend time with them. It isn’t good for you or them. No one is going to let a parent be around their children when they are breaking property, being violent. Come on.’
Edward had seen Amber like this before but it had been so long since he’d seen an episode, he had forgotten how terrible it was.
She seemed out of herself more than ever this time and he wondered what she was taking.
He couldn’t smell alcohol, so he wondered if it was drugs causing this chaotic paranoia.
He glanced at Hil who was still on the phone but who was clearly listening with one ear.
