The Boyfriend Dilemma (12 page)

I shut my eyes, thinking maybe this could be
my
place, at least until the new owners move into the house. I'll bring Zoe, of course. I bet no one knows about it. We can share it as our own little den…

A sudden movement makes my breath catch in my throat. The ladder creaks as someone starts to climb up.

Chapter fifteen

I don't understand why Mum won't let us take anyone else to Baxter Valley. There's room for five in our car, and we're always allowed to bring friends. It's not a whole lot of fun otherwise since Mum hates going on rides, even the tiddly baby ones. How can someone who sees terrible things at the hospital every day be scared of roller coasters?

“Cheer up, Zoe,” she says as we clear up after breakfast. “I want this to be a special day for us.”

“I just wish Zoe could come,” I say, trying not to sound whiny as that drives her nuts.

“I'll go on the rides with you,” Matty says, like that's some kind of treat for me.

“Thank you, Matty.” I press my mouth in a straight line and put the orange juice back in the fridge.

“I'll go on
any
rides,” he boasts, picking a bogey from his nose. “I'm not scared of any of 'em…”

“Actually,” Mum says with a smile, “someone else is coming along today.”

“Who?” I ask.

“Wait and see,” she says, flashing another mysterious smile. For one mad moment I imagine her announcing,
Dad's coming with us. He's leaving pregnant Rosalind because he can't bear to watch Olivia cantering round and round in circles for one second longer, and has had enough of spending all his spare money on magnetic horse blankets…

“Why won't you tell us?” Matty demands. Mum checks her watch, then glances out of the kitchen window as a small silver car pulls into the drive.

“Oh,” she announces, “that's her arriving now.”

“Who?” Matty and I yell, running to the kitchen window. The driver's door opens and a tall, thin girl with raven-black hair steps out.

“Who's that?” Matty exclaims.

“Annalise, of course,” Mum says with a grin. “Our new au pair.”

“She looks like a witch!” he yells.

“Don't be silly,” Mum says with a laugh.

“You mean she's starting today?” I gawp at Mum. “Why didn't you tell us?”

“Because I didn't want you making a fuss,” she says, already unlocking our front door and smoothing her hair with her hands, even though it's perfectly neat already. “Now come
on
, you two. Let's go and give her a big welcome.”

Matty scampers outside after Mum while I lurk in the doorway, trying to mentally prepare myself for this. There's no time, though, because Annalise is being hugged by Mum, then beaming at me and saying, “I'm so excited to meet you all.”

I stare at this tall girl with an orangey face that doesn't match the rest of her. “We're delighted to meet you,” Mum is saying. “This is Matty, and Zoe…”

“Hi,” I say, forcing a smile as if I'm delighted to have a stranger moving into the room next to mine, and to be the only family round here who has an au pair – a full-time babysitter, basically. I just hope the girls at school don't find out.

“Let's give you a hand with your luggage,” Mum says, beckoning us over to help. From the back seat of Annalise's car comes a massive leopard-print suitcase, a red leather zip-up bag that weighs a ton, a few bulging shoulder bags and a large carrier bag full of spiky shoes. As we haul everything inside, I check out Annalise's outfit: red-and-white strappy top, tight black skirt that clings to her bottom, and towering black sandals with gold buckles that are making her wobble on our gravel driveway. Hmmm. Mum said she was
sporty
, right?

“As I've said,” Mum says after we've dumped Annalise's luggage in our hallway, “Zoe's thirteen and Matty's nine. They're off school for another week so you'll have plenty of chance to get to know them.” She flashes a big, bright smile. “I'm back at work tomorrow so the three of you can spend lots of time together.” What – a whole week left of the holidays and Mum's expecting me to spend it all with Annalise?

“That's sounds
great
,” she enthuses. “We're all gonna have such a brilliant time!” Matty stands there, blinking at her, obviously fascinated. I know I should say something, but I'm completely stuck for words.

“So,” Mum goes on, “let's take everything up to your room and get you settled.” The four of us troop upstairs with her luggage.

“This is such an amazing room,” Annalise gushes as we show her into the spare room. She tips her shoes – a tangle of straps and heels in every colour imaginable – onto the clean white bed, and throws open a wardrobe door and peers into it.

“Shall we show you round the house?” Mum suggests.

“Yeah, cool,” she replies.

It feels so awkward, the three of us trailing from room to room, with Annalise saying, “Oh, it's lovely!” at pretty much everything – even the downstairs loo. The whole time I'm thinking, how long is she staying for anyway? Mum hasn't said. Will she live here until me and Matty are old enough not to need “help” any more, like when I turn sixteen? That's three years!

“So, Annalise,” Mum says when we all arrive back in her room, “we'll leave you to get settled in. I thought we could have a bit of lunch together, then all go to Baxter Valley for the afternoon…”

“Baxter Valley?“ Annalise exclaims, batting her spidery black lashes. “I haven't been there since I was a little kid! I used to
love
it.”

“Well,” Mum says, “I hope you'll be happy here. Jacqui was so positive about you in her email.”

“They were a lovely family,” Annalise says eagerly.

“And she gave you a glowing reference,” Mum adds.

“Why did you leave?” I blurt out, unable to stop myself.

Annalise's smile stretches a bit too wide. “Er, it was just time to move on really.”

Mum gives me a quick, annoyed look. “Come on, you two, let's get lunch ready and leave Annalise in peace.”

“I don't like sport, Annalise,” Matty calls out as we're leaving her room.

“Really?” she says. “Why not?”

“'Cause there are too many rules,” he says.

“Oh. So what d'you like doing, Matty?”

He gives her a naughty look. “Pranks.”

“Yes, and you won't be playing any of those on Annalise,” Mum says, ushering us downstairs and starting to clatter about in the kitchen, the way she does when she's trying to pretend that everything's OK.

“What d'you think of her?” I whisper as she peers into the fridge.

“She seems very nice,” Mum hisses back.

“Mum, she told you she does all kinds of sports – running and hockey and gymnastics…”

Mum closes the fridge door, obviously having forgotten what she was looking for. “Um … yes, I think she did.”

“Does she look sporty to you, in those massive heels?”

“I'm sure she doesn't wear them all the time,” Mum retorts in a low voice. “They're not attached to her feet, sweetheart. She probably dressed up like that to give a good first impression.”

“She looks weird,” Matty points out. “Her face is kind of metal-looking…”

Mum places the wok on the hob. “Of course she's not mental—”

“No,
metal
,” he repeats.

“It's bronzer,” I whisper.

“What's bronzer?”

“Stuff you brush on your face to look, er, bronzed,” I explain. “But she's put a bit too much on—”

There's a loud hiss as Mum flings ingredients into the wok. “Stop this, you two. It's incredibly rude to gossip about someone behind their back. Didn't you see how excited she was when I mentioned Baxter Valley? I think she'll be great fun to have around.”

“Is she gonna wear those massive shoes on the Devil's Loop?” Matty whispers.

“Probably,” I reply with a smirk.

“What if one falls off when she's upside down? The heel might stab someone in the head!”

“Matty!” Mum snaps, whirling round from the cooker as my brother and I dissolve into laughter. We've just about wiped away our tears when the
clip-clop
of heels announces that Annalise is heading downstairs.

 

Annalise can't eat Mum's chicken stir-fry. “Sorry,” she says, wincing down at her bowl, “I just like plain stuff really.”

Mum blinks at her across the table. “Well, it is pretty plain…”

Annalise prods a beansprout with her fork as if expecting it to leap out and bite her. “And I don't eat meat,” she adds.

“Oh,” Mum says, obviously taken aback. “I wish I'd known. I could have made you a veggie one…”

“Sorry,” Annalise says with an apologetic smile. “I should've mentioned it.”

“That's OK,” Mum says firmly. “Zoe had a little vegetarian phase about a year ago.” My cheeks redden at being made to sound silly and fickle, like I haven't made up my mind what I want to be.

“And I can't have dairy,” Annalise adds, “or bread or pasta. Bananas give me migraines and I can't stand fish…”

“What
can
you eat?” Matty asks, causing Mum to throw him a fierce stare.

“Lots of things,” Annalise says brightly.

“What about Coco Pops?”

“Er, yeah…”

“Sugar Puffs?”

“Matty,” Mum snaps, “I don't think Annalise needs to be quizzed on her breakfast cereal preferences, thank you very much.”

My mouth starts twitching as he leans over and hisses into her ear, “D'you like tuna? I hate it. Zoe bought me a tuna sandwich and I was nearly sick in the sport centre—”

“That's
enough
, Matty,” Mum says firmly, turning to Annalise. “So, er, can I make you something else?”

“I'm not really hungry, Mrs Harper,” Annalise says, pushing away her untouched bowl.

“Call me Alison.” Mum is trying to remain bright and cheerful even though our au pair seems not to like food at all and, to make things worse, rain is now hammering against the windows.

Mum gets up from the table and peers out. “Maybe we should go to Baxter Valley another day.”

“No!” Matty barks. “You promised, Mum—”

“Let's go today,” Annalise says. “I don't mind getting wet.” She jumps up from the table. “I'll just grab my jacket. This is going to be such fun!”

As she clatters upstairs, Mum opens her mouth and shuts it again. And, for the first time in his life, even Matty is speechless.

Chapter sixteen

It was only Ben. When I say
only
, I don't mean it like it's nothing. I just mean I almost fainted with fright when his face appeared in the tree-house doorway.

“Layla!” he gasped. “What are you doing here? And
what
have you got on your head?”

“Just hanging out,” I babbled, pulling off my frog helmet and wishing it would split into billions of particles and disappear.

He grinned. “Mind if I join you?”

Did I
mind
? Was he crazy? “Of course not,” I said, “but … why are
you
here?”

Ben clambered into the house. “I found this place when I was out on my bike, just getting to know my way round. Isn't it cool?”

So here we are, discussing fund-raising plans for the Acorn while the rain patters onto the wooden roof above our heads. “I've been thinking about the best way to raise money,” he says. “What d'you think about a concert at the theatre, showcasing all the local talent.”

I mull this over. “But who'd play?”

“Well, we would. Kyle and Danny and me.”

“And Jude?” I cut in.

He shrugs. “Sure, whatever. We'll figure out the details. What I'm thinking is, we make it an open thing with guest singers so everyone feels involved. That'll bring in the crowds, won't it?”

“You mean a kind of karaoke thing?”

“Better than that,” he says confidently. “We'll play rather than have a karaoke machine or anything naff. And we'll hold auditions to make sure everyone can at least sing in tune…”

“Would they be able to choose any song they wanted?” I ask.

“Yeah, of course, and we'll accompany them.”

“But … what if it's a song you don't know how to play?”

He shrugs. “It won't be.”

“Really? You can play
anything
?”

“Yeah, pretty much, and I'm sure Kyle and Danny can too.” He smiles, his eyes gleaming in the sliver of light that's coming in through the window. He's so confident – he seems to think anything's possible if you want it enough. “Anyway,” Ben goes on, “it wouldn't be about the band. The focus will be on the singers – that's what'll make people come. They'll want to see their son or daughter singing, won't they? And everyone else will be desperate to see how it all turns out…” I nod, starting to picture it now. “You'd do it, wouldn't you?” he asks. “Kyle says you and Zoe are always singing in your room…”

“
Were
,” I correct him, “till he recorded us and teased us to death…”

“Yeah.” He grins. “He played it to me.”

“He didn't!” I shriek, my cheeks burning.

He touches my arm reassuringly, causing sparks to shoot up its entire length. “Don't be embarrassed. You both have great voices…”

I shake my head, pretty certain that I won't be singing onstage in front of Ben any time soon. “Listen,” I say, “it's stopped raining. Guess I'd better head home.”

“Me too,” he says. We clamber down the ladder to where Ben's bike is lying on its side in the long, wet grass. Amazingly, it's even more wrecked than mine. Its spokes are bent, some are held together with tape, and there's more thick silver tape wound around the broken mudguard. He looks embarrassed when he sees me glancing down at it, so I decide not to comment on it. He picks up a rucksack that was lying beside it, and slings it onto his back.

“What's in there?” I ask.

“Er, just shopping. Food and stuff.”

“You mean for your family? You have to do the shopping on your bike?”

Ben shrugs. “It's fine. It's not heavy.”

“But couldn't your mum or dad—” I start.

“Oh, I don't mind doing it,” he says quickly. “Anyway, I really hope you'll sing at the concert. You and Zoe should pick a song each. Or would that be weird? After all, it could get pretty competitive…” And with that, he cycles off, whizzing along the twisty lane.

I watch him growing smaller, wondering what on earth he meant. I've
never
felt competitive with Zoe. I don't care that she's a brilliant runner and the best at science and has tons more stuff than me, because she's my best friend in the world… Yet I haven't told her about the biggest secret of my life, have I? And it feels like this secret of mine is growing bigger by the day.

I cycle home, my bike rattling like crazy along the bumpy track. It's only when I reach my front door that I realize my frog helmet is still lying in the tree house.