‘About a dozen?’ Tom suggested, starting to break the eggs. ‘That should work out at about two each.’
Zav frowned as he counted on his fingers how many they were making for. ‘I don’t think that’s enough,’ he decided, holding up eight fingers.
‘Uncle Grant and Auntie Cara had to leave early.’ Lainey plonked an orange juice down in front of him. ‘So we’re only six if Max joins us, more for you if he doesn’t.’
‘I can eat six,’ Zav informed her proudly.
‘I know you can,’ she laughed, catching his face in her hands and kissing him roundly.
‘You’re so sloppy,’ he protested, wiping the kiss away. ‘Dad never does that, do you Dad?’
‘He does to me,’ Lainey told him with a twinkle.
‘Wait till you have a girlfriend,’ Tom advised his son.
‘I don’t like girls, they’re stupid. Mum, can I have one of those chocolates? Please, please, please, please.’
‘They’re for after dinner tonight,’ she said firmly, trying to make room for them in the fridge.
‘That’s so mean, I never get to have any of those and they’re lush.’
‘I’ll save you one,’ Lainey promised. ‘Now, I guess as you two have breakfast under way I ought to go and rouse the rest of the house. Have you seen Grandpa this morning?’
‘He was still asleep when I looked in,’ Tom told her.
Glancing outside to check if the estate was back and seeing that it was, she said, ‘I wonder if Max has company . . .’
‘Are you kidding?’ Tom laughed. ‘You must have heard them all turning up in the early hours.’
Surprised that she hadn’t, as she usually slept quite lightly, Lainey said, ‘In that case I think I’ll leave him. We can always rustle up more when they decide to surface.’
Upstairs in her room Tierney was huddled under the covers doing her best not to be hung-over. It wasn’t easy when she’d downed a ton of vodka jelly over at Max’s last night. It was seriously wicked that stuff, nearly as good as the jägerbombs she and Skye had got wasted on the last time they were there. Skye had got totally off her face that night; she’d been in a bit of a state last night too by the time Tierney had staggered back to her room about four o’clock. Unlike Tierney Skye had gone to the concert with Max and his mates, so she’d been drinking all night, and smoking dope. Apparently she’d texted Max about eight o’clock and he’d offered to go and pick her up from school if she could sneak out. Obviously Skye had managed it, she always did, but Max, pig that he was, had refused to come back for Tierney.
You’re still not sixteen
, he’d responded when she’d sent a text begging to be allowed to go too.
God, she hated him sometimes.
Still, at least he hadn’t thrown her out when she’d snuck over there after they’d all got home, nor had he stopped her tucking into the jelly, mainly because he’d been too into Skye to notice. The others had all been smooching about the place, snogging and doing other stuff it was too embarrassing to watch. Talk about some people needing to get a room. She was the only one who hadn’t had a partner and not only because she was Max’s sister so his mates had to keep their hands off, but because she wasn’t interested in any of them anyway. As far as she was concerned they were just a bunch of mingers who thought they were seriously cool just because they smoked a few joints and got wasted while listening to loud music by bands she couldn’t stand. Max was so weird the way he was into the same sounds as Dad. They even went to concerts together sometimes. No way would anyone ever catch her going to see sad old sacks like Eric Clapton or Jackson Browne or Billy Bragg. Most of her friends had never even heard of them. It was pretty embarrassing that she had.
She wondered if Skye was still over there, sprawled out unconscious on Max’s bed the way Tierney had found her a couple of weeks ago. Skye had been going all the way with boys since she was fourteen. Actually, quite a few of their friends had, or so they said. Tierney was only sure about Skye – and about herself and Maudie in that neither of them had done it yet, but she was definitely going to.
Forcing her eyes open, she looked at the time and groaned. Ten past eight. Maybe she ought to make sure Skye had got back to school in time for her parents to collect her. If they turned up and found she wasn’t there, Bannerleigh Cross was the first place they’d come looking, and since Skye wasn’t officially supposed to be here . . .
Tierney flipped back the covers. No way could she risk being banned from going to Skye’s when the exams were over, and if it came out that Skye was getting it on with Max there was no knowing how her dad might react.
Not bothering with a text she dialled Skye’s number. ‘Where are you?’ she demanded in a whisper when Skye answered. ‘Please tell me you’re not still with Max.’
‘No, one of his mates dropped me back at school about twenty minutes ago, so calm down.’
‘Neither of my rents saw you leaving, did they?’
‘There wasn’t any sign of them so I don’t think so. That was really cool last night, wasn’t it? I just wish you could have come to the concert.’
‘Me too. Bloody Max. I don’t know what you see in him. He’s such a jerk sometimes.’
‘To you, maybe, but he’s just looking out for you, which is kind of cute, if you ask me. Anyway, you didn’t miss much. You were there for the party after, which was the best bit. That jelly is totally awesome, isn’t it?’
‘Totally.’
‘So have you heard from you-know-who this morning?’
Tierney’s insides fluttered and sank as she looked at her computer. ‘Not yet,’ she answered dismally. ‘But it’s still the middle of the night where he is.’
‘Of course, and he’ll definitely get in touch. He’s completely mad about you.’
Tierney brightened a little. ‘Do you think so?’ She thought it was true, but she loved hearing Skye say it.
‘Are you crazy? I’ve only ever seen him with you once, but I don’t reckon he looked at anyone else the whole time.’
Thrilling at the mere thought of it, Tierney felt herself spinning with excitement as she remembered that night and how they’d snogged for the first – and only – time. He’d run his hands through her hair, down her back, and over her buttocks, pressing himself to her, letting her know how much he wanted her. She was so desperate for him to do it again, and to go further, that she felt almost faint with the thought of it. ‘What about when Max nearly caught us?’ she gasped breathlessly. ‘Oh my God, I really thought he’d seen us.’
‘He would have if I hadn’t gone running up to him,’ Skye reminded her.
‘You were a brilliant lookout.’
‘That’s me, and I’m cool about being your alibi when you come up to London. Have you cleared it with your rents yet?’
‘No, but I don’t reckon there’ll be a problem.’
‘It’s going to be like just the best sixteenth anyone ever had,’ Skye assured her. ‘You’ll love it, I’m telling you, especially with him being so, you know, experienced and everything. That’s what I love about Max, he really knows what he’s doing . . .’
‘Oh God, bordering on too much information,’ Tierney broke in quickly.
Skye laughed. ‘You wanted all the details before.’
‘Yeah, when it wasn’t my brother. Anyway, I’d better go . . .’ She swung round as her computer beeped. ‘Oh my God, it’s him! He’s only Skyping me,’ she cried. ‘I’ve got to go,’ and abruptly ending the call she rushed to the computer and clicked on.
‘Hey,’ he said sleepily as his handsome face appeared on the screen. He looked like David Beckham with scruffy dark hair, or maybe more like Frankie in the Jonas Brothers. Whatever, he was totally, completely to die for
and he was Skyping her
. ‘How’s my favourite girl this morning?’ he asked.
Her heart was thudding so hard she barely heard herself saying, ‘I’m cool.’ She wouldn’t tell him about the hangover, she wasn’t even sure she still had one. ‘How about you?’
‘Yeah, I’m good. I can’t sleep, thinking about you. You look gorgeous when you’ve just woken up, by the way.’
Thrilled – and appalled – by the thought of waking up with him, she said, ‘I wish you were coming this weekend.’
He sighed. ‘Me too, but I have to stay here in New York. Something came up. Anyway, I’m not sure I can trust myself around you. You know what happened last time we were together.’
Feeling wonderful biting sensations in her most intimate parts, she said, ‘I think about it all the time.’
His eyes burned into hers. ‘Not long to wait now,’ he reminded her, ‘and you’ll be sweet sixteen. Meantime, I want you to do something for me. Have you read the book everyone’s talking about?’
Her insides lurched. He must mean
Fifty Shades of Grey.
Of course she’d heard of it, and knew exactly what it was about, but she hadn’t actually read it yet, mainly because she knew if either of her parents caught her with it they’d go ballistic. ‘It’s like the first thing I’m going to download when I get my Kindle,’ she told him, hoping it was the right answer.
He smiled. ‘Really? I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it.’
‘Have you read it?’
His eyes seemed to narrow slightly as he said, ‘I should go now, but first tell me what you’re up to today so I can imagine you doing it.’
Wishing she had the courage to say she was about to get in the shower so he could think of her with no clothes on, or that she had plans to laze around the garden in a bikini so he could imagine her that way, she heard herself saying, ‘I’m going over to my friend, Maudie’s, to do some revising. She’s a genius when it comes to physics.’ As soon as the words were out she wanted to grab them back. Why did she have to go and remind him she was still at school? It was really going to put him off, and she couldn’t bear it if it did.
‘I’ll try to catch up with you later,’ he told her, and a moment later he’d gone.
She stared at the screen in despair.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
What was she going to do? She always said the dumbest things and now he was going to think she was immature and stupid and a total waste of space, and if he thought that she’d just want to die.
‘Tierney! What are you doing in there?’ her mother called out.
‘Go away!’ Tierney seethed.
‘Dad and Zav are making pancakes,’ Lainey told her through the door. ‘They thought you’d like some too.’
‘I don’t want any pancakes. I’m not hungry. Just
leave me alone
.’
There was a moment before Lainey said, ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine. I just don’t want to come down yet.’
There was no sound of her mother moving away. Tierney wanted to scream as she pictured her hovering outside. ‘Can I come in?’ Lainey eventually asked.
Tierney’s fists were clenched. ‘No!’ she practically raged.
‘You know, I think I will.’
‘Don’t you dare! This is
my
room and you’re not invited.’
More seconds ticked by, and then Tierney’s heart jarred at the sound of an email dropping into her inbox.
She quickly clicked on.
It was a gift from iTunes –
from him!
Oh my God, he’s sent me some music to download.
She found the message.
For you to listen to while revising. Xxx
The door opened and her mother came in.
‘Well, at least you’re up,’ Lainey commented, casting a quick look around the room as though checking to make sure no one else was there.
‘Of course I am,’ Tierney replied sunnily, closing her laptop. ‘I was just checking to make sure Maudie’s still on for today. And actually, I’m dead in the mood for pancakes, especially Dad’s. Zav’s always have to be scraped off the floor.’
Lainey laughed. ‘They’re still pretty tasty though,’ she commented, and grabbing a dressing gown she held it out for Tierney to slip into. ‘Just as well it was me and not Dad who came up here,’ she murmured over Tierney’s shoulder, ‘because wherever you were last night, and whatever you were doing, the smell in this room tells me that you were hitting the booze.’
Tierney froze. Her mother was a witch.
‘I’m guessing you sneaked over to Max’s,’ Lainey continued, ‘but we’ll have a chat about it later.’
Keeping her back turned, Tierney started for the door. ‘You’re not going to tell Dad, are you?’ she demanded, suddenly turning round and almost colliding with Lainey.
Before Lainey could answer Tierney was seized by a rush of elation, and grabbing her mother in a vigorous embrace she squeezed with all her might. She didn’t care if she was in trouble; he’d sent her some music, which made everything all right, and after breakfast she was going to race back up here to find out what it was.
After sending Tierney the mood-swinger on down for breakfast, Lainey went to knock gently on her father’s door, pushing it open as she did so. Funny how once she’d never have dreamt of walking into her father’s room without receiving his permission, while Tierney’s door had always been open to her. Now the situation was completely reversed.
Finding Peter still fast asleep, she went to make sure he was breathing, much as she still did with the children, and after stooping to give Sherman a tousle she went quietly back to the landing. She’d leave him a while longer, then come back up to help him shower and dress.
By the time she got down to the kitchen a ragged pile of pancakes was gaining some height in the middle of the table, while jars of marmalade, maple syrup and honey were circling its base, and a pot of fresh coffee had been placed to one side, a bit like an old-timer checking out the new kids on the block.
‘Auntie Daffs just called,’ Tierney told her, grabbing their napkins from a drawer to start laying them out. ‘She said she’ll ring back later, but I was to tell you it’s fine about . . . Oh my God, Mum, you’re dancing. Please don’t. Please, please. Oh God, Dad, stop!’
With ‘The Hustle’ playing on the radio, Lainey shimmied up to Tom who, with a frying pan aloft in one hand and a tea towel in the other, was already jigging his hips back and forth ready to bump them against hers. Zav was laughing and cheering them on, while spilling his latest pancake mix all over the Aga.
Tierney buried her face in her hands. ‘You two are so sad,’ she told them. ‘No one dances like that any more.’
‘We do,’ Tom responded cheerily, still getting into the groove. ‘Do you want us to show you how . . .’