2. Katie #2
Katie shrugged. ‘I dunno, but it sure as hell wasn’t to nurse Nancy. Amanda is allergic to the old witch.’
Melanie pushed her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. ‘Yeah, that excuse doesn’t wash. Whatever it is, it’ll come out eventually. The truth always does. And I’m looking forward to hearing the real story behind it.’
The twins came into the hall, carrying the ice creams they had bought in the shop. ‘We’re giving these to the others and then we’re going home,’ they announced.
‘No, you’re not, lunch isn’t over.’ Melanie frowned.
‘Dad said we could.’
‘Well, I’m saying you can’t.’
‘Granny is Dad’s mum, so he has the say. And Dad said it’s okay, so it’s okay.’ They backed out through the door and were gone before Melanie could stop them.
Crikey, they were a handful. Katie tried not to laugh.
Melanie shook her head. ‘I’m going to kill Frank. He never says no to them. They’re getting so difficult to handle.’
‘They’re teenagers, and all teenagers are supposed to push your buttons.
I almost put my poor dad in an early grave when I was fifteen.
I think that’s why he ended up moving to the west of Ireland.
The minute I turned seventeen and left school to do hairdressing, he was gone. But it’s just a phase.’
It was funny: Melanie was in complete control and professional in work.
Jamie said she was so impressive and dogged with publishers and editors, always getting the best deal for her writers, yet she had no control whatsoever over her kids.
The twins had been running rings around her since they could talk.
Melanie took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. ‘I’m just so busy in work. I probably need to spend more time with them.’
Katie reached out and patted her arm. ‘Give yourself a break. You can’t be perfect at everything. None of us is. We’re all just doing our best.’
‘You seem to have a good work–life balance, though,’ Melanie said.
‘I kind of do, but then I work part-time and I’m not earning anything like the salary you are. Besides, there is more pressure on you.’ She didn’t want to say because Frank hasn’t earned the agency any money in years , but Jamie had told her they’d all been carrying Frank for a long time.
Melanie sighed. She looked exhausted. ‘Sometimes it’s a lot, but I love what I do, so at least that’s a bonus.’
‘And you’re brilliant at it.’
Melanie smiled. ‘I’m not bad.’ She ran a hand through her hair. ‘I need to come in to you for a cut.’
‘And colour,’ Katie noted. ‘Your greys are showing. Come in next week and I’ll freshen you up. We can’t have our top literary agent looking unpolished.’
‘Thanks, Katie. Nancy did mention pointedly last week that my hair needed “attending to”.’
They laughed.
Jamie came out. ‘I can’t believe you two left me. My head is melted. Get back in there and help me out. Ross and Amanda are on a London versus Dublin rant and Mum is getting snappier by the second.’
‘What about Frank?’ Katie asked.
‘I think Frank is meditating, he seems to have zoned out. It’s like he’s stoned without the drugs. I need to learn how to do that.’
Katie and Jamie cracked up while Melanie rolled her eyes.
Reluctantly, they all returned to the kitchen, where Nancy was grumbling about the cream not being properly whisked. Amanda’s cheeks were flushed.
Katie felt for her sister-in-law. ‘I think it’s a perfect texture,’ she said, dipping her finger into it and popping it into her mouth.
‘After a bottle of wine, I imagine everything tastes good,’ Nancy said sourly.
Unbowed, Katie poured herself another glass. ‘We all need our painkillers, Nancy.’ She raised her glass and winked at her mother-in-law, enjoying the look of pure annoyance on her face. She’d learnt long ago to ride it out and not give Nancy the pleasure of knowing she got under her skin.
For the millionth time she silently thanked Jamie’s dead father, Patrick, for giving him his lovely genes.
She’d never met Nancy’s first husband, Ross’s father Thomas, but she reckoned he must have been very different from Patrick, because Frank and Jamie were nothing like Ross.
He was all hard edges and spiky defences while Jamie and Frank were big softies.
She squeezed Jamie’s hand as he moved past her to his seat and she slurred in his ear, ‘Let’s put a movie on for the kids and rip each other’s clothes off when we get home.’
Jamie grinned. ‘Hell, yes.’
Katie saw Amanda watching them from across the table. Her sister-in-law was staring at her and Jamie, looking defeated. Katie leant forward and said quietly, ‘You okay?’
Amanda frowned, and her shoulders went back. ‘Totally fine,’ she said brusquely.
Nancy clapped her hands loudly. ‘Right, I’m tired. Can you all leave now, please? I’ll be in the office tomorrow at eight forty-five. Melanie, I want a full report on Sloane’s sales, and, Jamie, we need to push for more foreign rights. I want a plan of action and publishers to target.’
‘And kiss my arse while you’re at it,’ Katie muttered. Jamie shot her a warning glance.
Katie’s head was spinning. She realized that the last glass of wine had tipped her over. She was feeling very wobbly and had to lean on Jamie to stand up.
She hugged Amanda, thanking her loudly for producing an amazing meal, so Nancy would hear.
Amanda looked surprised but pleased. She then kissed Ross lightly on the cheek, and hugged Frank and Melanie – although Melanie wasn’t much of a hugger and just patted her on the back.
Then Katie turned to Nancy and waved. ‘Cheerio, Nancy, good to see you’re feeling a bit better and that the broken leg hasn’t stopped you bossing everyone about.
We all need to channel our boss bitch more. ’
‘Mum!’ Lucy was standing at the door, horrified.
‘It’s a compliment,’ Katie reassured her.
‘Goodbye, Katie. A cup of strong coffee might be advisable,’ Nancy said coldly.
‘Let’s get you home, babe.’ Jamie guided his wife out of the front door.
Katie’s high heels were killing her. Thankfully, they lived only a short walk away, so she kicked off her shoes and walked home in her bare feet. The relief!
Lucy was mortified. ‘Mum! No one else is walking in bare feet. The ground is wet and dirty.’
‘Relax, it’s no big deal.’ Katie leant on Jamie’s arm.
‘It is a big deal, people are looking.’ Lucy was getting upset.
‘It’s okay, love, we’ll be home soon,’ Jamie tried to placate her.
‘I wanna take my shoes off too.’ Toby whipped off his trainers.
Jamie laughed. ‘What the hell? Me too!’
Lucy walked ahead. ‘I’m pretending you’re not my family. I wish Melanie was my mum. She doesn’t drink lots of wine and walk home in her bare feet. She reads tons of books, like Granny, and doesn’t embarrass the twins.’
Melanie is hardly ever at home. She needs to get her head out of her books and spend some actual time with her kids, Katie wanted to shout, but she didn’t get the chance because she tripped and toppled sideways into a hedge.