Chapter 34 #2
‘That doesn’t excuse lying, Sabrina. And you dragged poor Adam into all of this. I’m sorry.’ She directs her apology over my shoulder. ‘You must think we’re a family of liars.’
‘I—’ Adam manages before Dad clears his throat.
‘There was nothing in the contract about a relationship,’ Dad says.
‘Yes, there was,’ I say. ‘I’m doing the business course so that clause is taken care of. The relationship was the only thing hanging over my head.’
‘But I…’ Dad trails off. ‘Dianne,’ he says, that one word carrying the weight of a hammer.
‘I was never going to hold her to it,’ Mum says.
‘I just wanted to give her a nudge. After that ex of hers trampled on her heart, she’s been too scared to let anyone else in.
I thought it would push her to try so I asked Gabi to add a small clause to the contract. The business course was Gabi’s idea.’
Gabi glares at Mum, who simply returns it with a shrug. If Mum’s going down, she sure as hell is dragging Gabi with her.
I’m frozen in place. Mum’s in front of me, a hand holding both Adam and me, acting as a tether while her admission sucks the air out of me.
She was never going to hold me to it? I have twisted myself up in knots, endured the most horrendous blind dates and pretended to be in a relationship with Adam and then subsequently had my heart broken over something that doesn’t even matter?
I should’ve questioned it at the time. I just didn’t think…
I mean…why didn’t I question it? But I know why.
When Mum wants something we fall into line like good little soldiers and I’m the most loyal soldier in this army.
‘If you’re going to open a business, you should have a business qualification or at least some idea of how to run one,’ Gabi says. ‘I just wanted to make sure that your money wasn’t being thrown away. We all know what you’re like.’
‘No, you don’t,’ Adam says, shaking Mum off him once more. He moves around her, his hand pressing into the small of my back. ‘She’s driven and amb—’
‘See.’ Mum points at us. ‘This is real. Look at how he’s standing up for you. That means something, Sabrina. And we’ve all seen you two together.’
The electricity that pulses through me at his touch crackles in my head. I shake his hand off me and step away. ‘He’s a good actor,’ I mumble.
‘You’re right, Dianne, it is real,’ Adam says.
‘No, it’s not,’ I snap, glaring at him. The Sabrina in his book might’ve glared daggers at him, but real Sabrina—she’s hurtling swords.
And if he’s going to keep pushing the it’s real narrative then I’m going to throw him under a Fogerty bus and let them wipe him out.
‘Do you all want to know the real reason Adam agreed to join our family holiday?’
‘Research for his next book,’ Aunt Carol pipes in, beaming at Uncle Max. ‘We’ve been helping him. Max knows a lot about England.’
‘He’s writing a book about me and everyone here.’
‘Really?’ Mum claps. ‘We’re going to be in a book? That’s wonderful. Oh, Adam, can we read it now? Did you use my real name?’
‘We’re all really in it?’ Aunt Carol bounces on her feet. ‘We’re going to be in a book!’
‘I can’t wait to tell the girls at the community centre,’ Mum says.
‘Edwina Wright is always bragging because she was interviewed on the local news once and now I’m going to be in a book.
Maybe they’ll turn this one into a movie too.
If they do, you should ask Callie to play Sabrina. You’d like that wouldn’t you, Callie?’
‘The lead in a movie?’ she calls out, her brows shooting high up her forehead. ‘You bet. Should I have my people reach out to your—’
‘This isn’t a good thing,’ I say, raising my voice above this stranger eager to secure a lead role in a movie that’s never going to happen.
Not to mention Mum and Aunt Carol’s excited chatter about who would play their characters.
‘He’s exposing our lives.’ I turn to my sister.
She may have played a huge part in this contract disaster but she will be on my side in this. ‘Gabi, talk some sense into them.’
Gabi’s lips are pursed like she’s sucking a lemon.
I roll my eyes. ‘Sorry for telling you to shut up.’ Even though you deserved it. ‘Now tell them this isn’t a good thing.’
‘I haven’t read it so I can’t say,’ Gabi says.
‘I think it’s fantastic,’ Natalia says, turning the full force of her smile on Adam. ‘I’d love to follow your progress and really get a sense of what it takes to write a novel from concept to completion. It’d be great experience for when I write my own.’
‘If you need help with my character, Adam, just let me know,’ Dad says. ‘I want to make sure you’re correctly identifying any flora you mention.’
What the actual fuck is happening right now? Why is everyone totally okay with this?
‘You should talk to your agent, Callie,’ Mum says. ‘Get in now before you have to fight off that actress…oh, what is her name? She was in that movie about the dolls.’
‘Can we please talk?’ Adam asks quietly.
‘They may be okay with it, but I’m not,’ I say. ‘If they’d seen the notes you wrote about them they wouldn’t be so happy about it.’
‘Notes?’ Mum asks. ‘What notes?’
‘He’s been making lots of notes about us all. Things he’s observed about our interactions with each other, our relationships,’ I say, my gaze settling on Gabi and Reese, who blanch at that piece of information. ‘Our personalities and traits. Everything.’
Gabi straightens her shoulders, morphing into lawyer mode. It’s about bloody time. ‘I agree with Sabrina,’ she says. ‘Before this book goes any further, I need to see what you have on us all, Adam. You don’t want to risk any defamation cases coming your way.’
‘We’re not going to sue him,’ Mum says. ‘He’s part of the family.’
‘I’m not going to write it,’ Adam says.
Aunt Carol protests his taking away a dream she didn’t even have until two minutes ago. You’d think she’d yearned to be immortalised in print for years the way she’s pouting.
‘I should’ve realised it was a bad idea but I was inspired and when I get that way, I plough ahead and don’t really think about anything else.’ He turns around, his back to the family as his eyes search mine. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina.’
‘You kept things from me,’ I whisper.
‘I’m sorry.’
Lips trembling, I clench my fists, fighting off the tears. ‘I don’t know if I can trust you.’
His shoulders drop.
‘Can you please leave. I need…I don’t know what I need but I can’t think when you’re around. Please. Go.’
He does. No arguments or pleas, he simply goes. And I slip away while my family argue about whether he should write the book or not.
I turn the corner and sink onto a bench nestled under the shade of a rowan tree. I hear Mum’s triumphant voice rise above the others.
‘Margot Robbie. That’s who Callie has to fight for the role of Sabrina.’
Hot tears trickle down my cheeks. He left, which is what I wanted, and now I’m left with a gaping hole inside me.