Chapter One #3
“Did you know I’m a headhunter now?” I give a nervous smile. “I’ve gone into partnership with a friend. We’re called L in fact, Uncle Bill’s still on his BlackBerry outside.”
“We all have to support each other at this time,” I improvise at last.
“That’s it.” The old lady nods gravely as though I’ve said something really wise, as opposed to straight off a Hallmark card. “We all have to support each other.” She clasps my hand. “I’d be glad to talk, dear, anytime you want to. It’s an honor to meet any relative of Bert’s.”
“Thank you—” I begin automatically, then halt.
Bert?
I’m sure my aunt wasn’t called Bert. In fact, I know she wasn’t. She was called Sadie.
“You know, you look a lot like him.” The woman’s surveying my face.
Shit. I’m in the wrong funeral.
“Something about the forehead. And you have his nose. Did anyone ever tell you that, dear?”
“Um…sometimes!” I say wildly. “Actually, I’ve just got to…er…Thanks so much for the tissue….” I hastily start making my way back toward the door.
“It’s Bert’s great-niece.” I can hear the old lady’s voice following me. “She’s very upset, poor thing.”
I practically throw myself at the pale wooden door and find myself in the foyer again, almost landing on Mum and Dad. They’re standing with a woman with woolly gray hair, a dark suit, and a stack of leaflets in her hand.
“Lara! Where were you?” Mum looks in puzzlement at the door. “What were you doing in there?”
“Were you in Mr. Cox’s funeral?” The gray-haired woman looks taken aback.
“I got lost!” I say defensively. “I didn’t know where to go! You should put signs on the doors!”
Silently, the woman raises her hand and points at a plastic-lettered sign above the door: BERTRAM COX—1:30 P.M. Damn. Why didn’t I notice that?
“Well, anyway.” I try to regain my dignity. “Let’s go. We need to bag a seat.”