I'll Be There For You. Kerry Barrett

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СКАЧАТЬ I padded down to the door in bare feet to welcome our first guests.

      ‘God, H, you always look so bloody glamorous,’ my cousin Esme said. She handed me a bunch of flowers and kissed me on the cheek.

      ‘Hello,’ I said. ‘You look nice too.’

      Esme looked nothing like me. She was petite and naturally pretty with wavy blonde hair and a lovely smile. She was wearing a cute dress with butterflies on it and looked fresh and spring-like.

      Behind her, Jamie ‒ her husband ‒ stood with their baby girl on his hip.

      ‘Hi, Harry,’ he said. ‘Don’t come too near, there’s been an explosion in this one’s nappy ‒ can I pop in here and change her?’

      He disappeared into our small downstairs toilet and I took Esme upstairs.

      ‘Clemmie’s teething,’ she said. ‘She’s really suffering, bless her, and I’m exhausted.’

      I filled the kettle and switched it on.

      ‘Tell me about it,’ I said in sympathy. Though Fiona was a great sleeper, Finlay was often awake in the wee small hours. ‘I’ll open some wine when everyone arrives, but do you want a cup of tea to start with?’

      Esme nodded.

      ‘Can you put two teabags in it?’ she said. ‘It’s been that sort of a morning.’

      While I made the tea, Esme wandered round the living room, reading some of the cards the twins had been sent. She gasped when she spotted the birthday cakes on the table.

      ‘Oh, H,’ she said. ‘These are lovely. Did you make them?’

      I nodded, bracing myself for what was coming next.

      Ez bent over the table, peering closely at the ladybird’s spots.

      ‘Hang on,’ she said. ‘You made these. You made them normally.’

      I poured water on to her teabags, deliberately not meeting her eye.

      ‘I did,’ I muttered.

      Esme looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

      ‘How come?’ she said.

      She had a point. Esme and I came from a family of witches. Generations of them. We could wave our hands and create ladybird cakes from now until Christmas if we wanted to and, believe me, normally I did. While Esme tried to ignore her skills as a witch, hide them away and pretend they weren’t part of her, I prided myself on mine. I’d built my whole career around them, in fact. So it was no surprise that Ez wondered why I hadn’t done the simplest of charms to create perfect cakes for my perfect children.

      ‘Too easy,’ I said defensively. ‘Making a cake is a labour of love. I wanted to show Fifi and Finn how much I love them.’

      ‘Right,’ Esme said, looking at me in a strange way.

      I sensed she was about to ask me another question so I shoved her mug of tea at her.

      ‘Shall we go into the garden?’ I said. ‘It’s such a lovely day and all the daffodils are beginning to bloom.’

      And then the doorbell rang again and Lou came downstairs with a baby on each hip, and Jamie came up with a clean, sweet-smelling Clemmie and suddenly the room was full of people and Esme’s questions were forgotten.

       Chapter 2

      We had a lovely day. The twins adored being the centre of attention and Clemmie, who hadn’t yet learned how to crawl, sat on the grass and shouted in delight. My mum had bought Finn and Fifi each a baby walker for their birthday, and Finn charged round the garden on his little fat legs, chuckling madly at how clever he was. Fifi watched her brother but wouldn’t try walking no matter how much her big cousins ‒ Lou’s nephews ‒ encouraged her.

      Later, after Hugh and his family had gone, and we’d sung happy birthday ‒ twice ‒ and blown the candles out ‒ twice ‒ and all eaten our fill of cake, Jamie and Esme’s stepdad, Doug slid, inside to watch rugby on the TV. Clemmie was fast asleep in her pram. Lou, Esme and I sat happily at the garden table enjoying the soft spring air and chatting.

      ‘I think you’d really like the women at my baby group,’ Esme was saying. ‘They’re all so nice.’

      I made a face. Baby groups weren’t my thing.

      ‘I’ve got work,’ I said, vaguely.

      Esme winked at me.

      ‘Nope,’ she said. ‘It’s on Thursday – that’s your day off, right?’

      ‘Harry would love to come,’ Louise said. Traitor.

      I kicked her under the table.

      ‘I’m not really the yummy mummy type,’ I said. ‘Lou does that stuff.’

      Lou and I both worked part time so we shared the childcare when the kids weren’t at nursery. She had made an enormous amount of friends at baby sensory classes, twin club, singing groups and all sorts. I normally spent my days with the kids walking for miles along the river, or round the streets of the New Town, and occasionally meeting up with Esme. I had thought about joining some groups – baby yoga perhaps – or finding a witchy baby group even, there were bound to be some – but I was at heart a solitary soul and I’d not got round to it. I wasn’t sure Esme’s group would be my cup of tea.

      ‘I’ll think about it,’ I said. ‘Maybe I’ll come along once.’

      ‘Great,’ said Esme and Louise gave me a broad smile. I knew she thought I was lonely but actually I enjoyed my own company – and I loved being with Finn and Fifi.

      I looked over to where the kids were playing on the lawn, with Mum and my Auntie Tess ‒ Esme’s mum. They were trying to cajole Fifi into taking a few steps.

      ‘Where’s Pink Bunny?’ Mum asked. Pink Bunny was Fifi’s favourite toy. ‘Maybe if we put it a little bit away from her, she’ll go and get it.’

      Lou found the bunny under the table and threw it to Mum, who caught it deftly.

      ‘Look Fifi,’ she said, waving the toy in Fiona’s face. ‘It’s Pink Bunny.’

      Fifi eyed Mum with suspicion and held out her little hands for her bunny.

      ‘I’m just going to put him over here,’ Mum said. She placed the toy carefully on the grass, too far away for Fifi to reach.

      ‘Mum, you’re so cruel,’ I said, giggling at Fiona’s stern face.

      Lou helped herself to another slice of cake.

      ‘She’ll just crawl over and get it, Suky,’ she pointed out to Mum. ‘She’s got an iron will, our daughter.’

      But Fiona didn’t crawl. She stared at Pink Bunny for a while. Then she looked at Mum and back at Pink СКАЧАТЬ