Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson

Author:Jacqueline Wilson [Wilson, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781787620544
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
Published: 2020-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

Zara crawled back into bed and stayed there till the afternoon.

‘She’s missing all the best bits,’ said Rowena as we wrapped Christmas presents in bright tissue paper and tied them with ribbon.

Then we finished decorating our tree and switched on the lights and put the presents in little piles, ready for tomorrow. Sam came round with his presents for us, and his father, Michael, came too, carrying a huge great food hamper. It wasn’t wrapped so we could see what we were getting: a Stilton cheese, a fruit cake, a box of marrons glacés, a couple of jams with brandy and cognac, gentleman’s relish, pâté, and two bottles of posh wine, one white, one red. They usually only gave us a box of chocolate truffles.

‘Happy Christmas,’ he said, kissing Mum on the cheek.

‘How lovely! Thank you so much!’ she said, sounding as if she really meant it, though it wasn’t our sort of food at all, and I didn’t even know what a couple of the things were.

‘Here’s our present to you,’ said Mum. She looked a little flustered. It was wrapped in purple tissue paper with red ribbon, but there was no way we could disguise the shape. It was a single bottle of wine – a Prosecco that was on special offer at Morrisons.

‘That’s so sweet of you,’ said Michael. ‘Sooo. How are you, Jenny?’

‘I’m fine,’ said Mum a little warily, and tried to change the subject by asking if he’d like a coffee.

We were all hoping he’d say no, but he stayed, sitting down at the kitchen table so we couldn’t really get on with our wrapping. Sam looked irritated, but there was nothing he could do about it. His dad kept on asking Mum how she was coping. She insisted she was fine all over again.

‘You will tell us if there’s anything we can do, anything at all?’ he said.

‘It’s very kind of you,’ said Mum. ‘But we’re managing – really we are.’

‘I heard you go out in the car very late last night.’

‘Dad!’ Sam said.

‘I’m sorry if I woke you up,’ said Mum stiffly.

‘No, no, I was wide awake. It was just that I couldn’t help being a bit worried. It wasn’t an emergency, was it?’ he persisted.

‘No, I was simply picking Zara up from the Gold Star,’ she said.

‘Oh! Good Lord, the Gold Star?’

‘It was a special teen night, apparently. But I agree, it’s not the most salubrious of places.’

‘Well, I suppose Sam will be clamouring to go there soon enough,’ said Michael. ‘Did Zara have a good time?’ He looked around, as if she was somehow hiding in a corner of the kitchen.

‘I’m not sure. She’s not been very communicative,’ Mum said.

‘Well, listen, Jenny, if Zara needs picking up from anywhere at night, you tell me and I’ll go and fetch her. I truly don’t go to sleep till well after midnight, and I’d be more than happy to pop out. I don’t like the idea of you going out late, especially if it’s anywhere rowdy.

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