My Last Lie by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912973019
Publisher: Hera
Published: 2019-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I could hear Mum sniping in the kitchen before I even stepped on the first stair the following morning. It was another hot, humid day, and after several weeks of little or no abatement from this almost continuous heat it wasn’t surprising that tempers were becoming a little frayed. Before leaving that morning for an unscheduled client meeting at the office, Theo had told me to take as little notice of her nastiness as possible and to concentrate on remaining calm. He apologised for having to go the office on a Saturday, but it couldn’t be helped. The poor thing was nervous that my reactions to Mum could result in me being upset, or to have problems with this pregnancy. Staying calm was easier said than done, but after my history of miscarriages he did have a point.

I walked carefully down the stairs, the only thing drawing me to my kitchen being the espresso machine and the prospect of a brain boost outside in the garden before I left for my art class. I was relieved I’d given in to Sheena and Jessica’s suggestion to hold an extra class. It was only for an hour and would give Mum and Dad time to have breakfast in peace. I took a deep breath and smiled before entering the room. There was no harm in trying to start off in an amicable way.

‘Mum, Dad,’ I said, as cheerily as I could, passing them and taking out the jar containing my favourite coffee blend from the cupboard. ‘I hope the noise of the party didn’t disturb your sleep too much.’

I could almost hear my mother grinding her teeth behind me. She loved nothing better than a good argument. The only time I recalled her really getting along with Theo and me was when I was pregnant with Olly. Naturally that had ended when he died and things between us had been worse than ever since then. She enjoyed mocking me for finding slanging matches distasteful. The coffee percolator on, I turned and rested back against the worktop. ‘I can tell you’re dying to say your piece, so why don’t you start now while my coffee is being prepared?’ Zero marks out of ten for resisting an argument, Theo wouldn’t be impressed with that pathetic effort.

‘Sarcastic little madam,’ she snapped, shaking off my father’s touch when he attempted to step in. ‘No, Geoffrey, she is exactly that.’ She waved her hand around. ‘You think you’ve done so well now that you have all this. Yes, Theo’s turned out to be more successful than either I or your father ever thought remotely possible, and you’ve somehow survived together all these years, but that doesn’t make you right about everything.’

I frowned, focusing on the welcoming fact that they would be leaving later today, and I wouldn’t have to listen to much more of this nonsense.

‘Our marriage isn’t what’s bugging you, though, Mum, is it?’ I said, already exhausted by her tiresome determination to get her point across regardless of whether anyone wanted to listen to it.

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