One Small Mistake(8)

‘Tom,’ I correct.

‘Tom, gets bored of it and starts fucking his PA.’

‘Jack,’ I scold, secretly delighted.

He smiles. ‘And Ada’s jealous because she left school at sixteen, bounced from one pointless job to another until she stumbled into the right place at the right time and met a guy with the right amount of cash in his account. And now what? She spends her days lunching with the girls, doing yoga and rearranging furniture.’

‘Sounds great.’

‘Sounds directionless.’

‘Well, at least we have that in common.’

He squeezes my hands. ‘You are not directionless. You know what you want and you’re going after it and fuck them if they can’t respect that. As for your parents … I love Martin and Meredith, but their whole lives have followed a traditional trajectory: job, house, marriage, kids. Boring if you ask me. Not you, though – you’re doing things your way and they don’t like it, but that’ll change when they walk into that bookshop and see your name on the shelf.’

I love the way he sees me: talented, ambitious and brave. Like I can do anything. Like I should do anything. Sometimes I think Ada needs a Jack in her life.

‘Thanks,’ I whisper.

‘It’s true,’ he states matter-of-factly, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. I smile because he’s always been so sure of himself.

‘It’s been a long day,’ I say, exhausted. ‘I just want my bed.’

‘Sure. Let me drop the champagne with your sister and we can go.’

‘No, stay. I’ll get a taxi,’ I lie, not wanting him to know I plan on walking home because then he’ll feel obligated to give me a lift.

‘Nah, I’m not in the party mood anyway. Come on.’ He gets to his feet and holds out his hand. I take it.

‘Where’s your mum – I thought she was coming?’

‘Not tonight.’

‘Mum will be disappointed.’ She and Kathryn have been best friends since they were children. They’re so close, it’s hard to believe Kathryn’s husband Jeffrey ever convinced her to move to America for all those years, just before Jack was born.

‘She isn’t well. Migraine. I was late because we couldn’t find her pills.’

She’s been getting migraines for thirteen years, ever since Jeffrey died. I shiver the way I always do when I think of Jack’s father, of the smell that hit us like a concrete block as we walked into their house on our return from Wisteria, carrying lilos and beach bags, sand still between our toes.

‘Just give me five minutes and I’ll take you back,’ says Jack.

‘Can I wait in the car?’

He gives me a look. ‘Don’t be a coward. Go say goodbye to them.’

I open my mouth to protest but he’s already dragging me out the door. Without breaking stride, he scoops the champagne from the side table in the hallway.

In the garden, Jack stops and chats to guests while I stand beside him, hoping no one can tell I’ve been crying. He wows everyone he speaks to. And, in the dusky half-light, he is gorgeous with his cheekbones and strong jaw and all the rest. I think of all the girls he’s bedded and wonder why he doesn’t keep any of them around longer than a night. If he really wanted to, he could make someone very happy. Maybe he’d even have everything Ada does now: the home, the grand garden party, the picture-perfect happiness.

I know the second Jack spots my sister because his hand briefly tightens around mine. My heart starts to thunder as I see the hardness in his face; he’s going to say something.

‘Jack,’ I warn, voice low. ‘Jack, please don’t—’

‘Ada!’ he calls, drowning me out. She looks up, eyes searching, then sees us and pastes on her hostess-smile. Jack and Ada don’t get on. Jack finds Ada showy and shallow, and she finds Jack arrogant and challenging. He lets go of my hand and strides towards her. I hurry after him. ‘Sorry I’m late.’ He kisses her cheeks. ‘Mum isn’t well. She sends her apologies.’

‘Poor thing,’ coos Ada. ‘And Charlie?’

‘Big brother’s at the West End. Husband duties – it’s Tobin’s opening night. Anyway, this is for you.’ He hands her the champagne. ‘From all of us.’

Her eyes widen. ‘Dom Pérignon. You shouldn’t have.’

‘It’s almost a year to the day since you moved into this beautiful house. We wanted to mark the occasion.’

I don’t know anything about champagne, but from the look on her face, I can tell the bottle is expensive. Unlike my sister, Jack didn’t marry into money; he was born into it. ‘Thank you. Ethan will love it. We adore Dom Pérignon.’

I linger awkwardly as they talk about vineyards in France, but I’m relieved, sure Jack isn’t going to say something.

‘This place really is spectacular,’ he remarks.

She lifts her chin, proud. ‘Thank you.’

‘You’ve done so well. Thank fuck for Ethan, right?’ His smile is so broad and charming, it takes a beat for his words to fall around my sister and when they do, I see how they burn. ‘Anyway, enjoy the champagne.’

My mouth is still open when Jack takes my hand and leads me away. I stumble alongside him, and when I glance back at Ada, I see she is furious. The scowl scrunches her forehead and twists her lips and just then, my beautiful, perfect sister looks really and truly ugly.