The Christmas Bookshop(46)

‘What do you mean?’

‘Tall, thin, hair bun like leaves at the top … name spelled like a tree, pronounced like a Chardonnay?’

‘Oh yeah,’ said Carmen, who hadn’t thought of that. ‘How funny.’

‘How do you know him?’

There was something in Skylar’s tone that Carmen couldn’t put her finger on, but she disliked it.

‘He’s a customer. I thought he was just a student.’

‘Post-doctoral research fellow?’ Once again Skylar’s voice tipped into that register that implied Carmen was a total moron. ‘That means he has his PhD already – so he’s entitled to be called doctor – and he’s working in the field. So he’s lecturing too.’

‘Thanks, prof.’

‘I’m not a professor,’ said Skylar, wrinkling her lovely brow. ‘That comes after being a lecturer then—’

‘I’m only kidding,’ said Carmen hastily, as Skylar set down Sofia’s tea, adding a nutritional ball of something or other that looked uncannily like something you should be putting out for birds this time of year.

‘Enjoy your lecture. What’s it on?’

‘A history of homeopathy?’

‘Oh,’ said Carmen. ‘So, like “water through the ages”?’

Skylar smiled pityingly at her. ‘Sure, if that makes it simpler for you.’

And she swept out, her blonde hair bouncing behind her.

The oddest thing happened then. Sofia looked at Carmen and Carmen looked at Sofia, and suddenly all their antipathy melted away, and in the warm kitchen, with even more snow softly falling outside in the dark, they both started to laugh.

‘It’s not just me, right? She is being mean to me?’

‘You started it!’ said Sofia. ‘And stop it. Good help is really hard to find and she’s awesome with the children.’

‘Well, let’s hope they don’t get sick with something and she wants to treat them with watery water.’

‘It’s good to have her,’ said Sofia firmly. ‘It makes us all eat better, live better … ’

‘Oh my God, I am surrounded by life improvement experts! It’s doing my head in! I quite like my completely unsuccessful life,’ said Carmen, glancing at her phone.

‘Why are you looking at your phone?’

‘No reason.’

‘You’re obsessed. Who are you talking to?’

‘Nobody.’

Completely betraying her, the phone pinged. Carmen could not hide her grin.

‘Who is it?!’ said Sofia, even though she appeared to be semi-prone with her eyes shut.

‘What? Nothing!’

Carmen snatched up the phone.

‘I’M SO BORED.’

‘READ A BOOK,’ she texted back.

‘You keep smiling every time you look at your phone! I know that look!’

‘I do not!’

‘Carmmennnnn. I remember this from when you were a teenager.’

‘Which wasn’t that long ago,’ pointed out Carmen quickly.

Sofia sighed.

‘And all the boys were texting you. I was jealous.’

Carmen put the phone down, dumbstruck.

‘You were not! Everyone was jealous of you.’

Sofia shrugged. She knew this to an extent of course. But even so.

‘Well, you seemed to be having so much fun.’

‘And getting into so much trouble! While you were going out with Duncan MacInlay, like proper going steady. He was super-handsome! And I was stuck waiting for some loser to text. Or not, which was more usual. Can I have some wine?’

‘No,’ said Sofia. ‘If I can’t have any, you can’t either.’

‘But your teas all taste like watered-down shampoo! And you have a fully stocked wine fridge! For showing off.’

‘It’s not for showing off,’ said Sofia. ‘It’s waiting for me as soon as I get this space hopper out of me and then I’m going to drink the entire thing.’

‘Have you had a bad day?’ said Carmen.

‘I’m just tired.’

‘Okay, well, I’m going to pour myself a glass of wine and let you sip it. Anyway, you couldn’t possibly harm that baby in there – look at the size of it! It’s going to come out driving a car.’

‘At least that would be speedy,’ said Sofia. ‘And no: Skylar says the science isn’t settled on alcohol and babies.’

‘I shall water it down. Then it will be homeopathic wine.’

Sofia laughed and waved her away.

‘Skylar isn’t the boss of you.’

‘Oh, thank God, she is,’ said Sofia. There came a caterwauling from the next room.

‘See, she’s only been away five minutes.’

‘I’ll get them,’ said Carmen. Sofia did her best not to betray what an amazing turn-up it was that Carmen was actively volunteering to be with the children.

‘Could you give them something to watch? Something improving, please. They could do without being traumatised again.’

‘I said I was sorry,’ said Carmen, going into the front room to fiddle with their incomprehensible TV remote.

She stopped in the doorway, turned back and looked at the huge, completely out-of-proportion shape of her sister. Without her or any of the children in there, it was like Sofia just let her face slump completely. She was practically asleep.