I thought I would come home and see how you all were.’ His smile faded as he spotted their faces. ‘What happened?’
Andrew took immediate charge as the story unfolded. Cat marvelled at how efficiently he herded Ellie into the bath and then tucked her up in bed. He sent Charlie to his room, gave him a severe telling-off, and Cat didn’t see him for the rest of the day. She made herself a cup of tea and went into the living room feeling shaken and drained. When Andrew appeared a while later, he brought in the biscuit tin. He offered it to her.
‘Custard cream for your troubles?’
‘It’s not bloody funny,’ she said.
He gave a small smirk. ‘I know and I am sorry. I know you tried your best.’
‘But?’
He sighed. ‘You don’t have to be super-auntie and give them a million treats. Sometimes all they want to do is go to the park and feed the ducks.’
‘I thought they would enjoy it.’
‘They did. Sort of.’ She frowned at him and he put his arm around her. ‘Ellie really enjoyed the National Gallery. She said you showed them a Christmas picture and a painting of some dead flowers.’
Cat gave a reluctant laugh. ‘And what about Charlie?’
Andrew shrugged. ‘He is sorry. I think he’s struggling with Mel being away. I will get him to apologise.’
‘Hmm,’ replied Cat.
‘He admitted that he should have told you not to let Ellie have a Coke.’
Cat sighed. ‘I thought he was being too nice to me at that point.’
‘I’m sorry. That was partly my fault. You sort of assume people know this stuff but why would you?’
‘Well when you say it like that,’ said Cat a little hurt.
‘Sorry,’ said Andrew. ‘I don’t mean to preach. You’re doing me a huge favour and I really appreciate it. It’s just that kids aren’t really bothered about grand gestures. The best thing you can give a child is your time.’
‘Not an Xbox then?’
Andrew laughed. ‘Not even that.’ He stared at his sister for a moment as if he were choosing his words carefully. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way but I’ve sorted out an activity for you for tomorrow.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘Ye-es. You’re meeting up with some people at the park.’
‘Oh right,’ said Cat, not used to having her life organised for her.
‘Honestly, it will be fine. I promise. You’ll have a good time. It’s just a picnic in the park but it will mean that you don’t have to do all the running. I know it can get a bit intense if you’re on your own with the kids. Even I find that and I’m their father.’
Cat shrugged. ‘Fine,’ she said taking a biscuit. ‘But you’re making the picnic.’ That night, despite her exhaustion, Cat couldn’t sleep. She lay in bed feeling irritated by the day’s events; it wasn’t so much Charlie’s behaviour and Ellie’s vomiting drama that was bothering her, it was the looks she’d received from Caroline Henderson and the feeling that she had been shut out of the world she loved. She felt in limbo at the moment – her life hovering just beyond her control – but she told herself that as soon as Melissa was back, she would skip back to her old world without a backward glance. She was certain of this. It was another hour before she fell asleep.
It was a perfect summer’s day; the temperature warm without being too hot, the sky a pleasing shade of blue with the odd wisp of cloud floating by. It was glorious. They were due at the park at eleven and, true to his word, Andrew had packed a picnic, read Charlie the riot act and left Cat directions so that there could be no hiccups.
Cat tried to ignore the way Ellie clung on to her father’s leg as he made his way to the door.
‘Have fun!’ he cried with only the merest hint of irony. Cat’s heart sank as she heard the door shut behind him. She poured herself another coffee and padded into the living room. Ellie was sitting on a beanbag, chewing a piece of dry toast and watching Tom and Jerry. She still looked a little pale but had thankfully lost the greenish hue of yesterday. She glanced up at her aunt and then back at the screen.
‘Do you want to watch with me?’ she asked.
Cat remembered Andrew’s comment about giving children time. ‘Okay,’ she said, sitting on the sofa, wondering how much she would need to contribute. Ellie’s eyes didn’t leave the screen so Cat took out her phone, longing for a moment’s connection with the outside world. She didn’t get very far.
‘You have to watch,’ said Ellie. ‘This one is really funny.’
Sighing, Cat put down her phone and glanced at the screen. Tom was wearing a concert pianist’s outfit, his face composed and serious as he played a sombre piece of music. It wasn’t long before Jerry made an appearance.
‘Look!’ cried Ellie. ‘He’s sleeping in the piano.’
As Cat watched, she began to feel a disconcerting sense of déjà vu. Her mind was transported back to when she was around eight and Andrew was four. They were sitting on a battered velvet sofa, two beakers of orange squash and a plate of digestives in front of them. A beautiful woman was perched on the arm of the sofa holding a cup and saucer containing her afternoon tea. Cat wanted to shake off the memory but she couldn’t take her eyes from the screen.
‘I love this one,’ said Ellie happily.
‘Me too,’ whispered Cat.
Ellie looked over at her, oblivious to the emotion it had stirred up in her aunt. ‘Are we going for a picnic with Daisy today then?’
Cat suddenly realised that, despite her brother’s preparations, he hadn’t actually told her who they were meeting. ‘Er yes, I think so.’ Grateful for the distraction from her memories, she hurriedly texted Andrew. The reply came straight back.
‘Claire, Izzy, James, Finn and Daisy. Said you’d meet by the café at eleven.’
Heavens, thought Cat. If anyone’s going to know how to deal with kids, it will be a woman with four children. She carried her coffee mug to the kitchen and went upstairs to get dressed. Charlie’s bedroom door was half open so Cat took a deep breath and tapped gently before going in. They hadn’t spoken since yesterday’s events. Charlie was hunched over his desk and as Cat approached she noticed that he was drawing a picture of the Sunflowers they had seen yesterday.
‘That’s really good, Charlie,’ she said, moving forwards to stand beside him. As he jumped in shock, she realised that he had been listening to music and hadn’t heard her come in. He scowled at her and tried to cover his work.
She held up her hands in apology. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to creep up on you like that. I just
