‘She didn’t intimidate me,’ I said truthfully.
I just didn’t think she was very nice, that was all, but I could hardly say that to Nick, could I? My vibes were at play again and let’s just say I was picking up on a LOT of negative ones.
I cleared my throat lightly. ‘Does Sophia always talk to Daisy like that?’
‘Like what?’
‘You know … snippy. Like Daisy can’t do or say anything right.’
I was having to tread carefully, but I’d actually found it really uncomfortable to watch. Daisy wasn’t the easiest person to be around at times, but that was teenagers for you, wasn’t it? And if I could clearly see that she was struggling to find her footing with Sophia, how come Nick couldn’t?
‘It’s not easy being a single mum,’ said Nick. ‘I only have Daisy every other weekend, so most of it falls to her. And she’s not the most patient person.’
Nick had worked his way around so that his fingers were now trailing up the inside of my thigh.
‘Did you know she was coming?’ I asked, burying my face in the soft, fleshy part of his shoulder.
He was silent for just a few moments too long. He knew.
‘It wasn’t definite. But then she does business in Florence, sometimes, so it made sense for her to combine the two.’
‘Right.’
‘Do you mind?’
My instinct was to reassure him. To tell him that it was a little awkward at first, and that she probably felt the same, but that, no, it didn’t matter at all. But then I thought about what Lou always said to me about standing up for myself and I decided to tell him how I really felt for once. I’d test the waters. See how it went down.
‘I think that, yes, I do mind,’ I said.
Silence.
See, this was why I avoided conflict at all costs.
‘That she’s here, or that I didn’t tell you?’ asked Nick.
He’d taken his hand off my thigh and had rolled overonto his back with his hands behind his head. I must have really annoyed him. Oh well, I’d started this – there wasn’t much I could do about it now.
‘Both,’ I replied.
Nick sighed. I braced myself for him to flip out.
‘You’re right, I’m sorry. I should have given you a heads-up that she was going to be here,’ he said.
Oh.
‘Mum insisted on her coming, if the truth be told. When we separated, Mum was devastated. Sophia had been like a second daughter to her, and they’re so similar. Tabitha – my sister – has always been in her own little world. She and mum never really saw eye to eye. But Mum and Sophia … they’re alike. They’re into the same things, I suppose.’
‘Like what?’
‘Oh I don’t know. Fashion. Shopping. Interior design. They go to Wimbledon together every year.’
‘Don’t tell me, Centre Court, front row?’ I teased.
‘Usually,’ he said, without a hint of irony.
Top-priced tickets were clearly a given for Nick’s family.
‘But, yeah, I should have given you some warning. Can you forgive me?’ he asked.