your armrest.’
‘I think that middle armrest is technically yours,’ said Chelsea.
‘We can share,’ said Lily’s dad with a grin that left Chelsea surprisingly flustered. Chelsea noted his perfect, straight teeth. This guy really was impossibly handsome, which made Chelsea all the more disappointed that her one hope of an airborne flirtation had turned out to be a dad. Chances were, there was an older version of the entitled little blonde now in the window seat sitting further forward on the plane.
‘Madam, if you’d just stow your luggage,’ said the steward to Chelsea as though this last-minute hold-up was entirely her fault.
With Lily’s dad’s assistance, Chelsea crammed her handbag into the overhead locker, but they failed once again to get her wheelie case put away. The steward took it from her with a sigh.
‘This should have been checked in,’ he said, ‘but I suppose I’ll take it to the front of the plane. Then we can be on our way.’
‘Why aren’t we on our way already?’ Lily asked. She occupied the window seat like a queen on her throne.
‘The pilot has to make sure everyone is safely in their seats,’ her father explained.
‘I would have been in my seat ages ago,’ said Lily, ‘if that silly lady wasn’t already in it.’
‘Lily,’ said her father, ‘that’s not kind. You mustn’t say that sort of thing.’
‘But it’s true,’ Lily insisted.
Chelsea smiled as brightly as she could. ‘Children say the funniest things.’
Chapter Eight
Ronnie
In Lanzarote, the rest of the Benson family were gathering for their first holiday breakfast. It was a beautiful day. The wispy clouds over the sea were purely decorative and the wind was as warm as a lover’s caress. The view from the restaurant terrace was picture postcard perfect.
Ronnie had woken in a much better mood than she went to bed in. Amazing what a difference a good night’s sleep could make, and it had been a very good night’s sleep, considering. The bed was comfortable, and Ronnie had been tired enough to fall asleep before Mark started snoring. Jack, of course, was always full of beans, but even Sophie seemed transformed that morning. She’d decided that she was speaking to her mother again. Well, grunting to her at least.
Breakfast, in the hotel’s poolside restaurant, was a buffet affair. Ronnie’s stomach rumbled appreciatively as she saw and smelt the vast vats of fried eggs and bubbling beans. She took two bits of toast from the counter and piled them high with bacon and sausage and cooked plum tomatoes. She loved plum tomatoes, but no one else in her family would touch them, so she rarely had them. Anyway, sod the calories. This was her first holiday breakfast and she was going to enjoy it. Meanwhile, Mark was assembling a sausage sandwich for Jack and Ronnie was glad to see Sophie wasn’t skimping on breakfast either. Lately, Ronnie had been concerned that Sophie didn’t seem to be eating as much as she used to. She had grown almost ten centimetres in height the previous year but did not appear to have put on any weight. That morning, however, she had perched two fried eggs on top of two pieces of fried bread. Ronnie didn’t say anything in case drawing Sophie’s attention to her eating habits sent them haywire again. Back at the table, Sophie picked up a fork to break an egg yolk. Everything was right with the world until …
‘Look at that,’ said Granddad Bill, pointing at his great-granddaughter’s carefully laid out breakfast. ‘Sophie’s made a model of her chest.’
‘Oh my God!’ Sophie screeched her indignation. ‘I can’t believe you just said that. You’re so disgusting.’ Sophie pushed her plate away from her and got up so abruptly that her chair fell over. She didn’t pick it up. Instead, she stormed out of the restaurant, almost knocking over an unattended toddler as she thundered by.
‘Granddad Bill,’ said Ronnie, ‘what did you have to say that for?’
‘I
‘I think that middle armrest is technically yours,’ said Chelsea.
‘We can share,’ said Lily’s dad with a grin that left Chelsea surprisingly flustered. Chelsea noted his perfect, straight teeth. This guy really was impossibly handsome, which made Chelsea all the more disappointed that her one hope of an airborne flirtation had turned out to be a dad. Chances were, there was an older version of the entitled little blonde now in the window seat sitting further forward on the plane.
‘Madam, if you’d just stow your luggage,’ said the steward to Chelsea as though this last-minute hold-up was entirely her fault.
With Lily’s dad’s assistance, Chelsea crammed her handbag into the overhead locker, but they failed once again to get her wheelie case put away. The steward took it from her with a sigh.
‘This should have been checked in,’ he said, ‘but I suppose I’ll take it to the front of the plane. Then we can be on our way.’
‘Why aren’t we on our way already?’ Lily asked. She occupied the window seat like a queen on her throne.
‘The pilot has to make sure everyone is safely in their seats,’ her father explained.
‘I would have been in my seat ages ago,’ said Lily, ‘if that silly lady wasn’t already in it.’
‘Lily,’ said her father, ‘that’s not kind. You mustn’t say that sort of thing.’
‘But it’s true,’ Lily insisted.
Chelsea smiled as brightly as she could. ‘Children say the funniest things.’
Chapter Eight
Ronnie
In Lanzarote, the rest of the Benson family were gathering for their first holiday breakfast. It was a beautiful day. The wispy clouds over the sea were purely decorative and the wind was as warm as a lover’s caress. The view from the restaurant terrace was picture postcard perfect.
Ronnie had woken in a much better mood than she went to bed in. Amazing what a difference a good night’s sleep could make, and it had been a very good night’s sleep, considering. The bed was comfortable, and Ronnie had been tired enough to fall asleep before Mark started snoring. Jack, of course, was always full of beans, but even Sophie seemed transformed that morning. She’d decided that she was speaking to her mother again. Well, grunting to her at least.
Breakfast, in the hotel’s poolside restaurant, was a buffet affair. Ronnie’s stomach rumbled appreciatively as she saw and smelt the vast vats of fried eggs and bubbling beans. She took two bits of toast from the counter and piled them high with bacon and sausage and cooked plum tomatoes. She loved plum tomatoes, but no one else in her family would touch them, so she rarely had them. Anyway, sod the calories. This was her first holiday breakfast and she was going to enjoy it. Meanwhile, Mark was assembling a sausage sandwich for Jack and Ronnie was glad to see Sophie wasn’t skimping on breakfast either. Lately, Ronnie had been concerned that Sophie didn’t seem to be eating as much as she used to. She had grown almost ten centimetres in height the previous year but did not appear to have put on any weight. That morning, however, she had perched two fried eggs on top of two pieces of fried bread. Ronnie didn’t say anything in case drawing Sophie’s attention to her eating habits sent them haywire again. Back at the table, Sophie picked up a fork to break an egg yolk. Everything was right with the world until …
‘Look at that,’ said Granddad Bill, pointing at his great-granddaughter’s carefully laid out breakfast. ‘Sophie’s made a model of her chest.’
‘Oh my God!’ Sophie screeched her indignation. ‘I can’t believe you just said that. You’re so disgusting.’ Sophie pushed her plate away from her and got up so abruptly that her chair fell over. She didn’t pick it up. Instead, she stormed out of the restaurant, almost knocking over an unattended toddler as she thundered by.
‘Granddad Bill,’ said Ronnie, ‘what did you have to say that for?’
‘I
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