a tray of jewelry. Thank God. Bett walked inside to the cool relief of the airconditioning and started talking even before the door shut behind her. “Carrie’s at it again, Lola. I swear, if she gives me one more bit of advice, I’ll—”
“Do what, darling?” Lola said with a welcoming smile. “And please speak clearly. I’d like my customers to hear, too.”
Bett looked around. There were two people browsing in the corner of the shop, both now obviously listening. Bett blushed and came up to the counter, mouthing a “Sorry” before leaning across and kissing her grandmother’s powdery cheek. “Hello, Lola,” she said, more quietly. “Sorry again, Lola.”
“Hello, Bett. Forgiven, Bett,” Lola whispered back. “But what will you do to Carrie? I’m dying to hear now.”
“I don’t know,” she said, whispering too. “Stuff Zachary and Yvette’s nappies down her—” She stopped there. “Except she’d take the opportunity to tell me that her talented trio were out of nappies in record time.” Bett sighed deeply, pushing her fingers through her curls. “How does Carrie do it, Lola? How does she manage to infuriate me so easily? Sometimes she doesn’t even have to speak, just a look does it.”
“Years of practice? Bett, if you and Carrie weren’t fighting about child-rearing, you’d be fighting about something else. You’ve been like that all your lives. Why you thought both of you having children would bring you closer together, I don’t know. Face facts, darling. She’s going to keep giving you advice you don’t want to hear, and you’re probably driving her crazy as well. That’s just the way it will always be. You need to get over it.”
Bett blinked. “Get over it?”
“That’s right. Offer it up. Stop complaining. And more importantly, stop annoying me in the middle of my working day.”
Bett started to smile. “It’s that consoling nature of yours that I love so much.”
Lola winked. “And it’s everything about you that I love so much. Except when you start having middle-of-the-day pity parties like today. What have you really got to be unhappy about? Hasn’t the worst thing happened to us already? Didn’t we all promise after Anna died to be happy and grateful for everything we had? Or did I dream that?”
“You didn’t dream it.” Bett was shocked to feel a sudden welling of tears. It only ever took a mention of her sister to feel the rush of grief again. “Anna wouldn’t have been like Carrie, would she, Lola? Wouldn’t have rung me up to tell me how much better a mother she was than I’ll ever manage to be?”
“Yes, probably. Or she’d have said you’re making too much of a fuss, you’ve had twins not sextuplets. And you’d complain to me about her as well. You know I’m right, so take that outraged expression off your face. What are you doing in town anyway? Have you left the twins at home alone? That’s it. I’m having you arrested for abandonment.” Lola frowned. “You haven’t, Bett, have you? Or left them in the car? It’s forty degrees out there.”
“Of course not. They’re home, safe, with my neighbor. I’ve got an appointment.” Bett wasn’t ready to confide all in Lola either yet. “A doctor’s thing, I mean. A check-up thing.”
“At what time?”
“Three.”
“In which case you’d better go or you’ll be late. As I will be if you don’t get out of my sight. You’re not the only one with an appointment today.” Lola checked her watch. “Starting in five minutes, in fact. And I’m not completely prepared so I need you to leave so I can have a moment to collect myself.”
“You’re eighty-four years old. Who could you have an appointment with?”
Lola raised a well-defined eyebrow. “My undertaker? Don’t look so shocked. I know that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a charity shop committee meeting, as it happens.”
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Believe me.
“Do what, darling?” Lola said with a welcoming smile. “And please speak clearly. I’d like my customers to hear, too.”
Bett looked around. There were two people browsing in the corner of the shop, both now obviously listening. Bett blushed and came up to the counter, mouthing a “Sorry” before leaning across and kissing her grandmother’s powdery cheek. “Hello, Lola,” she said, more quietly. “Sorry again, Lola.”
“Hello, Bett. Forgiven, Bett,” Lola whispered back. “But what will you do to Carrie? I’m dying to hear now.”
“I don’t know,” she said, whispering too. “Stuff Zachary and Yvette’s nappies down her—” She stopped there. “Except she’d take the opportunity to tell me that her talented trio were out of nappies in record time.” Bett sighed deeply, pushing her fingers through her curls. “How does Carrie do it, Lola? How does she manage to infuriate me so easily? Sometimes she doesn’t even have to speak, just a look does it.”
“Years of practice? Bett, if you and Carrie weren’t fighting about child-rearing, you’d be fighting about something else. You’ve been like that all your lives. Why you thought both of you having children would bring you closer together, I don’t know. Face facts, darling. She’s going to keep giving you advice you don’t want to hear, and you’re probably driving her crazy as well. That’s just the way it will always be. You need to get over it.”
Bett blinked. “Get over it?”
“That’s right. Offer it up. Stop complaining. And more importantly, stop annoying me in the middle of my working day.”
Bett started to smile. “It’s that consoling nature of yours that I love so much.”
Lola winked. “And it’s everything about you that I love so much. Except when you start having middle-of-the-day pity parties like today. What have you really got to be unhappy about? Hasn’t the worst thing happened to us already? Didn’t we all promise after Anna died to be happy and grateful for everything we had? Or did I dream that?”
“You didn’t dream it.” Bett was shocked to feel a sudden welling of tears. It only ever took a mention of her sister to feel the rush of grief again. “Anna wouldn’t have been like Carrie, would she, Lola? Wouldn’t have rung me up to tell me how much better a mother she was than I’ll ever manage to be?”
“Yes, probably. Or she’d have said you’re making too much of a fuss, you’ve had twins not sextuplets. And you’d complain to me about her as well. You know I’m right, so take that outraged expression off your face. What are you doing in town anyway? Have you left the twins at home alone? That’s it. I’m having you arrested for abandonment.” Lola frowned. “You haven’t, Bett, have you? Or left them in the car? It’s forty degrees out there.”
“Of course not. They’re home, safe, with my neighbor. I’ve got an appointment.” Bett wasn’t ready to confide all in Lola either yet. “A doctor’s thing, I mean. A check-up thing.”
“At what time?”
“Three.”
“In which case you’d better go or you’ll be late. As I will be if you don’t get out of my sight. You’re not the only one with an appointment today.” Lola checked her watch. “Starting in five minutes, in fact. And I’m not completely prepared so I need you to leave so I can have a moment to collect myself.”
“You’re eighty-four years old. Who could you have an appointment with?”
Lola raised a well-defined eyebrow. “My undertaker? Don’t look so shocked. I know that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a charity shop committee meeting, as it happens.”
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Believe me.
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