wooden bowl with one side raised into a carved bird, its wings hugging the rim.
‘This is pretty cool,’ I ventured.
It was too small for a serving dish and too pointless for anything else, but it looked mysterious and elegant.
Thalia took it from me and turned it over in her hands. ‘Nice. An incense burner. How come you picked that out?’
I shrugged. ‘Summer likes birds, right?’
‘How do you know that?’
‘She carries that orangey-brown bird everywhere with her,’ I said. ‘What is that?’
‘It’s amber,’ said Thalia shortly. ‘Come on. Let’s get the incense burner.’
She turned away before I had the chance to say a word and took the bowl to the till. It was twice as much money as I’d scraped together from my box that morning. Before I’d even protested, Thalia paid the other half without so much as a word. I didn’t know how to thank her, so I didn’t – I just promised to pay her back next week – and I had to watch her shrug and laugh and say I shouldn’t ever bother because she had too much money as it was. I’d often wondered whatit would be like to have too much money. I’d thought it was an affliction only professional athletes and celebrities suffered from, but apparently you could be rich in a quiet way, too.
After that, we went to a tiny music shop, and Thalia bought an album of some obscure band from the grinning guy behind the till, who clearly thought she was the most delicious thing he’d ever seen. I felt like smacking him. I felt protective. Everyone in this town was in love with a Grace.
I was hoping we’d have coffee together, sit with our gifts nestled on the table between us and sip foamy cappuccinos and talk and laugh and other people would look over and envy us. But Thalia said she had a lot to do, so only a couple of hours later, I found myself standing at the station again, watching her move away from me, sunshine on her hair. She told me to come down to the beach that evening at around six. I waited until she disappeared from sight and then went home, my mind already full of potential outfits.
By five o’clock I was ready, but there was no way I was turning up that early. The bus to the beach only took ten minutes from my place, so I sat in the living room and watched TV, trying to ignore the nervous curdling in my belly.
At quarter to six, my mum poked her head throughthe door and glanced at my clothes. ‘Going out, are we?’
‘There’s this party down the beach—’
‘I’ll be back late,’ she interrupted, and disappeared again.
That was the most I tended to get out of her these days. She had always been the expressive one, equally quick with a joke or a shouting match. But now that Dad wasn’t around, she’d all but gone silent, like it was better she never said anything to me again. I missed that. I even missed the shouting.
I suddenly realised Summer’s gift and the bottle of vodka I’d taken from the cupboard were on display at my feet, but she hadn’t even looked at them.
*
I arrived about half-past six. The party was in a cove secluded from the main beach by a row of tall, slippery rocks. I slid and picked and wobbled my way down there, and I saw a surprisingly small crowd busily setting up. I stood awkwardly for a moment before spotting Thalia and making my way to her.
‘Hi,’ I said. ‘I’m not late, am I?’
Thalia looked at me in surprise. ‘No, you’re kind of early, actually. No one else is here yet.’
‘Oh, sure,’ I said casually. ‘I came early to help you guys set up.’
Thalia paused, like she was assessing me. The risk of seeming uncool was worth it if I got to hang out with the family before anyone else.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘There’s a big table over there. Dump your alcohol with the rest, and Summer’s gift can go on the pile next to it. I’ve got all this food to unwrap from the cooler. Come find me.’
She floated off.
I kept my head down as I moved, fixing my neck firmly in place so I
‘This is pretty cool,’ I ventured.
It was too small for a serving dish and too pointless for anything else, but it looked mysterious and elegant.
Thalia took it from me and turned it over in her hands. ‘Nice. An incense burner. How come you picked that out?’
I shrugged. ‘Summer likes birds, right?’
‘How do you know that?’
‘She carries that orangey-brown bird everywhere with her,’ I said. ‘What is that?’
‘It’s amber,’ said Thalia shortly. ‘Come on. Let’s get the incense burner.’
She turned away before I had the chance to say a word and took the bowl to the till. It was twice as much money as I’d scraped together from my box that morning. Before I’d even protested, Thalia paid the other half without so much as a word. I didn’t know how to thank her, so I didn’t – I just promised to pay her back next week – and I had to watch her shrug and laugh and say I shouldn’t ever bother because she had too much money as it was. I’d often wondered whatit would be like to have too much money. I’d thought it was an affliction only professional athletes and celebrities suffered from, but apparently you could be rich in a quiet way, too.
After that, we went to a tiny music shop, and Thalia bought an album of some obscure band from the grinning guy behind the till, who clearly thought she was the most delicious thing he’d ever seen. I felt like smacking him. I felt protective. Everyone in this town was in love with a Grace.
I was hoping we’d have coffee together, sit with our gifts nestled on the table between us and sip foamy cappuccinos and talk and laugh and other people would look over and envy us. But Thalia said she had a lot to do, so only a couple of hours later, I found myself standing at the station again, watching her move away from me, sunshine on her hair. She told me to come down to the beach that evening at around six. I waited until she disappeared from sight and then went home, my mind already full of potential outfits.
By five o’clock I was ready, but there was no way I was turning up that early. The bus to the beach only took ten minutes from my place, so I sat in the living room and watched TV, trying to ignore the nervous curdling in my belly.
At quarter to six, my mum poked her head throughthe door and glanced at my clothes. ‘Going out, are we?’
‘There’s this party down the beach—’
‘I’ll be back late,’ she interrupted, and disappeared again.
That was the most I tended to get out of her these days. She had always been the expressive one, equally quick with a joke or a shouting match. But now that Dad wasn’t around, she’d all but gone silent, like it was better she never said anything to me again. I missed that. I even missed the shouting.
I suddenly realised Summer’s gift and the bottle of vodka I’d taken from the cupboard were on display at my feet, but she hadn’t even looked at them.
*
I arrived about half-past six. The party was in a cove secluded from the main beach by a row of tall, slippery rocks. I slid and picked and wobbled my way down there, and I saw a surprisingly small crowd busily setting up. I stood awkwardly for a moment before spotting Thalia and making my way to her.
‘Hi,’ I said. ‘I’m not late, am I?’
Thalia looked at me in surprise. ‘No, you’re kind of early, actually. No one else is here yet.’
‘Oh, sure,’ I said casually. ‘I came early to help you guys set up.’
Thalia paused, like she was assessing me. The risk of seeming uncool was worth it if I got to hang out with the family before anyone else.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘There’s a big table over there. Dump your alcohol with the rest, and Summer’s gift can go on the pile next to it. I’ve got all this food to unwrap from the cooler. Come find me.’
She floated off.
I kept my head down as I moved, fixing my neck firmly in place so I
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