Page 122 of The Blind Date

“There’s no way we can drive back with them now, so we’ll just have to get the train,” Dad said.

"We've never been so insulted in our entire lives!" Mum scrunched up her clothes as she punched them into her suitcase, so angry that she no longer cared about folding them neatly. Knowing her, she would regret that later. "How dare they speak to us like that? Who do they think they are? They're the most despicable people I've ever come across. And let me tell you, Saff, I've met some horrible people in my life, but those two take the cherry on the cake!"

"Despicable? Alfie and Yasmin?" I scoffed. "Have you met them? There's nothing despicable about them. If they’re any sweeter, they’ll give us a cavity."

"Don't be daft,” she groaned, briefly pausing her packing to glare at me. "Why are you taking their side? We’re your parents. You’re supposed to be on our side."

“I’m not taking anyone’s side.” I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m just trying to understand what changed for you to go from best friends to enemies in such a short amount of time.”

“We were never best friends,” she denied, her face morphing into an expression of disgust.

"That's not what it looked like to me,” I snorted as I moved to take a seat on the sofa. "So, what happened for you all to start hating each other all of a sudden? Because from what I overheard, it was a petty argument. Nothing worth falling out over."

"So many things happened. I don't even know where to start,” Mum sighed dramatically and resumed packing, not bothering to answer me.

"Saff, be a dear and check when the next train to London is, please?" Dad asked of me as he stepped back into the room, his arms full of free toiletries. “Waterloo station, preferably.”

I pursed my lips and grabbed my phone. There was no way I was booking them on the next train out of here. Not when they had a golf competition to win tomorrow. If they were going to lose, then they would lose honourably. They certainly weren't going to let the Wheeler-Jones win by disqualification.

Instead, I clicked on an unopened message from Cedric.

Cedric:

Things aren't looking good here, darling

Mum is determined to leave as soon as possible

She's nearly finished packing her suitcase

I guess it's a good thing we didn't tell them about us yet

Cedric was right. The situation would have been so much messier if we had confessed to our parents that we were dating. I wouldn't have been surprised if Mum tried to sway me toward breaking up with Cedric.

We needed to fix this rift between our parents before it got worse–and this wasn't just about the competition. Our parents had spent far too long trying to get us together for them to fall out over something so petty.

We needed to come up with a plan to fix things, and we needed to do it quickly.

ChapterThirty-Three

"That's a stupid plan," Cillian grumbled, slouched on the sofa as he glanced between us.

"If you're so smart, why don’t you come up with something?” Cedric snapped at his brother.

"Cedric," I called out to him with a warning tone.

"No, darling,” Cedric turned to me. "All Cillian's been doing for the past hour is mope about Penny, and criticise all our ideas.”

"They have been rather terrible," I murmured. "Go easy on him, okay?"

“Why should I go easy on him? He’s been fraternising with the enemy," Cedric grumbled, the scowl on his face making him look like a petulant child.

"It's not like he knew Penny was the enemy," I reminded him. "Besides, I was the enemy not long as well. But that didn't stop you."

Cedric pursed his lips but didn't say anything further. After sending him one more pointed look, I turned my attention to Cillian who was still moping on the sofa, looking like more of a petulant child than his brother.

"Cillian," I called out to the younger Barlowe. "What's with the long face?"

"You're asking as if you don't already know, Saff," Cillian scoffed, keeping his eyes downcast.

---