Page 44 of Best Mistake Ever
‘Oh, thanks,’ she says, choosing a sandwich and putting it on her plate. ‘I guess I’ve trained myself to be that way. Growing up, both my parents were really negative – especially towards each other – and I’ve been determined not to fall into acting that way myself.’
‘Sorry to hear that. Are they still together?’
‘No. They got divorced when we were twelve.’
‘Ugh. That’s a tough age to have your family ripped apart. At least mine were never married and barely even lived together because of my dad’s touring so it didn’t feel like much of a change when they split.’
‘That’s good,’ she says, biting into her sandwich and making a face of pure pleasure.
I have to look away as my entire body reacts to it.
‘So, did you and your sister live with your mum or your dad?’ I ask her, to distract myself from the desire that’s now rushing through my veins.
‘We split our time between both to begin with, but eventually I ended up living mostly with my dad while… my sister lived with my mum. She moved into this artsy sort of commune, which was always messy and full of people and I found it really wearing. Especially when I was trying to do my homework.’
I start to work my way through the sandwiches as she talks, suddenly realising how hungry I am.
‘Mum has a really hands-off approach to parenting, the complete opposite to our dad, which I found difficult. I’m an independent sort of person, but sometimes you just need yourmum to be the adult, you know? But most of the time, it felt like I was parenting her.’
‘And your sister?’ I ask.
Dee seems to pause for a moment and stare at the plate of cakes, the colour returning to her cheeks again. Perhaps it’s the champagne that’s bringing about both the flush and the chattiness. Whatever it is, I like it.
‘Um, well, she kind of likes doing her own thing so it suited her better to live with my mum.’ She picks up a scone and stabs the middle of it with her knife, slicing it into two perfect halves before slathering them both with cream and jam. ‘Did you go on tour much with your dad?’ she asks, still not looking at me.
I finish eating the cake I’ve just stuffed into my mouth and shake my head. ‘Nah. Not often anyway. My brother and I were at boarding school most of the time. I went along to a few gigs in my late teens, mostly for the party scene afterwards, but I barely spent any time with the old man. He’s never really been that interested in being a parent either. I spent most of my childhood trying to get his attention, without success. He’s always just treated us like mini adults, letting us do whatever the hell we want, as long as we don’t get in his face. And if we did, it usually resulted in him paying someone else to deal with it.’
Dee nods and takes one of the small cakes from the plate now and pops it into her mouth, her brows drawn together as she chews. Once she’s swallowed it, she says, ‘Yeah, it’s the same sort of story with my mum – apart from the paying-off thing. She has very little patience for anything that isn’t about her and her art. I can see why she and my dad got divorced, to be honest; they’re polar opposites of each other.’
‘Just like you and your sister, from the sounds of it.’
‘Yeah.’ Dee takes a gulp of champagne, then bangs the flute down and says, ‘So, anyway, enough about me. Perhaps we could go for a walk around the grounds before we head back?’She picks up her champagne glass again with what looks like a trembling hand then raises it to her lips and tips the last drops of liquid into her mouth, before replacing it with studied carefulness this time onto the table and gesturing for the waitress to bring our bill.
I’m a bit confused by her sudden abruptness and apparent need to leave the restaurant when we were having such an interesting conversation. But then, perhaps she feels it’s getting too personal again for her liking.
The waiter brings the bill and I pay it before Dee has a chance to offer. ‘It’s a business expense,’ I tell her forcibly.
‘Oh, okay. Great,’ she says with a warm smile. The champagne has given her eyes a real sparkle and I experience another rush of longing to lean over and kiss her.
Instead, I stand up from my chair and signal for the waiting staff to bring out coats, which they do quickly.
She leads the way out of the restaurant, then the hotel, thanking all the staff she encounters on her way out.
We head away from the hotel and across the lawn towards where the person on reception told us the river is.
‘What do you think of this place?’ she asks as we stride purposefully down the hill.
‘It’s terrific. Food for thought.’
‘Right?’
‘Yeah. Lots of things to think about. This place makes me realise that Gladbrooke has a lot of untapped potential.’
‘It really does. It’s crying out for an upgrade.’
‘Yeah. There’s just the small matter of finding the funds to do it.’
‘Hmm.’ She stares thoughtfully down at the ground.
