Page 58 of So That Happened
Clearly Maddie not winning this thing would not be tolerated.
Josie followed her mother’s swinging bottom, scooting through the packed tables, keeping her head high. She would not be intimidated by all the hoopla.
When they reached their destination, she only managed a feeble wave at her sister and father before there was an announcement about the ceremony starting in five minutes.
Sitting down next to them, she crossed her legs and straightened her skirt, ready to take her place as ‘loving sister’ in front of all Maddie’s friends and admirers.
‘Have you been away, Josie?’ her father asked, leaning in, a studious frown on his face. ‘It looks like you’ve been out in the sun.’
She gave him a tight smile. ‘Yes. I went to France for a couple of weeks.’
The look on his face didn’t give her much hope that this was going to be an easy conversation.
‘So, who was looking after your business while you were holidaying?’ He said the last word as if she’d actually been in prison for drug smuggling instead of having some well-needed time out.
‘Abi had it all under control.’
He nodded. ‘I see.’
She thought that was it. That she’d got away without having to elucidate. But unfortunately, her mother had other ideas.
‘Isn’t it a bad time for you to be going away, Josie?’ she asked, giving her trademark concerned frown. ‘If you want that business to actually make some money you should be fully focussing your energy there. Surely there’s time for a break once you’ve managed to start making a dent in the marketplace?’
Josie wondered why her hands were hurting – until she looked down to see that she’d made deep welts in her palms with her nails. Her heart raced as adrenaline and anger surged through her.
She was not putting up with this. No way. Not any more. She was worth more than a disgruntled footnote in her parents’ encyclopaedia of life.
‘The business is fine,’ she said through clenched teeth. ‘I, on the other hand, am not. I’m tired of trying to please you. I realise now it’s an impossible task, and I’m not prepared to waste any more time or energy on it. My business is just that. Mine. I’m doing it for me now, not you.’
She realised she was pointing a shaky finger at their shocked faces but she was too far into her rant to stop.
‘I may not be famous or noteworthy, but I am making a difference in my own small way. And that’s good enough.’ She took a deep, calming breath and splayed her hands on the table, leaning in towards them and looking directly from one set of shocked eyes to another. ‘It’s good enough.’
Sitting back, she smoothed her skirt over her knees again with shaky hands and looked over at her sister, who had seemingly missed the whole show by chatting to her neighbour at the table. Not that it mattered. This wasn’t about Maddie, it was between her and her parents.
‘Okay, Josie. Okay,’ her father said to the side of her head.
She turned to look at him and he gave her a conciliatory nod, putting a steadying warm hand on top of hers.
Luckily, she was saved from bursting into tears by a loud announcement telling them that the show was about to start and asking everyone to find their tables.
Noise levels rose too much to make conversation after that as more people hurried in to take their seats.
Straightening her spine and pulling back her shoulders, Josie regained her poise and waited calmly for the show to begin, ignoring the whispered conversation going on between her parents next to her. It didn’t matter what they said now. All that mattered was that she’d said her piece, and she was ready and willing to get on with her life.
But she couldn’t stop herself from wishing Connor was there with her. She would have loved him to see her giving her parents what-for, and this whole horrible debacle wouldn’t seem half as awful in his presence. He’d find a way to make it fun.
Her stomach plummeted to her toes and her throat contracted painfully as she imagined him there, squeezing her hand and giving her that wry grin of his.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the large, spot-lit stage until she was able to relax out of the ache of melancholy. She had to stop thinking like that; it was only going to make it harder to get over him. It was onwards and upwards from here. No looking back. No regrets.
The lights dimmed and the host of the ceremony, a rising star on the UK comedy scene, mounted the stage and greeted the audience. A hush fell over the crowd and they listened in rapt silence as he announced the first nominations.
Josie’s mind wandered as short clips of the nominated shows played on a large screen above them. She wondered what Connor was doing right at that moment. Probably something exciting and worthy that would put her dull existence to shame. Her humiliating attempt to get him to come here came back to haunt her and she flushed with heat. She’d been so angry with him for rejecting her that she’d lost her senses. What an idiot she was. She was almost glad she was never going to see him again; she was ashamed of how ridiculous she’d been.
Realising with a start that everyone was clapping the winner of the category, she joined in a beat too late, garnering herself a stern look from her mother. Smiling sheepishly, she resolved to pay more attention to her surroundings and eject all thoughts of Connor from her head.
After all, he wasn’t part of her life any more and he wasn’t likely to be any time soon.
