Page 12 of Could It Be Magic?
A little while later, Cora was sitting impatiently in the living room, waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. Thea, whose newly washed hair hung blow-dried straight down her back, almost to her waist, hugged her daughter warmly.
‘I’m so proud of you, Cora-Dora,’ she said. ‘Happy birthday, my darling.’
Cora shoved her mother away playfully. ‘Eww! Get off, and stop being so lame, Mum.’ But there was returned affection in her eyes.
The sound of the doorbell distracted them both, and there were footsteps overhead as Dylan rushed from his bedroom.
‘Must be Uncle Tristan and Charlotte,’ Cora commented. ‘I think Uncle Tristan promised Dylan he’d kick a few balls around while he was here.’
‘Bit cold for that, today,’ Thea replied. ‘And I’m not sure the lawn’ll take it.’
‘Your fault for having me in the winter,’ Cora observed. ‘Should have thought about that.’
Thea grinned at her ever-cheekier and more grown-up daughter. ‘I’ll remind you of that when you’re pregnant one day!’
‘Gross!’ Cora wrinkled her nose. ‘That’s never gonna happen.’
Secretly, Thea quite liked the fact that any mention of boys, or babies, was enough to provoke that kind of reaction in her daughter. She wasn’t looking forward to the days, which would inevitably be approaching, of boyfriends and conversations about keeping safe.
Both mother and daughter turned as Dylan’s footsteps thundered down the stairs and the front door was rapidly flung open. It only took a few seconds for Tristan and Charlotte to appear, bearing a posh looking gift bag and a birthday card for Cora and followed by Charlotte’s bouncy spaniel, Comet.
‘Happy birthday, squirt!’ Tristan grinned at his niece and handed over the bag. ‘Hope you like your present.’
‘Thanks, Uncle Tris,’ Cora replied, flumping down on the sofa to open it.
‘Don’t thank me, thank Charlotte. She chose it.’
‘I’ll take the win!’ Charlotte replied, before adding to Thea in an undertone, ‘My mate, Gemma, helped me to choose something. I was a bit of a nerd as a teenager, I’m afraid, so I wasn’t quite sure what to get her.’
Thea smiled back at Charlotte. ‘I’m sure whatever you’ve chosen is great.’
She didn’t have to reassure Charlotte further, as Cora’s squeals of excitement did the job for her. ‘New Generation Air Pods? Thanks, Uncle Tristan, thanks, Charlotte!’
Thea felt uneasy about the extravagance of the gift, before Tristan, obviously clocking her mood, murmured, ‘I know it’s a bit OTT, but let Charlotte have this – it’s not every day your niece becomes a teenager.’
Thea smiled at her brother, who always had the knack of knowing what to say to make her feel better. The gift was a lot of money, but Cora was obviously thrilled, so she decided to let it go.
‘It’s very generous of you,’ she replied. ‘Thank you.’
Cora had already opened the box and was busily trying to sync the earbuds with her phone. ‘Ella’s going to be well jell when she sees these,’ she said. ‘I can’t wait to wear them on the bus.’
‘I don’t think you should take them to school, Cora,’ Thea cautioned. ‘You don’t want them nicked or confiscated.’
Cora rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll look after them, Mum, I promise.’
Thea opened her mouth to respond, but a gentle nudge from Tristan stopped her. There’d be plenty of time to hash that one out later. For now, she’d just let Cora enjoy her present. Comet, who was sniffing around the room, gave a high-pitched bark as he caught sight of Lupin, the tortoiseshell cat, but the cat was speedier and she gave a hiss before retreating back upstairs.
‘Still ruling the roost, I see?’ Tristan grinned. ‘At least this time poor Comet hasn’t felt the sharp edge of her claws!’
‘She always needs him to know who’s in charge.’ Thea grinned.
‘Yoo-hoo! Anyone home?’ Lorelai’s voice drifted through from the front door, which Dylan, who left all doors ajar in his chaotic wake, hadn’t closed.
‘Hi Gran,’ Thea called. ‘We’re in the living room.’
Lorelai appeared seconds later and handed over Cora’s present to her excited great-granddaughter. This time, it was an envelope, and as Cora opened it up, she squealed in excitement. ‘Ooh! Thanks, Gran! Mum, we’re so going on a shopping trip in the Christmas holidays. Can we go to Cribbs Causeway? Or Cabot? Pleeeeeeeease?’
Thea smiled. ‘I should think so.’ She didn’t stop to allow herself to worry about what else a trip to one of Bristol’s premier shopping centres might cost her. For today, Cora and her birthday were all that mattered.
