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Sophie turned toward Nan and Sylvia, expecting them to excuse themselves from the conversation or at the very least come to her aid, but instead, they exchanged knowing glances, neither one even pretending to be uninterested.
“Oh, for the love of—” Sophie threw up her hands. “Why does this family always assume?—”
Sondra grinned. “So that’s a yes.”
Sophie groaned. She was never getting out of this house unscathed. “H-How did you even know? Er, I mean, what makes you think we’ve done anything, anyway?”
Darcie shook her head with a chuckle. “Go on. Sondra has a nose for these things.” She of all people knew just how intuitive Sondra was.
Sondra sipped her tea and waited for an answer to her question.
Nan and Sylvia, both watching her with less than restrained impatience, were, of course, more than interested in the painting and Liam’s involvement. But it was painfully clear they were waiting for her to confess that she’d finally slept with Liam.
Unable to ignore their expectant looks, Sophie took a steadying breath. She hadn’t had this sort of conversation in so long she hardly remembered how. But seeing as she was never getting out of this house without some juicy girl talk she figured she may as well just come right out and say it. “It was beautiful.”
A chorus of coos filled the room.
“Then it was rabid.”
Sondra sat up on the sofa. She didn’t want to miss a single detail. She lived for this stuff. Then it occurred to her that this was not a conversation for tea. At least not straight tea. “Wait! Not another word until I come back.” She got up from the sofa and disappeared into the kitchen and returned carrying a bottle of whiskey. She poured hot tea and whiskey into a cup for Sophie instructing her to drink it down.
“I’ll take one of those,” said Nan. “I’ll just put this one to bed and we can have a proper chat.” With Hal asleep in her arms, she headed for the nursery.
“We’ll be right behind you Nan. Pour me one too, Sondra darling. I love a good dram with my gossip,” said Sylvia. She got up and carried Sylvie to the nursery.
When they returned, Darcie was sipping a fresh cup of hot sweetened tea, while Sophie had finished hers and was now drinking straight from the bottle. If she was going to share her most intimate secrets, she’d need more than just a cup of spiked tea.
Nan and Sylvia both grinned and shared a look. Things were about to get interesting really fast.
Sondra got up from the sofa and plopped on the other side of Bootstrap. She would not let Sophie drink alone. Besides, she was the one who put her on the spot. The least she could do was offer her moral support.
An hour later, Sophie took another swig from the bottle, warmth spreading through her as she leaned on Bootstrap, giving the shaggy dog a cuddle. What had started as a conversation about Sophie and Liam had quickly spiraled into a full-blown unloading session, with Sophie airing out baggage she hadn’t even realized she was still carrying. “…and then he left me for a stick insect blonde who has trouble with words having more than one syllable. But hey, the slut gave him a son.”
“What a piece of shite,” said Sondra, shaking her head. Until now, she’d had no idea what Sophie had been through.
“Exactly,” said Sophie. “I like you,” she declared.
“Thanks! You too!” Sondra clinked her cup against Sophie’s bottle and together they burst into laughter.
Sophie wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling. “You know, when Simon told us he was getting married, I just knew you were going to be either a gigantic bitch or a dingbat slut.” She hiccupped, then giggled. “I’m so glad you’re not a dingbat!”
Sondra threw her head back, laughing.
Sylvia smirked. “And Liam? I’ll take that bottle away from you if I have to.”
Sophie sighed, her smile turning softer. “Aw, Aunt Syl’, it’s been wonderful. Better than I ever imagined. He’s still Liam. Still kind, dependable, generous, understanding…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know how feckin’ great Liam is. What about the sex?” demanded Nan.
“Best of my life. You could crack a walnut between his thighs.”
“That will come in handy at Christmas,” Nan teased.
A chorus of cheers erupted around the room, and Sylvia, shaking her head, lifted her teacup. “I’ll drink to that!”
Connor arrived home to find his living room filled with laughter from the women in his life and what a cheerful sound it was. It warmed his heart hearing that sound. After quietly stepping into the nursery to see his twins fast asleep in their crib, he returned to the living room. “Hello, love,” he said, entering the room. Darcie beamed from across the room. Before he could go to her, Sylvia reached over her head to her son, beckoning him to her. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Hello, Mum,” he said affectionately.
“What about me? What am I, chopped liver?” said Nan.
