Page 185 of The Pearl Sister
‘Yeah, it’s all that sunshine in Oz. You look great too. You’ve had your fringe cut!’ I knew the long fringe had been there for her to hide behind. Now that it was chopped shorter, her beautiful blue eyes shone out of her face like sapphires.
‘Yes, it was time for a change. Listen, why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower? I’ll get on and prepare supper.’
‘I will, but first, do I smell cake?’
‘Yes, it’s lemon drizzle. Want a slice?’
‘Do I? I’ve been dreaming about a slice of your cake since I left.’
She handed me a thick, perfect wedge, and I bit into it. I finished the whole slice off in a few seconds and with another slice in my hand, I took my rucksack upstairs, where I saw that the bedroom was as neat as a pin, the sheets freshly changed. I walked into the bathroom, stepped under the power shower and decided it was good to be home.
When I returned downstairs, Star was waiting for me with a beer.
‘Cheers,’ I said, and clinked my bottle against her glass of Chardonnay.
‘Welcome home,’ she said. ‘I’ve made your favourite. It should be ready in about twenty minutes.’
‘Steak and kidney pudding!’ I confirmed as I saw the pastry rising under the spotlight in the oven.
‘Yes. So, go on, I want to hear everything that’s happened to you in the past couple of months.’
‘Wow, that’s a big ask. How long have you got?’
‘All night.’
‘You’re staying over?’ I asked in surprise.
‘If that’s okay, yes.’
‘Course it is, Sia! This is – was – your home too, remember?’
‘I know, but . . .’ She sighed and went to put some broccoli florets on to steam.
‘Look, before you say anything, I just want to apologise,’ I blurted out. ‘I was a real pain in the backside last autumn – in fact, I’ve probably been a pain for most of my life.’
‘No, you weren’t, silly. It’s me who needs to say sorry. I should have been there for you when you were going through that rough patch at college.’ Star bit her bottom lip. ‘I was really selfish and I feel terrible about it.’
‘Yeah, I was pretty hurt at the time, but it gave me the push that I needed. I see now that you had to do it, Sia. The way we were – the way I was – well, it wasn’t healthy. You had to go out and get a life for yourself. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found mine.’
‘You’ve met someone?’ She turned to me. ‘It’s Ace, isn’t it? You two looked so cosy together on Phra Nang Beach.’
‘Er, no, it’s not Ace, but . . .’ I felt completely unprepared for this conversation, so I changed the subject. ‘How’s Mouse?’
‘He’s good,’ she said as she pulled the steak and kidney pudding out of the oven and began to plate up our supper. ‘Let’s talk as we eat, shall we?’
For a change Star did most of the talking, while I gobbled down as much food as my tummy could manage to hold. I heard all about High Weald – ‘the Mouse House’, as I’d mentally nicknamed it – and how it was under renovation, so she, Mouse and his son, Rory, were staying in the farmhouse opposite.
‘It’ll take years to restore, of course. The property is Grade I listed, and Mouse is an architect, so everything has to be perfect.’ Star rolled her eyes and I was glad to see the tiniest flicker of Mouse’s imperfection in them. It made him more human, somehow.
‘You’re happy with him, though?’
‘Oh yes, although he can be incredibly anal, especially over chimney stacks and architraves. Rory and I just take ourselves off for a walk and leave him to it. And when Rory’s in bed and Mouse is still studying different varieties of chimney pot, I write.’
‘You’ve started your novel?’
‘Yes. I mean, I’m not very far on – only eighty pages or so – but . . .’ Star stood up and began to clear the plates away. ‘I’ve made sherry trifle for pudding. You look as though you need feeding up.’
‘Listen, mate, this is a woman who’s eaten a whole ’roo in one sitting,’ I joked. ‘And what about your family? Have you heard from your mum since she left for the States?’
