Page 7 of Musical Games
‘Ah, there you are. Come in, come in. I’m Morag and this is Fiona and Liam.’ Morag ushered them into the kitchen as Fiona came to meet them, carrying a baby.
‘Hello, I’m Fiona, but you can call me Fi if you like, and this is Liam. Say hello, Liam. Do you want a cup of tea or the loo? How was the drive? Here, Zo, take Liam and I’ll get Sam’s bags.’
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ continued Morag. ‘Are you hungry, love? I’ve made a gluten-free cake for you. If it’s no good, I also got one from the shop as a backup. You can put your boots down there. Let me take your coat.’
Sam glanced at Zoe, who grinned. Sam’s family always thought she talked too much, but she was a monk undertaking a vow of silence in comparison to Fiona and Morag.
Fiona took her arm. ‘Come upstairs and I’ll show you your room.’
‘Ta da!’Fiona put one of Sam’s suitcases by the window and flung her arms wide. The room was small and pink with a single bed, bedside table, chest of drawers, wardrobe and long bookshelf running along one wall. ‘I know it’s not big, but Liam’s travel cot is in Mum’s room, and I’ve cleared out the clothes I keep here so there should be enough room for you. The bathroom’s next door, then Jamie’s room, then Mum’s at the end of the corridor. Help yourself to anything you need and if we don’t have something, just ask.’
Sam’s gaze was drawn to the shelf running along the entire side wall above the bed.
Fiona laughed. ‘That’s my satellite collection of romance novels. If you think that’s a lot, you should see how many I’ve got at home.’
Zoe entered with another suitcase and a big bag over her shoulder. ‘Ah yes, Fi’s lending library for lovers. Don’t be fooled by the ones with sappy names and women in ball gowns on the front. They’re hot as fuck. I borrowedEnsnaring the Earlto wind Rory up. I bookmarked one of the sex scenes and left it where I knew he would find it.’
‘What happened?’ Sam asked.
Zoe raised her eyebrows. ‘He saw it as some kind of challenge. I didn’t sleep for a week.’
Sam snorted with laughter. She hadn’t yet met Rory, but it was clear he was a force of nature.
‘We’ll leave you to settle in,’ said Fiona. ‘Just come down when you’re ready.’
She left with Zoe and Sam sat on the edge of the bed. Had she ever been with anyone as insatiable as Rory seemed to be? Had she ever been the entirety of someone else’s world? Their sun, their moon and all their stars? She blew out her cheeks and squared her shoulders.Eyes on the prize. She was here to be the whole bloody universe for Brad Bauer. Nothing else mattered. She unzipped one of the suitcases and pulled out a pair of high-heeled pink fluffy slippers and her washbag.
In the bathroom, she looked through the selection of toiletries. It was clear the majority belonged to Morag and Fiona. Her hand drifted towards a black bottle of shower gel she guessed belonged to Jamie.Don’t touch it!Her body refused to obey. She flipped the lid and brought it to her nostrils, breathing in the scent of citrus, sandalwood, warmth and spices. Her mouth watered. Was this what Jamie smelled like?Get a grip!She snapped it closed and went downstairs.
Morag, Fiona and Zoe were sitting around the kitchen table with big mugs of tea and an uncut cake in front of them. Liam gurgled away happily.
‘Got everything you need, love?’ asked Morag, getting up and steering Sam into a chair. ‘I have to say it’s nice to be around people of a similar height. When our Jamie, Duncan, Zoe and Rory are around, Fiona and I feel like one of the little people.’
‘Yeah, no offence, Zo,’ continued Fiona, ‘but when you’re here I can’t decide whether I’m an Oompa Loompa or from Lilliput. Can we swap you out for Sam?’
Morag gave her daughter a gentle shove. ‘Cut the cake and we can see if it’s worked or not.’ She reached into a cupboard, retrieved a jar and presented it to Sam. ‘I’ve even got your coffee in. I loved you in that advert, so posh and sophistimacated. Can you do it for us?’ she asked hopefully.
‘Of course,’ Sam replied with a grin. She took the jar from Morag and dropped her voice. ‘If you’re looking for a deeper experience, there’s only one choice, one taste… Look for the Connoisseur label and drink richly.’
Morag and Fiona whooped and everyone clapped. ‘That’s wonderful,’ said Morag. ‘I don’t think it would sound the same coming from the likes of me.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ replied Sam. Mimicry was a skill she’d had since childhood and honed over the course of her career. She put on a lilting Highland voice and repeated the advert. Morag and Fiona’s mouths dropped open.
‘Oh. My. God,’ said Fiona. ‘That’s uncanny. ‘What else can you do? Can you do Glaswegian?’ Sam obliged. ‘Edinburgh?’ Sam rattled off the advert again.
‘Aberdeen?’ asked Morag. ‘That one’s bloody impossible.’ Sam did the accent so perfectly that Morag nearly fell off her chair. ‘You’re so clever.’
Fiona nodded and passed out slices of cake. ‘That’s a gift. Whenever I try to do an accent it sounds like someone Welsh trying to be Indian.’
‘I’ve always been able to,’ Sam replied. ‘I’m like a parrot. That’s all acting is, really.’ She felt a lump in her stomach remembering her father’s words.You’re like a parrot, Smulan. They never hid their opinions of her life choices and job. She took a big bite of cake for distraction and rolled her eyes with pleasure at the taste. ‘This is amazing.’
Morag’s cheeks turned pink. ‘Well, that’s a relief. I’ve never baked with gluten-free flour before.’
‘Thank you, I really appreciate it.’
Morag squeezed her arm. ‘Not at all, love. It’s been very interesting and keeps me on my toes.’ She stood. ‘Speaking of which, I must get dinner on.’
‘Can we help?’
