She glanced out of the window and saw that Bronagh was passing, her bright red hair piled high on her head, wearing a cloak and carrying a large archway of hawthorn.
‘Bronagh,’ said Carmen, slipping outside. ‘If I said we’re having a party, like, tomorrow would you be able to witch it round everyone who needs invited?’
‘Of course,’ said Bronagh. ‘Although sometimes what you need and what you want aren’t—’
‘Great, thank you, that is so kind of you.’
Carmen still felt a little sad and foolish, imagining that Blair, a man she didn’t even like, would like her. And the man she did like liked somebody else. It was particularly hard as she couldn’t go somewhere quiet and just sulk about it. The shop was busy, Ramsay and Mr McCredie having decided to just try a soup?on of the burgundy to see how it went down, the streets were mobbed, and of course ‘home’ was Sofia’s house, where Skylar was, uploading video to her boyfriend, Blair. Carmen’s phone hadn’t buzzed all afternoon. She was miserable. And stupid.
She marched home, where Sofia was chatting to Federico over the phone. Everything, as usual, was clean and tidy and warm and perfect, and it put Carmen in a worse mood than ever. The children had dispersed.
‘Hey,’ said Sofia, after she had finished her conversation with Federico. ‘Don’t make me get up off the sofa. How was Blair’s book—？’
Carmen dissolved into tears.
‘Oh God, that bad?’ said Sofia, struggling to sit up. Carmen explained everything.
‘Oh God,’ said Sofia. ‘So hang on – you don’t even like Blair and it sounds like he’s been a total a-hole, so why do you care if Skylar’s dating him?’
Carmen shrugged. ‘Because I … ’ She sniffed and looked around at the gorgeous kitchen. ‘I just wanted something cool. Something … impressive. I mean, you have everything and I just … ’
‘What, you would date an a-hole because I have a nice kitchen?’
Carmen shrugged.
‘It’s everyone. Skylar’s getting some stupid degree in fricking water. You’re super-successful. Idra’s going skiing!’
Sofia didn’t quite understand the significance of this last piece of information, but wisely kept her mouth closed.
‘I thought maybe a cool rich boyfriend … would make me feel I was going places. Instead of stuck. In my sister’s basement. In a temp job.’
Sofia bristled a bit. Then she made a terrible mistake. She was trying to explain why Blair would have been a bad match for Carmen, and then her plan was to follow that up with how brilliantly she’d done in the shop and how it looked like they’d be able to put the business on the market in the new year, provide a nice retirement for Mr McCredie and how that was amazing, and she’d have loads for her CV now.
Unfortunately, she never got that far.
‘Oh, let Skylar have that stupid Blair,’ she began. ‘She’s much more … ’
She regretted it instantly.
‘Much more what?’ said Carmen furiously, standing up. ‘Pretty? Better than me?’
‘No! That’s not what I meant at all. Just that stupid blonde look, you know.’
‘You just meant she’s better-looking than me?’
‘Oh Carmen! How can I get out of this conversation?’
‘By saying the truth: you never believed for a second that someone good-looking and famous could possibly like me in a million years.’ Carmen was so upset. ‘You just assume I would try and take him off Skylar; never that she would try and take him off me, even though that was totally what she did.’