‘Enjoy your lecture. What’s it on?’
‘A history of homeopathy?’
‘Oh,’ said Carmen. ‘So, like “water through the ages”？’
Skylar smiled pityingly at her. ‘Sure, if that makes it simpler for you.’
And she swept out, her blonde hair bouncing behind her.
The oddest thing happened then. Sofia looked at Carmen and Carmen looked at Sofia, and suddenly all their antipathy melted away, and in the warm kitchen, with even more snow softly falling outside in the dark, they both started to laugh.
‘It’s not just me, right? She is being mean to me?’
‘You started it!’ said Sofia. ‘And stop it. Good help is really hard to find and she’s awesome with the children.’
‘Well, let’s hope they don’t get sick with something and she wants to treat them with watery water.’
‘It’s good to have her,’ said Sofia firmly. ‘It makes us all eat better, live better … ’
‘Oh my God, I am surrounded by life improvement experts! It’s doing my head in! I quite like my completely unsuccessful life,’ said Carmen, glancing at her phone.
‘Why are you looking at your phone?’
‘No reason.’
‘You’re obsessed. Who are you talking to?’
‘Nobody.’
Completely betraying her, the phone pinged. Carmen could not hide her grin.
‘Who is it?!’ said Sofia, even though she appeared to be semi-prone with her eyes shut.
‘What? Nothing!’
Carmen snatched up the phone.
‘I’M SO BORED.’
‘READ A BOOK,’ she texted back.
‘You keep smiling every time you look at your phone! I know that look!’
‘I do not!’
‘Carmmennnnn. I remember this from when you were a teenager.’
‘Which wasn’t that long ago,’ pointed out Carmen quickly.
Sofia sighed.
‘And all the boys were texting you. I was jealous.’
Carmen put the phone down, dumbstruck.
‘You were not! Everyone was jealous of you.’
Sofia shrugged. She knew this to an extent of course. But even so.
‘Well, you seemed to be having so much fun.’
‘And getting into so much trouble! While you were going out with Duncan MacInlay, like proper going steady. He was super-handsome! And I was stuck waiting for some loser to text. Or not, which was more usual. Can I have some wine?’
‘No,’ said Sofia. ‘If I can’t have any, you can’t either.’
‘But your teas all taste like watered-down shampoo! And you have a fully stocked wine fridge! For showing off.’
‘It’s not for showing off,’ said Sofia. ‘It’s waiting for me as soon as I get this space hopper out of me and then I’m going to drink the entire thing.’
‘Have you had a bad day?’ said Carmen.
‘I’m just tired.’
‘Okay, well, I’m going to pour myself a glass of wine and let you sip it. Anyway, you couldn’t possibly harm that baby in there – look at the size of it! It’s going to come out driving a car.’