But…？ But…？
How was he going to finish that sentence?
I’m suddenly desperate to see Dad properly. I poke my head round the side of the tapestry, but no one bats an eyelid. They’re all waiting for Dad to carry on.
“Effie is stubborn,” he says at last. “And when you’re too stubborn, you can miss out on opportunities. You can find yourself…trapped.”
I blink in utter disbelief. Stubborn? Dad can talk! Who hurt his leg because he wouldn’t give up on that 10K? Exactly. And I’m not trapped, I think indignantly, shifting my ankle uncomfortably.
Well, OK. Maybe I’m a little bit trapped right now. But that’s not the point.
“Poor old Effie!” says Lacey. “There’s stubborn and then there’s perverse. Who doesn’t come to a family party, for Pete’s sake?”
She looks around the table with avid eyes.
“Effie would have come,” says Bean, glaring at Krista. “If she’d been asked properly.”
“There was a mix-up with her invitation,” says Krista briskly, “so she threw her toys out of the pram. The trouble with Effie is, she’s too emotional. It’s all a roller coaster with her. Total drama queen.”
“I’d say the trouble with Effie is, she’s never quite grown up,” chimes in Romilly, and I glower at the back of her smug head. Who asked Romilly’s opinion? “She’s still very much the baby of the family.”
I feel my cheeks start to blaze. What’s that supposed to mean?
“Oh, I know those types.” Lacey nods sagely.
“She can’t really deal with life,” Romilly continues. “She lost her job, and ever since then she’s been temping as a waitress. Can’t seem to get it together. And as for her love life…”
Now my head is tingling. Is this how everyone talks about me when I’m not there?
“Stop it! You’re all being unfair!” chimes in Bean, sounding distressed. “Effie’s had some really good temp work. It wasn’t her fault she lost her job. She’s just regrouping while she considers her next move. It’s very sensible. And do you want to know where she is, this very minute?” she adds triumphantly. “She’s out on a date with an Olympic athlete!”
My eyes are suddenly blurry as I listen to my sister defending me. I love Bean so much. She can have my Rixo dress. She can have it forever.
“An Olympic athlete?” Krista bursts into derisive laughter. “Has Effie told you she’s on a date with an Olympic athlete? I mean, we all love Effie, but an Olympic athlete? I think someone’s been telling porkies. Poor love. She could have just said she was washing her hair.”
For a moment no one speaks. Then Joe puts down his glass with a firm clunk.
“I believe the guy in question is an Olympic athlete,” he says pleasantly. “A gold medalist, so I understand. Isn’t that right, Bean?”
There’s a slightly stunned silence around the table, and I see Krista’s eyes fly open in shock.
“A gold medalist?” says Romilly, sounding impressed in spite of herself.
“Yes!” says Bean, somehow keeping it together. “Yes, he is. A gold medalist.”
“In the modern pentathlon, was it?” Joe adds. “Or rowing, I forget, but I do know he’s now a successful businessman and a philanthropist.” Joe looks expressionlessly at Krista. “Quite a catch.”
“He must have made some serious money!” exclaims Humph, perking up. “You know, the Spinken technique is ideal for professional athletes. Maybe Effie could get me an introduction.”
“If they have more than one date!” says Lacey, a bit snidely.
“I can’t imagine he won’t fall for her,” says Joe, in the same matter-of-fact voice. “So. That’ll be up to Effie.”
He darts the briefest of glances toward me, and I gaze back, unable to move, feeling unsettled. I know he’s just winding up Krista; I know none of this is real. But…Oh God. I can’t let him get under my skin. Not again.
“How do you know all this?” says Krista, smiling at Joe with a rather livid smile.
“Effie and I have been in touch recently,” says Joe nonchalantly. “Didn’t she mention it?”
“Do you know where this guy lives?” says Humph to Bean. Clearly he’s hoping to land a big celebrity sporting client.
“No,” says Bean. “But I do know that right this minute Effie is miles away, being wined and dined in some top luxury London restaurant. So, here’s to Effie, wherever she is!”