them about Sophie and not me?’ Sonny cries. ‘Anyway, she was in the ambulance when we got back from the regatta. I saw her.’
‘Who was in the ambulance?’ I ask. ‘Your mum or this Sophie person?’
‘Sophie,’ Ryan replies.
Nathan gives me an indecipherable look before turning back to Ryan. ‘And you’re sure Sophie was actually staying in the house with you and your mum?’
‘Yeah, she was staying up in the attic.’
‘And it was supposed to be a secret,’ Sonny adds.
‘Don’t worry,’ I say more brightly than I feel, ‘I’m sure we’ll find out exactly what’s going on tomorrow.’
‘Why don’t we go and see Mum now?’ Sonny asks. ‘We can ask her about it.’
‘We won’t be allowed,’ Ryan says, scowling. ‘Because we’re kids.’
‘Fiona’s right,’ Nathan interjects. ‘We’ll be able to find out more tomorrow. For now, it’s best if you both have an early night so you’re fresh for tomorrow. Your mum won’t want to see you with bags under your eyes.’
‘It’s only six o’clock,’ Ryan says. ‘Only babies go to bed at six. Mum usually lets me stay up till at least nine.’
‘Do you want some more Chinese?’ I ask. ‘There’s lots left.’
‘No thanks.’ Sonny puts his fork down on the plate. Ryan does the same.
They’ve hardly eaten anything. Maybe they didn’t like the food. Or maybe they’re too worried to eat.
‘What about some dessert?’ I turn to my husband. ‘Did you bring those cupcakes home from the regatta?’
‘No, I binned them. You know we don’t keep that sugary crap in the house.’
I incline my head towards the boys to let him know not to use that kind of language in front of our guests, but Nathan screws up his nose at me as if I’m making too big a deal of it.
‘It’s okay,’ Ryan replies, catching on at my unsubtle attempt to shield him and his brother. ‘The kids at school say way worse than that.’
‘You see, Fi.’ Nathan grins at Ryan. ‘I’m down with the kids.’
‘Fair enough.’ I give a wry laugh, pleased that the ice has broken a little. It’s funny that we’ve known these boys since they were born, but we don’t really know them at all. I feel a little out of my depth. At least Nathan seems to be at ease with them.
After dinner, despite the early hour, the boys seem keen to go up to their room. I show them the TV hidden in the armoire, but they turn their noses up, preferring their phones and earbuds.
‘Nathan and I will be just downstairs if you need anything. There’s a mini fridge up here, with drinks and snacks, but make sure you brush your teeth after, okay?’
They nod.
‘Our bedroom is on the next floor up if you need anything during the night, okay? Oh, and close the balcony doors if you switch the light on or you’ll be bitten to death by the bugs.’
Again, they nod.
I really want to hug them, but I also don’t want to make them uncomfortable, so I settle for tousling their hair and blowing them each a kiss. I leave the room, thankful they have each other to talk to. They must be so confused, poor mites. I wonder what on earth Kelly can have done to get herself arrested. It’s bound to be a misunderstanding. Kelly wouldn’t hurt a fly. And who on earth is this Sophie woman the boys were talking about?
Downstairs, Nathan has ensconced himself in the lounge and is on his phone scrolling through social media. I clear away the remains of the Chinese, clean down the surfaces and set the dishwasher going before joining him.
He pats the sofa and I sit next to him. ‘Thanks for getting the food in.’
He doesn’t look up. ‘I didn’t really have much choice, did I, Fi?’
At his words, I hold myself very still. I had thought Nathan was cool with us having Kelly’s children to stay, but I obviously misread the situation.
He continues looking at his phone for a while, and I wonder if I should leave him to it. I’m just about to get up and leave the room when he shifts around in his seat and looks directly at me. ‘You knew how much I’d been looking forward to today,’ he says through gritted teeth, tossing his phone down on the sofa. ‘This race was the one day I got to relax and do something I love. My chance to show this town who I am. And then I actually win the race and hope that my