seen it. How she still saw it.
“Now she’s better than me at the office, and Dad will love her even more!”
I shook my head. “No. He won’t. He loves both of you.”
“I wanted to do better than her! That way he’d know I was better than her! Even if I’m not the pretty one with blonde hair! Even if I’m not the cutest one! The sweetest one!” The tears came thick and fast. “She’s… she’s… she’s better than me!”
So much I wanted to say. So many things to put her outlook in perspective, but I decided against it. The girl was wired and hysterical, far too worked up to be rational.
I couldn’t talk sense into her about her childhood post Katie, not just like that, but I could help her make the best of things now.
I took her elbow, pulled her to her feet, and for the first time in my life I reached out to Verity Faverley and wrapped my arm around her shoulders while she cried.
“Nobody is better than anyone,” I said. “We’re all just people.”
“She is…”
“She probably feels the same about you, have you ever thought about that?”
She shook her head. “She doesn’t. She wants all my things, my dad, too.”
I smiled. “I know for a fact that isn’t true,” I said. “She’s just trying to do her job so she can go and meet that horse whisperer guy, just the same as you are.”
“You would say that,” she said. “You love her, too. It’s obvious. You can’t stop staring at her.” Her lip went again. “Even gay men love perfect little Katie.”
I didn’t attempt to explain or deny, just let out a sigh, and hugged her a little bit tighter. “I’ll help,” I said. “Monday morning we’ll do some extra coaching.”
“We will?” she said.
“We will. But this has to stop, all this hate and bitterness, for both of you.”
“But she…”
“No,” I said. “It has to stop.” I met her eyes, forced her to meet my gaze. “Say you’ll try.”
“I don’t think I can…”
“Try, Verity, you just have to try. That’s all. Just try. Give it a shot.”
She held off for long seconds, halfway between scowling and sobbing, and then she sighed, her lip trembling.
“Alright,” she said. “I’ll try. Just make sure I sell something so Dad doesn’t hate me.” Her tone softened. “Please.”
I held out my hand. “That’s a deal,” I said.
“Aren’t you going to open that?” I tipped my head towards the golden envelope she’d tossed on the dashboard like junk mail.
She shrugged. “Dunno. Probably not.”
I turned out of the business park, pulling into the traffic queue. Rush hour. Gridlock. “You earned it, you should open it.”
“I don’t want anything from him. Except my Harrison Gables trip. That’s the only reason I’m here.”
“The only reason?” I shot her a smile. “You’re telling me you didn’t enjoy today just a little bit? Didn’t enjoy putting your ticks on the board?” I paused. “Don’t you enjoy our little lunchtime chats?”
She tutted at me. “Alright, yes, I enjoy some things. I still don’t want his shitty envelope, though.”
“Fine,” I said, and reached over to take it. “I’ll save it for Monday, give it to the next person to get a tick on the board.” She shot me a look and it said it all. I laughed, dropped it in her lap. “Open it,” I said.
She poked her tongue out, and then she opened it.
“Well?” I prompted.
She cast it back onto the dash. “Vouchers. Some posh clothes shop I’ll never visit in a million years.”
“Why won’t you?”
“It’s not me.”
“Why isn’t it?”
She shrugged. “It’s just not. I’m not Verity. I don’t do all polished and preened and pompous.”
“You don’t do pompous,” I agreed. “Polished and preened, however. You do those very nicely.”
“Thanks.” She smiled. “I’m still not going.”
I didn’t push it, just smiled to myself as she took the voucher from the dash and slipped it into her bag. “He’s very proud of you.” I looked over at her. “As am I.”
“My second call was lucky.”
I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t. I heard it.”
“You did?”
“I did.” I reached over and squeezed her knee. “I mean it, Katie, I’m very proud. You should be, too.”
“You helped me,” she said. “A lot. Thanks.”
“I helped everyone, but it was you who put those ticks on the board. You.”
Finally, for the first time since the awkward hug with her father, she gave me a proper smile. It started at her eyes and went all the way down to the fingers that squeezed mine.