both men stepped outside – ‘and I do hope the conference isn’t too dull.’
Ben opened his mouth to say something, but Charlie appeared to nudge him in the ribs.
‘It will be boring as hell,’ said Charlie firmly.
Willow waved, then shut the door after them. She turned back to Emma.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah, great. Why wouldn’t I be?’
Emma was smiling again, but Willow felt it was forced. Her friend had arrived lit up like a hundred-watt lightbulb, but within seconds the sparkle had dimmed.
‘You look like someone who has just had a ton weight dumped on their shoulders.’
‘Oh, it’s something and nothing,’ Emma shrugged. ‘Are you ready to go?’
‘Almost. I just need to change handbags.’
Emma followed Willow upstairs to her bedroom.
‘So define “something and nothing”,’ said Willow.
She scattered the contents of a formal black bag used for work across her duvet. Today she would use her tan satchel. It would look perfect teamed with her jeans and brown leather boots. For a moment Willow’s fingers hovered mid-air as she contemplated which bits of paraphernalia she required.
‘Well’ – Emma plonked herself down on one corner of the bed – ‘I’m now thirty years old.’
‘And what’s wrong with that?’ asked Willow, shoving a lipstick into the satchel’s inner zip pocket. ‘You’re talking to a woman who had the same birthday herself last week. I survived.’
‘Yeah.’ Emma gave Willow a wan grin. ‘But it’s not so much the age thing as–’
‘What?’
‘Well, look at me.’ Emma spread her arms wide. ‘Single and alone.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with being single and alone,’ Willow protested.
‘And back home with her mum,’ Emma added mutinously.
‘Fair comment,’ said Willow.
Much as she loved her own mother, Willow really wouldn’t want to be under the parental roof again.
‘At least your mum is still young and trendy,’ Willow pointed out.
‘Which means she nicks all my clothes and make-up,’ Emma countered.
‘Ah. Point taken.’
Willow’s own mother was much older than Emma’s. Unlike Karen Everest, Willow’s mum had long succumbed to the menopause and middle-age spread, whereas Karen still had a whippet-thin body and could even have another baby if she so desired.
‘I guess swiping your stuff is the downside to having such a youthful mother. She did, after all, start a family very early in life.’
‘Too early.’ Emma’s lip curled. ‘She was still a kid herself. And that’s why I’m feeling a bit fed up. Today I’ve reached a “big” birthday… and so has Noah.’
Willow paused in buckling up the satchel and regarded Emma for a moment.
‘You know, sometimes I forget you have a twin.’
‘So does Mum.’
‘Oh come on, Ems. I’m sure Karen hasn’t forgotten about Noah. After all, she gave birth to him.’
‘Huh. She kept her baby boy for all of five minutes, before allowing my father’s family to take Noah away.’
‘But that’s how your parents worked things out,’ said Willow gently. ‘You know all this. Their quarrels about custody. How they compromised with each other to resolve arguments.’
‘Yeah.’
Emma gazed at the carpet for a moment.
‘My mum’s family raised me, and Dad’s family raised Noah. But everyone on my dad’s side emigrated. What sort of relationship have I had with any of them? Sporadic, that’s what. And Noah isn’t just my brother. He’s my twin. Twins are meant to have such a special relationship. But ours has been long-distance. We’ve lived nine-and-a-half thousand miles apart and I’ve been denied that special bond.’ She blinked furiously. ‘My relationship with both my father and brother has been very patchy.’
‘Hardly surprising, given the distance,’ Willow carefully pointed out.
‘But it’s more than that,’ Emma sniffed. ‘Mum has positively encouraged me not to have too much contact. I’ve turned down numerous invitations to Australia, and all to appease Mum. You see, she doesn’t like being reminded of Noah. It flags up her past which, before she got pregnant, was full of wild parties. She’d rather forget the years that culminated in her giving up one of her children.’
‘Perhaps it’s Karen’s coping mechanism,’ Willow pointed out. ‘After all, it can’t have been easy giving her little boy up.’
‘Yes, and I get that. But it’s still hard to deal with. It’s on significant days like today – our birthdays – that I struggle with keeping the resentment buried.’
Emma’s eyes shone with unshed tears and she hastily blinked.
‘This morning I received a lovely card from Noah.’
She opened her handbag and rootled within.
‘He also sent this.’
Emma passed a piece of paper to Willow.
Taking it, Willow immediately saw it was a photograph. Her eyes widened at the image. A man. And a drop-dead-gorgeous one at that.