Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,142
what? A little older than Ava?”
The five-year-old looked up from her bowl, chomping through her last mouthful of potato.
Rupert nodded. “Leia, Mum made them give Nico a part, whereas Tarq and I were dumped with our nanny du jour at the craft services table. I was four and ate everything I could get my hands on. Good times!”
“I was two and can’t remember a bloody thing. Probably for the best.” Tarquin swirled his wine around his glass.
“I’m sorry, but the way she raised you boys horrifies me,” said Fiona, smoothing Ava’s wild hair. “I could never love one child more than another or pit them against each other. That’s so damaging.”
Leia nodded. The more she learned about Kiki and her questionable parenting, the worse she felt for Tarquin.
Rupert cocked an eyebrow. “You saying we’re damaged goods, Fi?” He punctuated his question with a chuckle.
“No, it’s just—it’s amazing you two don’t have it in for Nick! A lot of siblings would be jealous, resentful.”
Tarquin shook his head. “It’s not Nico’s fault. Any argument I have is with Mum, not him.” He downed a mouthful of red.
“Yeah…” Rupert paused, checking on Poppy before patting her back again. “Whenever Nick was a spoiled showbiz twat, Tarq and I took the piss.”
“Did we ever!” Tarquin snickered. “Nick hated being teased.”
“Still does!” said Rupert. “Even when he was annoying as hell, I still felt a bit sorry for him. Mum hired a second personal assistant with the sole purpose of dragging Nick from audition to audition. I’d be sat in science class thinking, ‘Glad it’s him, not me.’”
“Me, too.” Tarquin glanced at Ava slurping broth from her spoon. “Can you imagine putting this little one through all that? The public exposure, the pressure? Nick got most of Mum’s attention, but at what price? And she wonders why Nico has issues…”
“See!” Fiona’s voice jumped. “You do think it’s damaging! That’s why I told her flat out when Ava was born: don’t even think of playing favorites with our kids.”
Rupert made a face. “Well, there’s fat chance of that happening.”
What does that mean? Leia stilled, her squint shifting between Fiona, Rupert, and Tarquin.
Rupert paused, ensuring Ava was focused on her food before directing his explanation to Leia in hushed tones. “Turns out, she’s as crap a grandma as she is a mother. If it’s not about Kiki, she’s doesn’t really give a—”
Leia’s phone launched into “Stop.” She grimaced and yanked her purse up from the floor. “Sorry…”
“Mummy!” Ava dropped her spoon in her empty bowl. “That song!”
“I know, sweetie!” Fiona stood up, collecting her daughter’s bowl as Leia sent the caller to voicemail. “We sing along to the Spice Girls in the car all the time. Ava can’t get enough!”
“Is it Sarah?” Tarquin leaned in.
“No, it’s a US area code. It can wait.”
“Leia, feel free to call them back,” said Fiona, stacking bowls and plates. “It’ll give me a minute to get dessert ready.”
“Ice cream!” Ava squealed. “Can I have chocolate and apple cwumble?”
“Yes, but only small scoops, Av.” Fiona gave her daughter a knowing grin and picked up Rupert’s dishes. “Leia, we’ve got strawberry, vanilla honeycomb, chocolate, apple crumble, toffee with Orkney fudge…”
This family loves its ice cream! “Vanilla honeycomb sounds good.”
“It’s incredible. All made locally, too.” Tarquin joined Fiona, gathering bowls and plates. “I’ll help.”
“Oh, sure! You just want to pinch extra fudge!” Fiona laughed, heading for the kitchen.
“Well, Orkney fudge IS the dog’s bollocks!” Hands full with dishes and cutlery, Tarquin kissed Leia on the top of the head and whispered, “Be right back.”
“I come, too!” Ava clambered off her chair and raced after her uncle.
Sat alone with Rupert and the baby, Leia flashed a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll just see who called.” Pressing the phone to her ear, she listened to the rambling message, the voice ducking and diving until it finally revealed its reason for calling. Shit. Disappointment pooled in her stomach. So that’s it, then. She lowered her phone, erasing the recording with a resigned press of her finger.
“Is everything all right?” Rupert kissed Poppy on the top of her head.
Leia rubbed her temple. “It’s a supplier I was checking out. I heard about this amazing vegan leather made from mushrooms. It’s meant to be softer and more breathable than animal leather, plus it’s completely biodegradable—perfect for Frill-Seekers.”
“Sounds great!” said Rupert as the baby’s pudgy hand grabbed hold of his shirt’s collar.
“Yeah, too great, unfortunately. Turns out they’re not as environmentally friendly as I thought.” Leia glanced up. Tarquin carried a plate