‘Leave her alone, Chloe,’ Ben chided so gently I wanted to grip the steering wheel and bawl my eyes out. My little guy, the one who had suffered since he was born, always on my side, whilst Chloe seemed bent on making my life a misery. ‘Can’t you see how hard she works, Chloe? Give her some slack and apologise.’
But Chloe continued to stare out the window at the passers-by and I could see my own stubbornness in her high, fair forehead, in the delicate pout of her mouth as she tortured the hem of her uniform with her long, slim fingers.
Chloe was still a girl, not even a teenager, technically, and yet her peers were pushing her along faster than she could go. This Simon guy didn’t seem like much of a catch if he’d already turned his back on her because of her socks.
‘Chloe?’ Ben said and she groaned.
‘Right.’
‘Right, what?’ he persisted. The kid was a sister-whisperer.
‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered. ‘Can we go home now?’
I sighed and turned on the ignition on my first try. That was as good as it was going to get today.
3
Something’s Gotta Give
An hour later or so, Jack came over early to take a look at our barking fridge. I had resolved to leave him with it, but I was so worried that I couldn’t help but hover over him as he prodded at the tiny bits in the back.
‘So what’s wrong with it?’ I finally asked when he put the cover back on.
‘Nothing, if you don’t consider old age. How long have you had it?’
‘Since before Chloe was born.’
He dipped his head. ‘Then there’s your answer.’
‘Is it dangerous?’
‘No, not the fridge per se, but you might want to look at the wiring back there; it doesn’t look too happy.’
‘Oh, God, really? Phil rewired the place when we moved in.’
Jack refrained from what was obviously on his mind. ‘Just have it looked at as soon as possible, okay?’
‘’Kay,’ I promised, wondering where that money was coming from. And where it all went, actually. And speaking of, a moment later Chloe came back from Alf’s Post Of ice, at least a half hour late when I’d only sent her to get a tin of corn with my last fifty-pound note.
‘I was about to call a search party on you,’ I said, trying not to sound too anxious. ‘Did you get the corn?’
As an answer, she dumped it on the island before me and proceeded across the kitchen to go upstairs.
‘May I have the change, please?’ I asked.
She halted, her back to me. Uh-oh. Not a good sign. Chloe was famous for never lying, but I knew something was up. She turned around defiantly. ‘There is no change. I’ve spent it all.’
All of it? My very last fifty for the month? Hold on, don’t have a coronary yet. And remember we have a guest. You don’t want Jack or anyone to think you treat your children unfairly.
‘Chloe, what did you spend it on?’
She hesitated.
‘Chloe?’
She huffed and upended her rucksack onto the island next to my tray. It was strewn with magazines, cosmetics and junk food. Forty-five pounds’ worth of it. Jack glanced at me and discreetly disappeared out the back door to give us some privacy.
I took a deep breath, debating rather than spewing out my frustration with her. I was never one to hurt my children’s feelings, but right about now, I longed to give her a solid lecture that would open her eyes about reality and the value of money.
And yet, I dared not scold her too harshly. Why should she not have what her friends had? It was part of growing up and fitting in. Why should Chloe have to suffer just because I had made a bad choice and got myself pregnant at nineteen?
She stood before me, defiantly, but her fragility made me love her even more. Because the break-up had affected her much more than it had Ben, and she bravely, albeit not peacefully, trudged through it.
‘Aren’t you going to say anything?’ she taunted, just begging for an argument. But I waved Jack back in.
‘No,’ I said. ‘Nothing you don’t already know.’
‘Good,’ she said, pushing all her stuff off the island and onto the floorboards before turning away to flounce up the stairs.
I sighed inwardly as I smiled an apology and Jack took the heavy oven tray from me.
‘I’ll dish up,’ he offered. ‘You have a seat. It’s been a long day.’
‘And it’ll be an even longer night,’ I said with a sigh.
‘Never mind. Eat,’ he said, filling Ben’s plate and then dishing me up a huge portion before serving himself.
‘Mum, don’t mind her. It’s just growing pains, is all,’ Ben said as he came in. ‘Can I eat this on a tray in the living room, please, Mum? Dr Who is on. I promise I won’t spill anything.’
I kissed his cheek. ‘Of course. Off you go, love.’
Whenever I thought there was no hope and that I was a crap mother, Ben always said something to melt my heart.
Later, Jack commented, ‘I have to say, Nina, you handle things with such…’
‘Weakness?’ I suggested.
‘Silly. I was going to say love. Those kids are so lucky.’
I snorted into my wine glass as I made to take a sip. ‘Thanks, Jack, but we can both see that what works with Ben doesn’t work with Chloe. She just does everything she can to piss me off.’
‘She’s still angry about the divorce.’
‘A divorce that’s been dragging on for three years now, Jack. You’d think she’d be over it by now. At least I had thought so. Blimey, was I wrong.’
‘These things take time – you know that.’
‘And as if that wasn’t enough, she blindly sides with Phil.’
‘She just does it to hurt
