‘Really, I’ll get these,’ Beth objected, taking out a crisp ten-pound note from her purse.
‘Put it away, darling, I insist.’ She gave Kyle, as his badge informed them was his name, a huge stage wink. The boy didn’t crack a smile. He stared at Margot, holding out his hand for the money.
She handed him some cash and turned to Beth, shaking her head. ‘Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with young people these days. No humour.’
Kyle handed them their drinks and they grabbed a table in the corner by the window.
As they sat down Margot smoothed out the creases from her dress. She saw Beth staring at her and smiled. ‘You like? It’s Prada, darling. I got it in Paris at fashion week.’
‘It’s beautiful. Really suits you,’ Beth said. Margot swatted her hand, with a smile on her face.
‘So…’ Beth started. ‘Camping?’ She raised an eyebrow.
‘It was an absolute bloody nightmare, darling! I tell you. If I ever think about doing anything like that again, you have my permission to slap me, please. You should have seen the lavatories. I didn’t urinate for five entire days.’
Beth laughed, pleased for the distraction. ‘What on earth were you thinking?’
Margot took a sip from her oat latte, then dabbed at the corner of her mouth with a paper napkin.
‘The trip was on the verge of being cancelled if they couldn’t find another chaperone. These kids, they don’t have good lives. It’s rare they look forward to anything. So to cancel something like this trip… for them it would be absolutely devastating. I couldn’t do that to them. As awful as it was… it was worth it to see them enjoying themselves.’
Beth took a sip from her own drink, slightly in awe of Margot. The woman was a machine. She worked long hours, sometimes seven days a week. When she wasn’t working, she seemed to be off somewhere helping out for some good cause or another. Beth felt so tired after her Monday to Friday, nine-to-five, that she could barely manage a conversation with her husband at the weekends, let alone keep her own children entertained.
Margot finished her coffee, then pulled a compact mirror from her small Chanel handbag. She opened the case and reapplied her lipstick, as quick as a flash. The edges perfect and precise. She snapped the mirror closed, popping it back in her bag.
‘Anyway, darling, I’ve got to go. I have an appointment with my accountant. Was lovely to see you though. Let’s do lunch one day this week. I’m back in the office on Monday.’ She stood up from her chair, and glided gracefully out of the coffee shop, leaving a trail of perfume in her wake.
Beth stared after her for a few moments. Two short beeps from her purse told her a text message had arrived. She pulled her mobile from the bag, glancing at the screen. It was from Peter.
At the car. Where are you?
Beth drained her mug of what was left of her drink and then left the café, making her way back towards the shops.
* * *
Peter stood leaning against his mother’s car. Two girls from school, Melissa and Jodie approached him, and started chatting.
‘Can’t believe the holidays are nearly finished,’ Jodie said, smiling at Peter, twiddling her hair. ‘Have you had a good summer?’
‘Yeah, it wasn’t bad,’ Peter replied nonchalantly, doing his best to sound mysterious and sexy. He saw his mother come around the corner on the high street and head towards the car, and he hoped to God that she wouldn’t embarrass him. As she got closer, he saw her expression change, and she picked up her pace a little.
‘Where’s your sister?’ she called to him. Peter looked back towards his mother, then down by his side where he thought Daisy was standing.
But she wasn’t there.
Peter shrugged and turned back towards his conversation.
‘Where is Daisy?’ Beth stormed up to Peter and stood in between him and the two girls.
Peter looked at his mother. The girls did too. ‘We’d best get off,’ Melissa said with a smirk on her face.
‘Yes, you best had,’ Beth said sternly, as they turned and walked away. Peter cringed.
‘She was right here, Mum, honest. She can’t be far away.’
‘You were supposed to be watching her!’
Peter scanned the crowds of people. What was Daisy wearing? He couldn’t even remember.
‘Daisy!’ Beth shouted. ‘Daisy, where are you?’
Peter thought she was overreacting, but nevertheless, he began calling out Daisy’s name too. People were looking, the panic in Beth’s voice causing a stir.
‘Excuse me…’ came a voice from behind Peter. He saw his mother spin round to face an elderly woman walking towards them, holding Daisy’s hand.
‘Daisy!’ Beth shouted. ‘Where the hell have you been?’ She snatched Daisy’s hand from the old lady.
‘She was looking in the window of the toy shop,’ the woman said.
‘Don’t you do that! What have I told you about wandering off? Don’t ever, ever wander away!’
Daisy looked scared. ‘I’m sorry, Mummy. The man said he wanted to show me something cool. I was only over there.’ Daisy pulled her hand away from Beth, turning and pointing towards the shops across the road.
‘What man?’ Beth demanded.
Peter watched dumbfounded as his mother shouted at his poor sister.
Daisy was fine. Peter couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
‘I don’t know,’ Daisy continued. ‘He said his name was Billy.’
The colour drained from Beth’s face.
‘He said that he knows you. He knew your name. That’s why I thought it would be okay.’
Peter frowned, guilty that this had happened while he was meant to be watching his sister. He didn’t recall seeing a man approach them, but admittedly his eyes had been on fixed on Melissa’s low-cut top.
He chided himself for not paying more attention to Daisy, but he hadn’t wanted her to tag along with him in the first place.
‘Daisy, what man? Where is he? Is he still here?’ Beth sounded calmer now, but Peter could tell she was still angry.
‘Daisy, where is the man?’
Daisy looked around,
