The Truth About You (44 page)

‘She’s not going to tell Dad, moron. She won’t want him to know any more than you do.’

This was true. She had to remember that. ‘But what if he tells someone?’

‘If he does, we just deny it, but no way is he going to do that. He doesn’t even have the photos any more, so he can’t prove it.’

Tierney’s cheeks paled. ‘Tell me you didn’t look at them, please say you didn’t.’

‘I didn’t. Nadia took care of it, and she texted after to say they were all deleted.’

‘Oh my God, she must hate me now.’

Max shrugged. ‘I doubt it, but who knows. Anyway, a thanks would have been nice, but . . .’

‘Thank you, thank you,’ she cried, throwing her arms around him. ‘You’re the best brother in the world, and I’m sorry you got a black eye. Did he do that?’

‘Yeah, but I can promise you he’s looking a lot worse. Hey Zav, what’s up, little man?’

‘Dad said I had to come and get you,’ Zav told him.

Max was about to respond when Skye shoved Zav out of the way to get into the room. ‘Hey, don’t take your shit out on him,’ he growled.

‘You are such a fucking loser,’ Skye hissed at him. ‘You all are,’ she added, glaring at Tierney. ‘No way am I staying around here while you’ve got that slapper out there . . .’

‘She’s not a slapper,’ Max informed her, ‘and no one’s forcing you to stay. If you need a ride to the station I’ll be happy to help out.’

‘Max!’ Tierney cried, as Skye turned white. ‘That was just mean. Why did you have to say that?’

He seemed confused. ‘I thought I was being friendly,’ he replied. ‘I mean, how else is she going to get there?’

‘Just go,’ Tierney told him.

‘And I’ve informed your
girlfriend
that you’ve been screwing me all this time,’ Skye snarled after him, ‘so happy holiday, you fucking bell end.’

‘Cool,’ Max muttered as he swaggered out of the room.

‘Don’t,’ Skye snapped, as Tierney tried to comfort her. ‘Just leave me alone, OK?’

‘But you’re really upset, and . . .’

‘I said, leave me alone. You’ve got everything you want now, your brother’s sorted out the psycho, your dad’s back with your mum, you’ve even got a new best friend out there on the terrace, plus a sister waiting in the wings, so what do you need me for? I’m just in the way . . .’

‘That’s not true.’

‘Yes it is, so do me a favour and get out of my face.’

Not knowing what else to do, Tierney stood watching Skye as she began stuffing her clothes and make-up into her bags. ‘I don’t want to fall out with you,’ she said lamely. ‘Can’t we just . . .’

‘No! We can’t do anything. You’re just an immature, snivelling, spoiled little brat. I don’t know why I ever bothered with you. I suppose I felt sorry for you. Actually, I still do, because your family is seriously fucked up and so are you.’

Ashen-faced, Tierney retorted, ‘It’s your family that has the problem, not mine, and for your information, if Christie asks me if it’s true about you and Max I’m going to tell her it was all in your head,’ and still feeling terrible for Skye she stalked out of the room.

Down at the pool Lainey was sprawled out on a lounger, aching with laughter at Tom’s attempts to get into the boat. He’d made it now, just, but was lying on his front, not daring to turn over in case he ended up with another dunking.

‘Come on, Dad, you can do it,’ Zav cried, jumping up and down at the shallow end.

‘Just go really slow,’ Alfie advised, pushing a ball under the water and letting it shoot up in a fountain.

‘No, I’m nice and comfy like this,’ Tom assured them, clinging to the sides with one leg still in the pool.

Lainey practically howled she laughed so hard.

‘Whoa, Dad, need some help there?’ Max offered, appearing with Christie.

‘Not from you, thanks,’ Tom muttered.

Passing Lainey her phone, Max said, ‘It kept ringing.’

Taking it, she said to Christie, ‘Why don’t you get changed into a swimsuit?’

‘We’re about to go and move her stuff into the apartment,’ Max replied, ‘so you won’t be seeing us for a while.’

‘Too much information,’ Tom grunted.

Max regarded him thoughtfully, until noticing the boat was drifting close to the edge of the pool, he went to give it a hefty shove back to the middle.

‘You’ll pay for that!’ Tom warned.

Max grinned, and tossing Alfie’s ball back to him he slipped an arm round Christie to walk her up to the car.

‘Adriana’s inviting us for a barbecue tonight,’ Lainey told Tom as she read her texts.

‘Sounds great,’ he replied, his voice skimming along the bottom of the boat.

‘Apparently Marco’s wife is going to be there.’

‘Dad, do you want your phone? It’s been ringing,’ Tierney said, coming to sit on the edge of the pool.

Tom almost reached out a hand. ‘Oh no, I’m not falling for that,’ he told her.

‘Honest,’ she laughed. ‘You’ve got three missed calls.’

Before he could answer Skye screamed from the top of the steps, ‘You’re all a bunch of fucking losers. I can’t wait to get out of here.’

Lainey sat up; Tom lifted his head and the next instant he was under the boat.

As everyone exploded into laughter Lainey realised Skye would think they were laughing at her, but by the time she had rushed to the top of the steps Skye was already getting into a car at the gates.

‘I feel really bad for her,’ Tierney said, coming to stand with her mother.

‘So do I,’ Lainey sighed, giving her a hug. ‘I’ll go and check on her later to make sure she’s told at least one of her parents where she is.’

‘She hardly ever sees her dad, so she won’t have told him.’

Understanding this was almost certainly at the root of Skye’s constant need for male attention, Lainey tightened her hold on Tierney.

‘She was really close to him once,’ Tierney said. ‘Like I’ve always been with Dad.’

‘And nothing will ever change that,’ Lainey assured her.

Tierney didn’t answer.

Turning to her, Lainey put her hands on her shoulders. ‘You’re thinking about Julia, aren’t you?’ she said.

Tierney nodded. ‘Aren’t you worried about it too?’ she asked.

Lainey held her close as she tried to find the right words. ‘I’m not saying it won’t take some getting used to,’ she said, ‘but we’ll have to keep remembering how difficult things are for her, with her mother being ill.’

Tierney nodded glumly. ‘I know, and I feel sorry for her about that, honestly, but what if she turns out to be a bitch?’

‘I’m sure she won’t. Dad says she’s very sweet . . .’

‘He would, wouldn’t he?’

Keeping an arm round her shoulders as they started back to the pool, Lainey suggested, ‘Why don’t we make a pact, you and me, that no matter what, we’ll always be there for each other.’

Instantly accepting this, Tierney said, ‘I’ll definitely be there for you, Mum, and if there’s ever anything you want to talk about you know you can always come to me.’

‘Thank you,’ Lainey replied with a smile. ‘Same goes for you.’ She waited, but since nothing was forthcoming she said, ‘I’m not going to insist on knowing what’s been going on lately, but if you do ever feel the need to discuss . . .’

‘Don’t worry, I won’t. I mean, nothing’s been going on, and anyway, everything’s all right now, because Dad’s here. What I’m saying is . . .’

‘It’s OK,’ Lainey interrupted, ‘I was your age once, so I understand there are always going to be things you really don’t want your mother to know . . .’

‘Just like Granny didn’t want you to know things about her.’

‘Precisely, and we can’t blame Granny for wanting to keep her secrets to herself, can we?’

‘Definitely not. So do you think it might have made a difference when you were growing up if she’d told you the truth?’

Since this was a question Lainey had asked herself several times these last few days, she was able to say, ‘I’d certainly have understood things better, and I probably wouldn’t have gone through such intense periods of self-doubt, or of resenting her the way I sometimes did. Now, back to you: just promise me you’re not in debt, or involved in drugs, or pregnant.’

‘I swear I’m none of those things,’ Tierney responded with feeling.

‘And I was definitely wrong about the married man?’

‘Definitely.’

‘Good. Then we’ll leave it there.’ She was watching Tom, now sitting on the edge of the pool and clearly waiting for her to join him.

FOR LAINEY, THE
very best part of being back at Bannerleigh Cross was seeing her father’s face light up as she walked through the door. It moved her straight to tears as he wrapped her in his arms, seeming almost like his old self for those few precious moments.

‘How was the show?’ he asked. ‘Were they good?’

‘Excellent,’ she assured him, having no idea what or who he was talking about. ‘You’d have loved it.’

‘I’m sure I would,’ he beamed. ‘Did your mother enjoy it too? Where is she?’

Hugging his arm, she led him back to his chair. ‘She’ll be here soon. She stayed on for some shopping, but the children are with me.’

‘Sarah and Esther? I don’t ever see them now.’

‘Actually, they popped in yesterday,’ Daffs corrected, her kind, fleshy face creased with affection as she shared her brother’s pleasure at having his eldest daughter home.

‘They did?’ Lainey said, surprised. Her sisters almost never came.

Daffs continued to smile as she shook her head. ‘I find it distresses him less if he doesn’t feel neglected,’ she murmured.

Having no argument with that, Lainey said, ‘So how have you been, Dad? It looks as though Aunt Daffs’ cooking has agreed with you.’ In truth, he appeared to have lost weight, and her aunt confirmed it when she asked.

‘He doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite,’ Daffs confided, as Tierney and Zav hauled their bags in through the door.

‘Grandpa!’ they shouted in unison, and as Peter looked up in confusion Tierney flew into his lap, while Zav collapsed over Sherman.

‘It’ll probably come back now you’re home,’ Daffs added.

‘How has he seemed otherwise?’ Lainey asked, glancing past her aunt to where Tom was outside, still unpacking the car, while talking to someone on the phone.

‘Well, actually, I was a bit worried yesterday,’ Daffs confided. ‘He wasn’t himself at all. He couldn’t hold his cup, or get his food to his mouth. We wondered if he’d had one of those mini-strokes again, you know, like he had a few months ago, but by the time the doctor came he seemed much better.’

Concerned, Lainey turned to look at him, but he was smiling so happily at the fuss being made of him by his grandchildren that apart from the weight loss, she could see nothing to be alarmed about for now.

‘Did Tom come back with you?’ Daffs asked, going to put the kettle on.

‘Yes, he’ll be in shortly,’ Lainey replied, suspecting he was talking to Kirsten, and trying not to resent the fact that she’d barely allowed him to get off the plane before she’d started ringing again. Over the past few days it had felt almost as though she was in Italy with them, she’d called so often. Whether they were sightseeing in Perugia, barbecuing with the Stefanis, or struggling to watch the Palio in Siena, she was constantly on the phone, and though Lainey was trying to be understanding it wasn’t always easy.

‘I don’t want to pry,’ Daffs said quietly, ‘but is everything OK between you two now?’

Brightening, Lainey said, ‘Yes, it’s fine. I’ll explain it all later, but we’re more or less back to normal. Where’s Uncle Jack?’

‘Oh, he’s taken Marty to the garden centre to pick up some plants for the old people’s home. They were here playing cards this morning. Your father actually managed a snap!’

Looking suitably impressed, Lainey began unloading the olive oil and pasta she’d brought back for her aunt, looking up curiously as Tom came in with more bags. ‘Is she OK?’ she asked.

‘Actually, it was Max,’ he responded as he dutifully embraced Daffs. ‘He wants you to text instructions on how to make a tagliata, and if I can get his Internet reconnected by the time he comes home he’ll be my friend for life.’

Lainey couldn’t help but laugh at the drollery in Tom’s expression.

‘So Max stayed on, did he?’ Daffs asked.

‘For another week,’ Tom confirmed, starting to carry the heavier bags into the hall. ‘Come on you two,’ he called out to Tierney and Zav, ‘let Grandpa breathe and help get this lot upstairs.’

‘Can Maudie come over?’ Tierney asked, as she sauntered past her mother to scoop up the smallest of her bags.

‘If you like,’ Lainey responded, looking curiously at Tom as he beckoned her to follow him into his study.

Once the door was securely closed, he caught her in his arms and pulled her against him.

‘Wow!’ she smiled, feeling how aroused he was.

‘All the way back on the plane,’ he murmured, ‘I kept looking at you and thinking how damned lucky I am to have you.’

She nodded agreement. ‘Yeah, I suppose I can’t argue with that,’ she teased, ‘but do you think now is the right time to do something about it?’

He had to shake his head. ‘I guess not, but you look so damned sexy in those shorts and with a tan that I don’t know if I can wait till I get back.’

She frowned and pulled away. ‘Back from where?’ she asked.

The expression on his face was answer enough.

‘Oh Tom, we’ve only just got here . . .’

‘I know, I know, but I promised I’d be there for when Julia gets home.’

‘Exactly when did you make that promise?’ she enquired frostily.

‘Last night. I didn’t say anything sooner, because I didn’t want to spoil what little time we had left and I knew you probably wouldn’t be happy.’

Sighing, she said, ‘You’re right, I’m not, but if Julia’s expecting you I suppose you can’t let her down. I just want you to remember that we need you here too, and if I’m going to support you through this, which I am, I think we need to start setting a few ground rules.’

‘Anything,’ he declared rashly.

She smiled. ‘I’ll work on them while you’re gone, but most importantly, both you and Kirsten need to understand that no matter how sick she is, not everything can be about her and Julia.’