Page 21 of The Sunrise Sisterhood

‘Skye?’ Clare smiled stiffly. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you!’

Liz stifled a groan. ‘Didn’t your dad phone and tell you Skye would be here?’

‘Nope.’ Clare looked from Liz to Skye and back again. ‘But there again, neither did you.’

Liz felt her face flood with heat. ‘He wanted to be the one to tell you.’

Clare gave a harsh laugh. ‘Well, he must have changed his mind because I’ve just come from his house, he never said a word. Just said that Skye was out.’

‘Out of sight, out of mind probably,’ said Skye.

‘Nonsense,’ said Liz, noting her flat tone. ‘He’d never forget you – either of you.’

‘If it’s any consolation,’ said Clare, ‘I got the impression I wasn’t welcome.’

‘That can’t be true,’ said Skye. ‘He talks about you all the time. You can do no wrong in his eyes.’

‘Except exist,’ Clare scoffed.

Oh Mike, thought Liz, disappointed. He’d promised. Two wonderful daughters and he managed to make them both feel bad about themselves.

‘Anyway.’ Skye gave a weak smile. ‘It doesn’t matter now. It’s great to see you and I can’t wait to meet Ivy.’

‘You won’t have long to wait,’ said Liz, as Ivy opened her eyes and let out a loud wail.

Clare bent down to lift the baby out of her car seat.

‘OK, darling, we’re here. Sh-sh-sh.’ She kissed the top of Ivy’s head and, with the baby in her arms, she walked towards Skye. ‘It’s been a long time.’

Liz held her breath as she watched the half-sisters hug.

‘Hello, little one.’ The tension on Skye’s face dissolved as Ivy touched Skye’s armful of bracelets. She wiggled her arm, making them jingle, and Ivy’s face softened into a shy smile. ‘She’s beautiful.’

‘She is,’ Clare agreed. ‘Ivy meet Skye.’

Liz exhaled with relief. So far, so good.

‘Uh-uh,’ Ivy babbled, holding both arms out to Skye.

‘Oh, look!’ Skye beamed. ‘She wants to come to me. May I?’

‘I’ll carry her up the stairs, if you don’t mind,’ said Clare, tightening her grip on the little girl. ‘Maybe you could get her high chair from the boot? And her changing bag next to her car seat?’

‘Oh. Sure.’ Skye looked deflated. ‘No problem.’

‘Probably not a bad idea, in that long skirt,’ said Liz, quick to excuse Clare’s blunt rebuttal. ‘You might trip over. I’ll bring one of the other bags.’

‘These steps are lethal,’ Clare added, pulling a suitcase out of the boot. ‘You wait until it’s dark.’

‘I have been here before, you know,’ Skye said lightly. ‘And let me take that one, it looks heavy.’

‘I can manage,’ said Clare. ‘I’m used to it. We live in a top-floor flat, and I had to load the car up by myself.’

‘But you’re not by yourself here,’ Liz intervened, taking the case off her. ‘So let me.’

Between them, they managed to get most of Clare and Ivy’s luggage into the house in one trip. The rest could wait, Clare told them. She lowered the baby onto the tiled floor, and everyone laughed as she crawled straight to the toy box in the corner and pulled herself up to delve inside it.

‘She remembers where the toys are!’ Liz exclaimed. ‘She’s made herself at home already.’