Page 76 of The Sunrise Sisterhood

‘Oh, Mum,’ said Clare, her eyes welling with tears. ‘That was exactly the right thing to do.’

Skye nodded. ‘Very sensible. I reversed mine over my girlfriend’s foot and then shot forward in shock and hit her dad’s car. She dumped me, unsurprisingly, and Mum and Dad went bananas. I ended up resenting that car.’

She steeled herself, waiting for a reaction. Not about the car but about the girlfriend.

‘Gosh,’ said Liz, widening her eyes.

Clare frowned. ‘So, it was a girlfriend. I always wondered.’

Skye nodded. ‘More of a crush really, nothing serious.’

‘I had no idea,’ said Liz. ‘Your father only ever mentioned boys to me.’

‘Sounds about right,’ said Skye, flatly. ‘I’ve had those too, and what he doesn’t like, he ignores.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Clare sniffed. ‘I should have been a better big sister to you. I was probably horrible.’

‘Ah, don’t cry.’ Skye handed her a tissue. ‘But, yes, you were.’

They shared a laugh, and weirdly, Skye felt closer to Clare than she ever had.

‘Thanks for telling me all that stuff about Dad and Frankie.’ Clare sniffed. ‘I’m sorry about the Venn diagram thing. Me and Mum were a Venn diagram of two. But what linked us was … everything, I guess. I was the centre of her world, and she was the centre of mine. Even after I discovered boys, I told her everything. The night I met Adam, she was the one I wanted to tell.’ Clare pressed her lips together, as if shutting the story down.

‘Will someone put me out of my misery and tell me what a Venn diagram is and where I fit in,’ Liz said.

The other two laughed.

‘You link us all,’ said Skye. ‘You’re the lynchpin of the family.’

‘You turn our Venn diagrams into Olympic rings,’ Clare put in. ‘Although I’m not sure what Olympic event we’d compete at.’

‘Oh, darling.’ Liz pressed a hand to her chest. ‘That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in a long time. Well, except for …’

She didn’t get to finish the sentence because her phone rang. She waved sticky hands at Skye and asked her to answer it, which she did. Her dad’s number flashed up on the screen and it took all of her willpower not to call him out on his lie about the day of Clare’s graduation and her birthday.

‘Dad, hi, it’s Skye. Liz is up to her eyes in pea and mint dip.’

‘Fair enough. Is she well? How’s it working out? Enjoying the job? Getting on with Clare OK?’

‘Really well,’ Skye replied, deciding to keep the small matter of Liz’s drinking to herself. ‘Or, I should say, business is good. Clare’s had a nasty accident and broken her arm.’

‘Oh dear,’ Mike sucked in a breath. ‘I broke my wrist once playing squash, I still won the game though. Tell her to do all the exercises they give her. She mustn’t lose the mobility in her arm, she’s no spring chicken anymore. I was back to full fitness in four months.’

Skye rolled her eyes. How did he always manage to make any subject about himself?

‘I’ll be sure to give her your love and pass on your good wishes,’ said Skye, looking at Clare, who raised her eyebrows in surprise.

‘Yes, yes, of course,’ he replied warily.

Ivy pulled herself up using the furniture and sidestepped over to her, waggling her fingers.

‘Dad, Ivy wants a word, I’ll put her on.’

‘Oh right,’ said Mike without enthusiasm.

She held the phone to Ivy’s ear. ‘Say hello to Grandad.’

Ivy made a series of noises and tried to put the phone in her mouth. Mike remained silent. Skye rescued it from being licked.