Page 19
“Only briefly,” said Maya, lifting their mugs from the side to take over to the table. “She’s got much more important things to worry about.”
Liv nodded, frowning. “Did you see her message in the WhatsApp group?”
Maya shook her head, lifting out her phone. “No.”
“It came during your drive over,” Liv said, bringing the teapot and milk jug to the table.
Maya took a seat, opening the app to check. “She’s coming home next weekend! Brilliant.”
“Yes,” Liv said, sitting across from her. “The three musketeers all together again. I can’t wait to see wee Jack. I’ll bet he’s getting so big.”
“I know,” Maya said, thinking about the last time she’d seen Jack. He’d been only a few months old at his dad’s funeral. A cold trickle went down her spine.
Liv grimaced. “Good job we got rid of the fourth musketeer. She didn’t fit with the reference.”
Maya almost gagged at the mention of Cat. Funny, she hadn’t really thought about her during the last few years. Something about seeing Sam properly and having to have a conversation with him had brought all the old feelings back.
“Hmm,” was all she could manage.
“You know she’s been kicking up a stink about Sam coming to Mum’s on Christmas Day?” Liv continued, not appearing to notice Maya’s discomfort.
Under normal circumstances, Maya managed to hide it whenever Liv complained about Cat or gave her an update on Sam, but it was more of a struggle not to put her fingers in her ears and go “la la la” this time.
Liv lifted the teapot to pour the steaming liquid into their cups. “I mean, it’s not as if she isn’t invited too, she just never wants to come. Plus, nobody’s stopping her seeing her parents, and she and Sam can get together later on, after Christmas lunch is finished. Sam had Christmas dinner at theirs last year, so it’s only fair that Mum gets to have him this year.”
Maya took hold of the milk jug, concentrating on pouring it into the cups and giving them an overenthusiastic stir. She’d found it difficult to muster any sympathy for Sam in the past. He’d made his bed, with Catriona in it. So he could bloody well lie in it. Except, for some reason, now she did experience little needles of sympathy for him. Which was why she’d given him that lift. Why was she such a wimp?
She pushed Liv’s mug toward her.
“Thanks,” Liv said, lifting it. “Plus, she’s always putting passive-aggressive comments on everyone’s Insta posts. She’s got so much internalized misogyny I think she must be an actual misogynist zipped up in a woman suit. If we took off her mask, Scooby-Doo-style, there’d be a ranty, angry man underneath.”
Maya sipped her tea. With hindsight, Maya could see Cat always had been a “pick me” girl. She’d stab her best mate in the eye with a rusty spoon if it meant she’d get the briefest smirk from the most douchebaggy of douchebag guys.
Time to steer them onto a safer topic of conversation, which was her usual strategy when Liv spoke about Sam or Cat. A few interested noises, then change the subject. “Miss O, I really must say that you still make the most divine cup of tea.”
“Why, thank you,” said Liv, bowing in her chair. “A compliment indeed.”
Maya tipped an imaginary cap, pleased that her trusty old tactic had worked.
Liv put down her cup. “What’ve you got planned for today?”
“Nothing,” Maya said, rolling her eyes. “Much to Dad’s disgust.”
Liv touched Maya’s hand. “It’s probably just his way of showing he cares.”
Maya wished he could find a more supportive way to do it. One that didn’t make her feel like an inadequate loser. Whenever she’d dared to voice what she wanted when she was younger, if it didn’t meet with Omar’s high expectations, then she’d get a stern and disappointed response. No wonder she’d learned to hide her true desires in life.
“Hey, listen.” Liv lifted her cup to gesture at Maya. “I’ve heard there’s an opening at the ski center. They’re down an instructor. And it’s the junior class, your forte.”
“Mm,” Maya said, glancing at the window. “Mum told me.”
“Why don’t you go for it? You’ve never been bothered about accountancy. Do something that you enjoy for a change and see where the wind takes you.” She moved her hand across the air in front of her, as if following the path of a sailboat.
Maya rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. As if Dr. Bashir would go for that. He always told me that ski instructing was a holiday job for teenagers, or adults who couldn’t get real jobs.”
“Ouch.” Liv winced. “Don’t tell Sam that.”
Maya stayed silent, pretending to herself that she wouldn’t care if Sam’s feelings were hurt and that she was a badass spurned woman, when really, she hated the thought of a comment like that getting back to him. Especially after those tense words they exchanged, albeit a long time ago. But he’d no doubt forgotten all about that.
