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‘I’m fine, Dad. Let me sleep now,’ she said, yawning and rolling over. ‘Night night.’
Liam took the hint and left the room, turning the light off on the way. She’d not really answered his question, and that worried him more than any answer would have done. He felt sad to think she didn’t want to or couldn’t talk about how she was feeling. His jaw was set. He consciously relaxed it and felt some of the tension leave his body. Cassie was saying she was fine. But was she really?
Liam paused outside the bedroom door and considered going back in to finish the conversation they’d started. He decided against it and went to leave, taking two steps and then returning before forcing himself to walk down the stairs. Cassie would talk when she was ready and, in the meantime, he’d do what he could without invading her privacy or forcing her to talk to him before it was time.
He sighed, satisfied with his parenting decision, but sad that it meant he couldn’t resolve the situation sooner. Something was niggling him.
Downstairs, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and slumped onto the sofa, flicking mindlessly through the TV guide and not choosing anything in particular to watch. He couldn’t concentrate on what was on and his head ached from the day.
He thought about the parents’ evening meeting at school and felt his face grow warm with embarrassment. Now, removed from the moment, he could see how stupid he’d been. Sophie was just trying to help, and he’d reacted horribly. He let out an audible groan and rubbed a hand over his face.
Every time their paths crossed, he seemed to do something ridiculous to upset her. He knew he’d have to apologise at rehearsal tomorrow, and the thought of admitting he was wrong made him squirm.
Chapter Nine
‘Were you late to work this morning?’ Kate asked, tucking into her Tuesday night pub grub, as was tradition before rehearsals.
‘It depends what you mean by “late”,’ Sophie said, deflecting the question. She squeezed her chair in to let someone pass. The pub was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday night.
‘I mean, did you sneak into your classroom through the fire exit just as the morning bell had gone?’ Kate raised an eyebrow. Clearly, she already knew the answer.
Sophie couldn’t help but smile. ‘You should have said. If that’s what constitutes being late, then yes, I suppose you could say I was late.’
‘What happened? That’s not like you.’
‘I had to pop to the printers again on the way to school. Steve called to say the flyers were ready but when I got there, they said “Chirstmas Concert” instead of “Christmas Concert”.’ She bit a chip in half angrily. ‘Albert had spelt it wrong in his email and they’d just copied and pasted it, apparently.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘It’s fitting, really,’ Kate said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘They printed “Chirstmas”, and it sounds like these flyers are pretty “cursed”.’ Kate laughed at her joke and reached over to her Diet Coke.
Sophie couldn’t help but laugh, too. ‘I can’t believe they’ve got to print them for a third time. I looked at the mock-up on the computer before I left – that’s what made me late – and this time, I’m hoping they’ll do them properly.’
‘Poor Albert.’
‘Poor Albert? Poor me! I should have organised them myself. What an awful week.’
‘It’s Tuesday,’ Kate said.
‘I know. And it’s already been hideous.’
‘How come?’ Kate asked, a genuine look of concern on her face. She rubbed the top of Sophie’s arm supportively.
‘I don’t know. I’m a mess,’ Sophie grumbled. ‘Parents’ evening was long, and it started so hideously with Cassie’s dad.’
‘Ah, you mean Cassie’s dad who’s about to lead the singing at our rehearsal?’ Kate joked.
‘Yes!’ cried Sophie, burying her head in her arms crossed on the table. ‘What am I going to do?’ Her muffled voice travelled up through the gaps. Then she sat up and pushed her hair back from her face, still contorted with a lowered brow.
‘It’s going to be fine. Remember, you’re the one who’s in charge in all of these scenarios. You’re the teacher. You’re the concert organiser. You need to show him who’s boss.’
It was a very ‘Kate’ response to such a situation. Sophie tried to imagine herself taking control and struggled to see it going any other way than her agreeing with everyone else in the scenario to avoid confrontation.
Sophie moved her chair in again to let someone pass. The pub was nestled between the butcher’s and the town hall, across the main street facing the green. It was cosy and felt like a village pub. The building oozed history from its Cotswold stone walls, which were covered with metal knick-knacks and miscellaneous watercolour paintings. Sophie’s favourite seat was the little table in the window, tucked around the corner and out of the way, but still close enough to the huge open fire. The fire was roaring and their little pocket of the pub had grown warm with the intense heat. That, and it was packed. Their little corner of the pub wasn’t really theirs any more. Sophie took off her coat and rolled up her sleeves.
‘So, tell me what happened with Liam yesterday. I had to leave pretty quickly, and it seemed like you had a fair few appointments left when I finished. When I bumped into Tom at break time, he said there had been a follow-up grumble from him.’
