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The following evening, Sophie plugged in her new phone and left it to charge fully. As she sat reading next to the window, it vibrated right off the edge of the windowsill. Picking it up from where it dangled on its charger, Sophie swiped to read the message:
Let me know if you’re up for Saturday. I hope you’re OK? L
Sophie smiled as she sipped her hot chocolate. She used the message to save Liam’s number as a new contact in her phone, then read for a little longer until she realised that she’d read the same page three times and still didn’t know what had happened to Oliver Twist. She put her book down and reread the message. Three times. And then read two further pages of her book that she would need to reread again at a later date.
She wanted to go over to Liam’s on Saturday afternoon to rehearse. There was no doubt about it. The problem was, Liam had ended his message with a question mark, which meant she’d have to reply. She was still worried about committing. After a moment she typed:
I’m fine, thank you. I’ll let you know about rehearsal. S
Sophie read and reread the message several times before she pressed send, hoping that it sent friendly but not too friendly vibes. Once she’d sent it out into the ether, she sat back and finished her drink, checking her phone every thirty seconds for a response. A tick showed that he’d read it, but no reply. She read both messages again. There was no reason for him to respond.
Another hot chocolate was required. And more marshmallows. Oliver Twist would have to wait.
Chapter Nineteen
Sophie picked glitter off her cardigan as she walked up to the staffroom. While she loved Christmas, school went a little to the extreme. She had glitter and glue everywhere and the kids were getting excitable with a fortnight to go until they broke up still. She was also getting a bit sick of the nativity. If none of the kids turned up, Sophie could perform it as a one-woman show, glitter and all.
‘Here you go,’ Kate said as Sophie entered the staffroom. She put a warm cup of tea into her hands.
Sophie took it gratefully, still wrestling with a stubborn sequin that appeared to be glued in her hair.
‘Thanks, you’re a star,’ she said, and sat down next to Kate on the comfy chairs.
‘Did you tell anyone else you fell in the brook?’ Kate asked, giggling again the instant she’d said it.
‘Kate! It wasn’t that funny,’ Sophie said, watching the tears roll down Kate’s face.
‘Ooh, but it was,’ Kate said, barely able to control her voice.
‘Actually,’ Sophie said, despite Kate’s giggles, ‘I need your advice.’ She turned in her chair to sit opposite Kate, face on.
Kate leant forward. ‘I can help.’
Sophie smiled. ‘Liam has asked me to do the solo at the Christmas concert. Did you hear Lulu’s had a fall?’
‘Yeah, I did. Is she OK?’ Kate looked genuinely concerned.
‘Fine, I think,’ Sophie said.
‘Are you going to do it? The solo?’
‘I said I would, yes.’
‘Wow, that’s great, Sophie,’ Kate said, a smile spreading across her face. She sipped her tea and then said, ‘So what advice do you need if you’ve already said yes?’
‘Liam asked me to go over to the farm at the weekend for an extra rehearsal.’ She blurted it out and then hid in her mug, drinking half of her tea while she waited for Kate’s inevitable reaction.
Kate let out a yelp. ‘What?’
Sophie wondered whether she should have mentioned anything at all.
‘It’s just a rehearsal,’ Sophie said. But inside, talking about it to her made her feel excited. She couldn’t help but smile.
‘Will Cassie be there?’
‘No, she’s away this weekend. I think she might be staying at her grandma’s house.’
‘So, it’ll be just the two of you?’ Kate asked, apparently thrilled with the turn the conversation had taken.
