Seb decides to give Patrick the gift he knows all parents crave, especially from a head teacher. ‘Well, Essie’s great. Such a kind girl and so hard-working.’
Patrick looks back at Seb, his eyes full of wonder and gratitude, because Seb’s seen what Patrick’s known all along – there’s some special kind of magic in his Essie.
‘She is, isn’t she?’ Patrick says, his voice a little watery with feeling.
Seb gets it. All three of his kids are at the Old School House, the primary feeder school across the road from Waverly Community. Greer, their youngest, is only three weeks into Reception and he can’t stop himself from seeking a smile, a nod, a secret transmission from her exhausted teacher that he is right. Greer is unusually bright for a four-year-old.
Seb half listens as Patrick begins to rattle away about Essie’s GCSE choices and his son’s rugby obsession before they’re interrupted by Anna, her voice high, loud, demanding attention as she shrieks, ‘A bird’s head!’
‘And that is exactly why we’re never getting a pet,’ says Vita, before making a vomiting gesture.
Eddy puts his arm around Vita’s thin shoulders, agreeing. ‘I’m with you. Worst decision of my life, getting that cat.’
‘Yesterday, you said having Albie was the worst decision of your life,’ Anna shrieks in faux-outrage, whacking Eddy on his round stomach.
‘OK, the cat was the second-worst decision, and don’t hit the birthday boy.’
From the kitchen, an alarm starts to ring.
‘Oh, that’ll be the dauphinoise!’ Anna says, putting her glass down on the table. ‘Everyone, find your seats. Ro, will you give me a hand?’
Rosie is sitting on the arm of the sofa, her phone in her hand, typing. Smiling the far-away smile of someone enjoying a private joke. She doesn’t hear Anna.
‘Rosie Kent, are you messaging your new girl crush?’
Again, Rosie doesn’t hear, so instead Anna turns back to Seb and says, ‘Unbelievable! Is she like this at home, Sebbo?’
Seb doesn’t want to be publicly disloyal, but Rosie is of course being rude, so he shrugs, nods and shakes his head. Abi is new in town and Rosie has taken it upon herself to show her the ropes. Rosie has lots of friends and acquaintances in Waverly but none of them make her smile like this or pull her phone out to message when she really shouldn’t. It’s like watching the first rumblings of love, and it makes Seb feel swampy with jealousy.
Seb still hasn’t met Abi even though her eldest daughter is at his school. Abi had cancelled a meeting they’d arranged last-minute, and it occurs to him now that he should make an effort to rearrange. That meeting with Abi might bring him a little closer to unlocking whatever is going on with Rosie.
From the sofa, Rosie looks up. ‘Sorry, I just had to reply to something …’
‘So it
‘Sorry,’ Rosie repeats, dropping her phone back in her bag. She glances briefly to Seb for backup; he smiles at her but she immediately looks away, back towards Anna, as she says, ‘Sorry, Abi was just asking about after-school clubs for Margot …’
‘Oh, well then.’ Anna crosses her arms under her large chest. ‘You should have said it was something so incredibly urgent. I honestly don’t get what all the fuss is about. I mean, Abi seems nice but …’
Rosie pouts out her bottom lip, gets up from the sofa and puts her arm around her friend. ‘Oh, Anna, don’t be jealous – you’re still my number one,’ she says in a soppy voice, too theatrical to be true. The truth, which Seb knows, is that Rosie enjoys Anna, loves her in her way, but probably wouldn’t have chosen to be friends with her were it not for Seb and Eddy’s long-standing friendship.
‘Hmm,’ Anna replies, like she understands she will never see all of Rosie, but that’s OK because right now Rosie’s arm is round her. Seb watches Anna’s shoulders drop with relief.
Anna and Eddy are the same in that respect, needing constant reassurance. Their huge personalities, like fur coats, belying the sensitive, brittle little creatures inside.
Then Patrick turns to them, nose twitching, and asks, ‘Is that burning I can smell?’
‘Shit! The dauphinoise!’ Anna says, grabbing Rosie and pulling her towards the kitchen.
The rest of them shuffle around the table looking for their handwritten place cards. Seb is sitting next to Lotte, another parent from the school.