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Sarah handed Lucy a glass of wine.

‘Thanks, I need this.’

‘It’s me who should be thanking you for doing my wages every month. You’re a lifesaver. Can you believe the salon’s been open fifteen and a half years?’

‘It seems almost impossible,’ Lucy said. ‘I remember when you started – the twins were so small. That was a great party you had to celebrate fifteen years.’

‘Yeah, it was, and you’revery much part of the salon’s success. Come to think of it, you’ve been doing my maths for me since school. Remember? You used to let me copy your homework every day so I wouldn’t get into trouble.’

Lucy grinned. ‘I do remember, and you helped me get my nose out of books and have a social life. If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably never have kissed a boy.’

Sarah laughed. ‘Oh, with those beautifulbrown eyes you’d have melted a few hearts on your own. Speaking of school, how’s Kelly? Shannon mentioned she was finding it a bit tough settling in.’ Sarah went for a soft approach: she knew how prickly Lucy could be about St Jude’s.

‘She’s fine. She’s just being Kelly. She hates change. Remember when I moved her to Woodside? She went mad and hated it in the beginning, then loved it.’

Thatwas true. Kelly had been furious when she was sent to Woodside Senior School and Dylan had gone to St Brendan’s. But that was because she had been parted from Dylan for the first time in her life. At thirteen years of ageshe’d found that really difficult, but in St Jude’s they were back together, so in theory it should be an easier transition.

‘It’s not easy moving school at this late stage,though,’ Sarah said. ‘Dylan has his football team as a ready-made group of friends, but it’s probably harder for Kelly to fit in.’

Lucy sighed. ‘If Kelly smiled once in a blue moon it might help her make friends. She seems determined not to like St Jude’s just to spite me. I know she’ll settle soon, though. She needs to knuckle down, show them how smart she is and prove to them how lucky theyare to have a girl like her in the school too.’

‘I suppose so, but maybe go easy on her for the first few months and help her settle.’

Lucy put her glass down with a bang. ‘I’d have given my right arm to get a scholarship to the best school in Ireland. She’s lucky, Sarah. Yes, there are some stupid snobby kids there, but there are some nice ones too.’

Sarah picked up the bottle to refill theirglasses as the kitchen door opened.

‘Look who I found.’ Darren came in, followed by Jenny. ‘She was looking for the two of you and I had a feeling you’d be here having your post-wage-day drinks.’

‘Wine! Great.’ Jenny shrugged off her coat and sat down.

‘How was your wedding?’ Lucy asked her sister.

‘Fine, the usual. Nervous bride, psycho mother, drunk bridesmaid, grumpy father, who cursedunder his breath when I told him how much he owed me, and sleazy uncle who tried to pinch my bum until I told him I’d twist his dick into a knot if he came any closer.’

‘Ah, Jenny, you’ve such a lovely way with men.’ Darren grinned at her.

Jenny waved an empty glass in his face. ‘Shut up and pour.’

‘I’ve a wedding coming up, too,’ Lucy said. ‘A lesbiancouple. They’re lovely, and great together,but the mother of one bride is not happy with her daughter being gay and is causing ructions. She got hold of my number and asked me not to perform the ceremony. I tried talking to her and suggested it would be nice for her daughter if she got involved in it, but she kept saying awful things like “It’s not normal” and “Women should be with men” and “It’s not God’s way.” Honestly, I’m worriedshe’ll turn up and cause a huge scene. I feel so sorry for Debbie. She’s devastated that her mother won’t accept her for who she is.’

‘It’s a lesson to us all to accept our kids as they are and not try to change them,’ Sarah said, one eye on Lucy to see her reaction.

‘She should just tell her mother to fuck off.’

‘It’s not that easy, Jenny,’ Lucy said. ‘The mother isn’t a bad person – she lovesher daughter very much. She’s just old-fashioned and has different beliefs. Debbie and her partner can’t dismiss her. They have to try to make her see that what matters is her daughter’s happiness.’

‘Yes, but if she keeps refusing to accept who her daughter is, she’ll lose her,’ Sarah said.

‘That’s what I said to her,’ Lucy said.

Sarah wondered if Lucy could see the irony. She wasn’t acceptingwho Kelly really was – a girl who didn’t want to change school, a girl who wanted to be a designer, a girl who didn’t want to study law. All she saw were the mistakes she’d made that could potentially ruin Kelly’s life.

‘She’ll come around. If she loves her, she’ll figure out a way to accept her,’ Sarah said.

Darren refilled all their glasses. ‘Dare I ask, how is your love life these days, Jenny?’