Page 44 of Take Two

‘Didyou?’ Hannah pressed.

‘Hannah,’ her mother warned.

Jesus, how much did this kid know? What had her mother said? What the hell didsheeven know about it?

Brian made a sympathetic noise. ‘Old friends, new situations. That’s always awkward.’

Callie didn’t reply. She poked her lasagne, appetite fading. Awkward didn’t begin to cover it.

Her mum reached across and squeezed her hand.

‘It’ll come out all right,’ she offered gently.

Callie looked down at her mother’s hand on hers. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked, genuinely confused.

Her mother’s grip tightened. ‘Comforting you.’

Callie narrowed her eyes. ‘Okaaaay,’ she said, baffled.

Hannah swung her legs under the table and caught Callie in the shin. ‘When Sam comes tomorrow, can I watch the filming?’

‘No,’ all three adults said in unison.

Hannah looked personally betrayed. ‘But I want to see the famous person.’

‘Sam’s notproperfamous,’ Callie’s mother said. ‘He and Callie are reality famous.’

‘Thanks,’ Callie said flatly.

‘She means you’re boring,’ Brian helpfully added.

‘Good save,’ Callie said.

‘No, I meant that as a good thing. No one’s famous at home, are they?’ Brian said.

‘Read your paper,’ his wife said.

Brian did as he was told.

Callie put a fork in her food as her thoughts strayed to what would come tomorrow. It was back to the bakery, and Mae standing with her shoulders drawn tight as if bracing against a hard wind.

Callie could only hope she hadn’t put her foot in it again. With Mae, though, the odds weren’t great. Their history was so thick and stodgy it could have been sliced and sold at Morgan’s bakery. Though no one would buy it twice.

Back Then

Callie didn’t breathe at first.

Mae’s words were still hanging in the air between them, elephantine.I love you.

Callie’s mind went blank. Then flooded. Then blank again.

She stared at Mae, who was frozen in a miserable knot, arms wrapped round herself as though bracing for impact.

Love. Mae Morgan loved her.

And suddenly everything made sense. All the strange behaviour, the off moods, the avoidance, the date with that boy, the pastry theatrics. It was a simple puzzle Callie had been too thick to put together.

She should probably say something soon. The silence had gone on too long. ‘Oh,’ she’d said stupidly. That was all she could manage.