Page 9 of You Lied First

‘I ’ve no idea what to order,’ I say once we’re all seated. ‘There’s so much. I like hummus. But is hummus and bread enough, or should I get something else as well? Does anyone want to share a salad?’

‘Tell you what, why don’t I order for everyone?’ Celine says, looking around the table. ‘We can do sharing plates.’

‘Tell you what. Why don’t you do just that?’ Margot puts her menu down. ‘But count me out.’

‘Are you sure?’ Celine asks. ‘The food here is insane. You’ll be missing out!’

Margot smiles. ‘I’m good, thanks. I’ll just have a coffee.’

When the food that Celine’s ordered starts to come, it doesn’t stop.

Dish after dish appears from the kitchen: hummus and tabbouleh, plates of fresh Arabic bread, Fattoush, za’atar flatbreads and kibbeh, followed by platters of kebabs and diced fried potatoes laced with garlic and chilli.

Somehow the waiters squeeze them all onto the table.

‘Did you order the entire menu?’ Guy asks, smirking as yet another dish arrives.

‘Whoops,’ Celine says, not looking contrite at all as the plates are passed around.

‘I want Sara to try everything and we have two teenagers here! Flynn’s a growing lad, aren’t you?

You must be eating for England to get those muscles!

We can pack it to go if there’s too much.

It’ll always get eaten. It’s even better the next day. ’

‘It’s delicious. A feast! But I feel bad that you’re not eating,’ I say to Margot. ‘Can I tempt you with a bit of hummus?’ I hold it out for her but she shakes her head.

‘No, thanks. There could be pine nuts in it.’

‘Oh!’ says Celine. ‘I forgot about your allergy.’

‘No worries.’ Margot takes a sip of her coffee.

‘Is it a serious allergy?’ I ask. ‘I mean, all allergies are serious, but do you carry an EpiPen?’

‘Of course,’ Margot says. ‘I haven’t needed it for years but I always have it with me. Flynn, can you please put your phone down now the food’s here?’

‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘We were just checking Liv’s mum’s website.’

‘“Your gut knows right from wrong”,’ Liv says. ‘Very deep, Mother.’

I remember that one. The message had been from a young girl who’d stolen a lip gloss from a small corner shop because her friends had dared her to.

She’d been wracked with guilt and messaged to ask if she should take it back and own up, or just put it back.

In the heat of the moment, with her friends all stuffing things in their jackets while another diverted the owner, one cheap lip gloss hadn’t seemed like a big deal, so she’d wanted to know why she felt so bad she couldn’t sleep – and what to do next time she found herself in the same situation.

‘Well, listening to your gut is always good advice,’ I say. ‘You would do well to remember it.’

‘We’d all have far fewer problems if we bore that in mind. Wouldn’t we?’ Margot says to Guy.

‘Indeed,’ Guy says smoothly as he passes her a plate. ‘Do you want to try the flatbread? I’m pretty sure it’s nut-free.’

‘Pretty sure?’ Margot asks with one eyebrow raised. ‘Do you want me dead?’

‘Course not, Mar.’ Guy chuckles and shakes his head as he moves the plate away from her.

‘How do you know what to tell them, Mum?’ Liv asks.

‘Sara is a counsellor and agony aunt to Gen Zs,’ Guy says to Celine.

‘Well, some things are just common sense,’ I say.

‘If you listen to your gut, it really will guide you. But many people have got out of the habit of listening to it. They get egged on by others or are motivated by stronger feelings like greed or envy – or fear or anxiety – or they just react in the heat of the moment. They don’t tune in to their inner self, which would normally give them the right answer. ’

‘Go Mum!’ Liv says, and I can see from the way she’s smiling that she’s proud to be the one whose mum’s a counsellor.

Proud to be the one whose mum listens to her gut feelings and makes the right decisions – for once – and that makes me very happy.

For the first time today I feel like I’m as good a mum as Margot.

I look down at my food and I can’t stop a smile from creeping over my face.

This is exactly why I agreed to this holiday.

I may have preferred it to be just the two of us elsewhere, but if this precious time with my daughter helps me to earn back her trust, it’ll be worth it.

We eat enthusiastically, Liv and I exclaiming over the tastes and textures of the unfamiliar food and, as I finish the last bits on my plate, I lean back in my chair and groan, absolutely sated. I don’t even want to think about fitting into my swimwear.

‘I can’t eat another thing. But that was absolutely delicious. Great choices, Celine. Thank you. I feel well and truly initiated.’

Celine gives me a sunny smile. ‘You’re so welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I knew we’d eat it all.’

‘Did you have any of the lamb?’ Guy asks and I shake my head. ‘No, I missed that one.’

‘Oh, you must try it. It melts in your mouth. I’ve never had lamb like it.’ He puts his fingertips to his lips and explodes them in a chef’s kiss.

‘I’m good, thanks,’ I say. ‘I don’t think I’ll eat again for another year.’

‘Come on! Try it!’ Guy spears a piece from his own plate and holds out the fork to me.

‘No. Really, I can’t,’ I say, but Guy leans over, presenting the fork to me the right way around so I have no choice but to open my mouth. As I do so, out of the corner of my eye I see Margot turn away, and it leaves me feeling dirty, as if I’ve just made a huge faux pas.