Her little oasis of peace was interrupted by the sounds of yelling and wood splintering. Katie ran down the back stairs and hurtled across the yard.
Chaos. Nancy had Joel pinned to the floor, with her knee on his chest. Clementine and Dom were at her shoulders, trying to pull her off. Zach stood at the back of the tree office, struggling to remove a chair that had been slammed through a wooden wall. Lorraine, sensibly, was turning the computer screens away from danger.
‘Hey!’ yelled Katie. ‘What’s happening? Nancy! Get off him. Who chucked that chair through the wall? She was furious. Every centimetre of the tree office was precious to her and with storm season on the way, holes in the walls could be disastrous.
Nancy stood up and wiped her hand across her face, smearing strands of red hair into her sweat. ‘This little twerp here said my idea was rubbish, that’s what happened. He needs to respect his elders.’
‘So you jumped on him?’ Katie couldn’t believe it. Joel was getting taller by the week, but he was still slight, compared with Nancy.
‘He needs to learn some respect.’
‘Well, that’s one way to teach him. Are you okay, Joel?’
To her amazement, Joel was grinning – as if he’d enjoyed the fight. ‘Yeah, I’m okay. I’m also honest. Nancy’s idea sucks.’
Without thinking, Katie took a step forward so she was standing between them, even though Joel looked like he’d welcome another round.
‘Well, we’ll all have a look at the ideas. But Joel, nothing sucks, not at this point anyway. And Nancy, this is Mosquito Advertising, not a big multinational. We’re happy to have you, but no one cares that you’re older than us, or more experienced. Your ideas aren’t automatically better than anyone else’s, just because they’re yours.’
Katie looked around. Everyone in the office had their fists clenched – even Clementine, and she’d never seen that before. Time to take a break. ‘All go home, calm down and have something to eat, do your homework or whatever it takes to get your parents off your case so you can come back here at nineish to work until late.’
She rolled her eyes when Lorraine offered to walk Zach to the station. Clementine and Joel left together, Joel looking happier than he’d been in ages. Nancy huffed down the ladder, swearing as she went. Katie and Dom were left alone in the tree office. They looked at each other, then around at the wrecked room. They burst out laughing.
‘Running an advertising agency is so glamorous, isn’t it?’ said Katie. Her bare feet were dirty, her hands smelt like garlic and she’d just broken up a fight between her crazy auntie and a fourteen-year-old boy.
‘It sure is,’ said Dom. ‘And you’re great.’
Then, before Katie knew what was happening, he kissed her and ran out the door. ‘See you in a couple of hours!’ he called as he crossed the yard.
‘Okay,’ she whispered.
Nancy didn’t appear for dinner and Katie didn’t ask her if she wanted any. The mood between her and her mum was strained enough.
‘The curry is nice, thank you,’ said her mother, smiling stiffly.
‘I didn’t have any time for shopping, so I used what we had.’
Her mother ate silently for a minute, then sipped her water.
‘Mum, I’m really sorry about Georgie and last night.’
‘I know. It’s okay. Everyone’s safe.’
‘Then why are you so quiet?’
‘Well, I’ve got some more news for you. And you might not like it, but there’s no point in hiding things, is there?’
‘What?’ Katie tried to lighten the mood. ‘You want me to be a bridesmaid? Lorraine warned me you would. She’s already designing the dress. I’m coming to terms with it.’
‘No, no, it’s not that. But Liam and I have been talking – we want to simplify our lives once we get married.’
‘So, what does that mean exactly? That they’ll all move in here?’
Her mother shook her head.
‘Then what?’
‘We think the best thing to do would be to sell this house and start afresh somewhere else. Liam wants to leave the house he shared with his ex-wife and I think leaving here might me a good thing for us, too.’
Katie felt panic rising in her chest. What could this be leading to? Where would they live? Visions of bloated shiny houses in new estates reared up before her eyes. ‘If you’re worried that I won’t be able to share, don’t be. I’ll get used to it – as long as the kids keep out of the tree office, I’ll be okay.’
‘Trees. Yes. Actually, we’ve decided to move into Pat and Moira’s place. It’s big enough, Liam’s kids love it and it’s close to your school.’
The blood drained from Katie’s face, but she couldn’t tell where it went. Her whole body felt limp.
‘The ad ban was the catalyst we needed to decide to sell Parfitt’s. We’ve spoken to Carole Beauchamp and GBI will buy the whole company. She understands that business will be even more difficult from now on. Also, Liam and I want a fresh start together. We’re going to get jobs – normal, ordinary office jobs where someone else worries about payrolls and taxes and government policy changes. It’s all too hard and we want our life together to be about us and the kids – not the company.’
Katie felt the blood rush back into her face. ‘Which kids are you more concerned about? Liam’s or yours?’
‘Both.’
‘What about Nancy?’ She was desperate now. Normally she couldn’t have cared less where Nancy lived.
‘Nancy will go back to her own place at Lota, as soon as her tenants move out. She’ll be fine – she always is.’
‘But Mum,’ Katie stood up, pushing her chair with the back of her knees. ‘All that work to save Parfizz so you could keep your job! So Parfitt’s wouldn’t be sold! And now you’re going to sell it anyway. And move us all into the Parfitts’ house? What about Mrs Parfitt? Are you just going to kick her out into the street?’
‘Of course not. Us moving in there was her suggestion. She’s going to move to Straddie, she wants to live by the beach. The place she shared with Pat is a lovely big house and the kids know it. We could put on another storey if we feel we need more space as the kids grow. Liam says you can have the study underneath for Mosquito Advertising.’
‘It’s a terrible, terrible idea, Mum.’
Her mother sighed and looked at her clasped hands. ‘I’m sorry you feel that way, but running a soft drink company has got too hard and we just don’t want the pressure. The ad ban was really the last straw and I’m sorry, because I know you’ve worked so hard to get Parfizz selling again, but this new law means that no ad can save us.’
‘But, Mum, the ad ban isn’t law yet. It might not happen.’
‘No, but we don’t want to be bullied by someone like Caesar Maxwell. The soft drink business isn’t what it was when Pat started Parfitt’s, and Liam and I are ready to get out. He was never that into it – he only came on board when Pat died. Sure, it’s sad in a way, but it’s exciting too. Other doors will open. It’s a new beginning for all of us.’
Katie couldn’t believe her mother was using such pathetic clichés. She sounded like Mrs Sinnamon.
‘Look, Mum, if you let me present my idea to the prime minister tomorrow, you never know what might happen. She might chuck the ad ban out the window.’
‘I told you, you won’t be meeting the prime minister. Politics isn’t something a girl your age should be involved in. It’s ugly.’
‘Not as ugly as Caesar Maxwell’s plan.’ Katie could hear the exhaustion in her mum’s voice. It was an opportunity. She reached out and held her hands. ‘Mum, if you back me on my Lettuce Levy plan, and the prime minister buys it, we’ll be doing such a good thing, can’t you see that? Not just because it’ll mean Parfitt’s can keep going, but because those companies that make good food, healthy food will be able to advertise too. I know you don’t want Parfitt’s to contribute to Caesar Maxwell’s campaign, but who could mind helping growers sell more strawberries?’
Her mother looked up. ‘It does make some sense, what you’re saying. But where will it end, Katie? If Clara Whiting likes what you’re proposing, what next?’
‘I don’t know. Probably nothing. She’s probably only meeting us to be polite – listen to the kids, that’s good PR. But it’s worth a shot, isn’t it?’
‘Oh, I don’t know, Katie. I just don’t know anymore. Sometimes I wish I was old, like Moira. When she and Pat were my age she raised her kids and Pat sold soft drinks. They didn’t worry about childhood obesity and government policy, did they? They just made fizzy drinks.’
Katie suddenly felt sorry for her mum. It wasn’t fair, the pressure she was under, when it wasn’t her fault. People like Caesar Maxwell saw fighting as part of their business – he thrived on it, just like Tania Mentelle. ‘Listen, Mum, let me work on this tonight. Nancy’s helping, too. We’ll put something together for the prime minister, then present it. If we get the impression she’s going to go for it, maybe you and Liam will feel like hanging onto Parfitt’s? If she drops the ad ban and we’re allowed to advertise, we know Product Xmas will sell and life will go on as usual. I don’t mind where we live.’ This wasn’t true, but she had to pick her battles. ‘The most important thing is to stop the ad ban and keep Parfitt’s going. It would kill Mr Parfitt to know his life’s work had been ended by government policy.’
Her mum grinned. ‘Pat’s already dead.’
Katie laughed. They both had the same sense of humour. ‘You know what I mean.’
‘And if Clara Whiting doesn’t like your idea?’
‘Well, then, I let it go. Liam sells the business, you sell the house and we all start again.’ Katie almost choked on her words, but she had to say them.
‘Do you mind cleaning up?’ Katie headed for the back door and the tree office. ‘I’ve got work to do.’