When Brooke went upstairs Rhianna was in the living room, flicking through a notebook. The roses that had been delivered earlier were gone, Brooke noticed. She’d hazard a guess she’d find them in the kitchen bin.
Rhianna closed the notebook when her sister came in.
‘Hey.’
Brooke grunted a greeting, which was all she felt her sister deserved after her behaviour in the pub.
‘Look, Brooke, about tonight,’ Rhianna said. ‘I’m sorry. I did it again, didn’t I?’
‘If by “it”, you mean acted like a toffee-nosed cow who’s above the sort of thing the rest of us have to do to make money, then yes, you did.’
‘I know it was wrong. It’s just a bit of a culture shock, this new way of living.’
‘Hmm.’
‘I don’t mean to be a bitch. Everything’s so different from what I’m used to. You can understand why that takes a bit of adjusting to, can’t you?’
‘You used to be happy with life around here. Before St Mary’s turned you posh.’
‘Yes,’ Rhianna said with a sigh. ‘I’ve been away too long. I was angry earlier, about Max and the tattoo, and I was on my worst behaviour. Sorry.’
‘All right,’ Brooke said, her frown lifting a little. ‘Well, I suppose we should both be trying harder.’
Rhianna smiled. ‘So when did you give Hayden Bailey a job? I’d forgotten all about the time I pushed him to get him back for pranking you.’
‘He worked his first shift the night you turned up with the kids. Mum’s bright idea.’
‘You and him seem friendly.’
Brooke shrugged, trying not give anything away, although she could still feel his kiss tingling on her lips. ‘He’s all right. Pours a good pint, now I’ve trained him up.’
‘I get the feeling you see that as the ultimate compliment,’ Rhianna said, laughing.
Brooke let herself laugh too. ‘I suppose that is pretty sad.’
‘Here, I made you supper. I guessed you’d be hungry after your shift.’ Rhianna went to get something from the kitchen.
Brooke smiled as Rhianna handed her a steaming Pot Noodle. It wasn’t much, but it showed her sister was trying not to turn her nose up at every single bit of food in their cupboards.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘And I won’t give the kids meals they’re not supposed to have, if you just let me know what’s allowed. I’m working from what we used to eat when we were their age, which probably wasn’t the most nutritious fare.’
‘With Mum’s cooking, I think we did well to make it to adulthood. Has she managed to poison anyone in the village yet?’
Brooke laughed. ‘Not yet. Still, I can’t see us becoming the leading gastropub in the Calder Valley any time soon.’
‘Why did you decide to start doing food?’
‘We thought it might bring in more people. It’s only a little menu: just toasties, chips and burgers, plus a couple of pub meal favourites and some of Mum’s stodge puddings. I’m not sure it’s made much difference in terms of pulling in customers but it’s a bit of extra income.’
‘Oh.’
An awkward silence fell. To give herself something to do, Brooke swallowed a forkful of Pot Noodle.
‘What’s in there?’ she asked, pointing to the A4 notebook on Rhianna’s chair arm.
‘That?’ Rhianna looked slightly guilty. ‘Nothing. Nothing important.’
‘It must be something.’
‘Just some figures I wanted to take a look at.’
Brooke frowned. ‘Is that… Rhia, that’s my accounts book!’
‘It’s our accounts book,’ Rhianna corrected her. ‘As I seem to keep having to remind you, I own a share in this place too.’
Brooke laughed. ‘I don’t bloody believe you! You know, I actually fell for that apology. You were looking to see how far the profits had fallen, weren’t you?’
‘I was looking to see if there was any way we could make savings,’ Rhianna said, lifting her chin. ‘Now I’m getting more involved, I thought I could be a little more use than serving drinks. What’s wrong with that?’
‘Bullshit, Rhia! You were thinking about Nick sodding Weyborough and his million quid.’ Brooke shook her head. ‘I can’t believe you’re still going behind my back on this. I suppose that little performance earlier was all part of your plan to ruin the business as fast as you can before Willowtree Taverns withdraw their offer, was it?’
‘You see, this is what makes you such hard work,’ Rhianna snapped. ‘You find it impossible to believe I might actually want to help, don’t you?’
‘What reason have you given me to believe it? All you’ve done is try to undermine me and alienate the customers. That’s unlikely to fill me with confidence in your loyalty to the pub.’
There was silence while they looked daggers at each other.
‘I can’t see why you’re so stubborn about the idea of selling,’ Rhianna finally burst out. ‘We’re losing money hand over fist, I can see that from the accounts. We won’t get a better offer than the one from Willowtree if we wait fifty years. Are you allergic to making life comfortable for yourself?’
‘I knew it! I bloody knew that’s why you had the accounts out. You two-faced cow!’
‘Mum wants to sell. Did you know that?’
‘Bollocks she does.’ Brooke paused. ‘Did she say that?’
‘She as good as said it.’
‘So no, in other words.’
‘What about Dad? What about what he’d want?’ Rhianna demanded. ‘Mum told me he left me my share to provide for me if James ever left me up the creek. Well, that time has come, Brooke.’
‘Don’t you even dare bring Dad into this,’ Brooke said in a low voice. ‘You don’t know a thing about what he’d want. You weren’t here when he… when he…’
‘When he died,’ Rhianna said quietly. ‘I know I wasn’t.’
‘I was the one who had to watch it. It was me who held his hand while he slipped away.’
‘I came as soon as I could. I regret every day that I was too late. That doesn’t mean I don’t care.’
‘You care about yourself. That’s all,’ Brooke whispered, blinking back tears. ‘Always number one, right, Rhianna?’
‘No, Brooke, my children are number one. And right now, they’re facing a very uncertain future with no home and no money.’
‘I said I’d do what I could to help you, but I need this place.’ Brooke sighed. ‘Look, I love you. I love the kids. But giving up The Highwayman’s? That’s too big an ask, I’m sorry.’
Janey was in her room, trying to read, but all she could focus on was the hum of angry voices coming from the living room. Again.
Her plan had failed, then. She’d been hoping that forcing the girls to work in the pub together would help Rhianna understand what made Brooke tick, but all it seemed to have achieved was to spark off another row.
She pushed her book to one side, sighing. Always it was one step forward and two steps back with that pair.
What could she do about it? Gone were the days when she could force her girls to shake hands and say sorry, then they’d be firm friends again. In the pre-St Mary’s days, their fights had been hot but brief, and quickly forgotten.
Brooke was the one with the fiery temper. Rhianna was quieter, but nevertheless capable of flaring up when roused. Brooke yelled, Rhianna sulked. Brooke called names, Rhianna was quietly cutting. But they loved each other, and when they were children Janey had always known how to get them to remember that fact. She used to keep a supply of things in a special box for after a big row: colouring books, jigsaws, craft kits, Lego. Things they could play with as a pair; a shared project that would remind them what a brilliant team they could make when they worked together.
An image of two little heads bending over a jigsaw in deep concentration popped up in her head. Side by side, like it was them against the world.
Could the same technique work now they were adults? It was an idea. She certainly needed help, and if they were both involved…
The angry bumblebee buzz was louder now. Making up her mind, Janey swung her legs over the bed and marched to the living room.
‘All right, what is it tonight?’ she demanded when she walked in on her daughters glaring at each other. ‘The children are trying to sleep. It’s a big day for them tomorrow.’
‘Don’t ask me,’ Rhianna said sullenly. ‘I was being nice. I made her one of those disgusting MSG things she loves and everything. It’s not my fault she can’t accept an apology.’
‘She’s been going through our accounts!’ Brooke told her mum.
‘Why shouldn’t I go through the accounts?’ Rhianna demanded. ‘It’s partly my pub, Brooke.’
‘Because you just want to make us sell it, that’s why!’
‘Stop,’ Janey said, holding up her hand. ‘Family court. Brooke, get the hammer.’
‘Oh God, do we have to?’ Brooke said.
Rhianna shook her head. ‘You two still do family court?’
‘In emergencies,’ Janey said. ‘And this involves my love life, which means it’s very much an emergency. Brooke, hammer.’
Groaning, Brooke went to fetch the hammer. She presented it to her mum, who banged it on the coffee table like a gavel.
‘OK, court in session. On the agenda today, your mother’s lack of a sex life.’
Rhianna raised her hand.
‘Yes?’ Janey nodded to let her know she was permitted to speak.
‘I’m not sure I want to hear about your sex life, Mum.’
‘Well, you’re in luck, because I haven’t got one. That’s what we’re here to discuss.’
‘What, you mean you—’ Brooke began, but her mum banged the hammer on the table, raising an eyebrow.
‘Sorry.’ Brooke raised her hand, and Janey nodded to her. ‘You mean you want to start seeing people again?’
‘I think it’s time. Does that get your blessing, daughters?’
‘Aren’t you a bit old for that sort of thing?’ Rhianna said.
‘Of course she isn’t,’ Brooke said, glaring at her sister. ‘You can’t be too old for love. Or sex either, not that I’m especially keen on thinking about it.’ She nodded to her mum. ‘Fine by me, Janey. You don’t need my blessing, but if you want it, it’s yours.’
‘Why are you asking us?’ Rhianna asked. ‘You’re well over the age of consent, Mum.’
‘Because I need your help. Both of you.’
‘Us? Why?’
‘Well, it’s all on the internet now, isn’t it? You have to get yourself downloaded onto Grindr or whatever to meet people these days.’
Brooke shot her sister an amused glance. ‘Er, I don’t think you want a profile on Grindr, Mum.’
‘Why not?’
‘It’s just… not for you. Tinder’s what you need. That’ll be where all the silver foxes are hiding out.’
‘Oh. All right, well, I’m sure you know best.’ Janey fumbled down the side of the armchair for her mobile phone, which had a dead battery from neglect as usual. ‘Can I get Tinder on here?’
‘On that?’ Rhianna laughed. ‘I doubt you could get Snake on that.’
‘So what do I do then?’
‘You can do it on the computer if your phone hasn’t got internet.’
‘She can’t, you know,’ Brooke told Rhianna. ‘Last week she sent me an email typed entirely in the subject line. All in caps. It said “LOOK BROOKE I FINALLY LEARNT HOW TO DO MY EMAIL”.’
Janey banged the table with her hammer. ‘All right, no taking the piss out of your mother. Now, are you two going to help me get on this Tinder or what? I’m not going to meet hubby number two without assistance.’
Rhianna looked at Brooke. ‘What do you think? Can we work together?’
‘Well, if we let her do it on her own, she’ll have sent her bank details to a Nigerian prince within the week.’
‘True.’ Rhianna held out her hand. ‘Truce then?’
Brooke hesitated before shaking it. ‘All right. For Mum’s sake.’
Rhianna gave her parent a benevolent nod. ‘OK, Mum, we’re on board for some stepdad-hunting. We’ll help you set a profile up tomorrow night after Livvy and Max are in bed.’