The Christmas Sisters

Ruby pondered. “Okay. But I want to ride Socks later.”

Beth carried her downstairs to the kitchen and pushed open the door.

The place smelled of cinnamon and cloves and Suzanne was sifting flour into a bowl.

Beth was relieved to see her mother looking relaxed and content.

Ruby wriggled out of Beth’s arms and clambered onto a chair. “Can I help?”

“Of course, but what’s our first rule when we cook?”

“We wash our hands.” Ruby slid off the chair again, hastily washed her hands and then dripped her way back to the table.

Suzanne handed her the spoon and pulled the bowl closer. “Do it gently, so that the flour doesn’t fly over the table.”

Beth’s phone rang. It was Corinna. Her heart started to pound. Tension knotted in her stomach. Last night she’d ignored the call, but she didn’t feel she could do it again. Why did she feel such a compulsion to answer it, knowing that Corinna was just using her? Her pulse started to race at the thought of what might happen if she ignored the call again. “I need to take this.”

Ruby’s face crumpled. “You said you’d cook. You promised.”

Guilt was an ache under her ribs. “Start with Grandma, and I’ll join you in a minute.” Beth caught her mother’s eye. “It will only be for a minute. It’s important.”

Suzanne said nothing. Instead she distracted Ruby, making her giggle by drawing shapes in the cake mix.

Beth stepped out of the room and then stopped.

What was she doing? This was insane.

Hannah was right about Corinna. She was a bully. Beth didn’t want to work for a bully.

And there was no obligation on her whatsoever to take this call. She’d call back at a time that suited her, and that wasn’t going to be when she was enjoying time with her family at Christmas.

Instead of answering the call, she rejected it and let it go to voice mail.

Maybe she wouldn’t bother calling at all.

If she could get a signal, she’d send an email later telling Corinna she was no longer interested in the job.

In the meantime, she was going to bake Christmas cookies with her child.

Her hands were shaking as she pushed the phone into the pocket of her jeans and returned to the kitchen.

Her mother looked at her. “Did you lose the signal?”

“No. I decided to call her back another time.” Her hands were actually shaking a little. “Probably a crazy decision.”

Her mother smiled. “Sounds like a good decision to me.”

&nb

sp; Beth was about to join Ruby at the table, when the back door opened and Posy walked in.

She stamped the snow off her boots and unzipped her coat. “It’s like the Arctic out there.”

Beth searched for evidence that her sister had spent the night crying. Had she and Luke had a confrontation?

Ruby abandoned the cooking and ran across to her. “Can we ride Socks?”

“Not right now.” Posy scooped her up and swung her round. “He’s in the farthest field and it’s freezing. Also, it’s snowing again.”