‘That sounds like a perfect idea. It’s getting late, and Poppy needs to hop in the bath before bedtime anyway.’
‘Mommy! I’m not tired. And I want to stay here.’ Poppy folded her arms over her chest. ‘Can’t we stay here?’
‘No we can’t. We live next door, remember?’ Juliet was trying to ignore the seductive voice in her brain, telling her a sleepover with the Sutherland boys was the perfect idea. ‘Plus Daddy is picking you up tomorrow, so you need to make sure you get some sleep.’
‘I can sleep here. In fact I’ll sleep better here because there’s no horrible noises coming from the boiler.’
‘Yeah, she can sleep on my bed,’ Charlie joined in, all bad blood between them forgotten. ‘We can build a fort and eat popcorn like we did at your house.’
Juliet slid her eyes to Ryan’s. Popcorn. The word reminded her of his kisses.
‘Please, Ryan, please can we have a sleepover?’ Poppy pleaded.
‘It’s up to your mom. She’s had a long day at work, and we don’t need to give her any more hassle. If she wants you to go home, then we’ll plan to have a sleepover another day.’
Her throat went dry. The way he was deferring to her was so different to anything she’d known. Every decision she’d made in the last six years had felt as though she was in battle, trying to stand her ground while being hit on all sides.
She looked at Poppy and Charlie, their eyes big and their mouths open as they waited ex
pectantly for her answer. Her heart clenched with love for their children. ‘I guess a sleepover will be fine,’ she said softly. ‘As long as you promise to get up super early so you’re home when Daddy comes to pick you up.’
‘Of course I will.’ Poppy smiled, allowing the excitement to take over. ‘Thank you, Mommy, thank you! Can I use my Princess Merida sleeping bag? Can I wear my new pyjamas? Oh this is going to be so much fun.’ She started to clap her hands together. ‘I can’t wait to sleep here with you, Charlie.’
‘Like mother like daughter, just as I said,’ Ryan whispered.
‘Shut up, or I’ll kick you again.’
‘Feel free, as I recall I kinda liked it when you did it earlier.’ He grinned.
‘Another thing I’ve noticed about you Sutherland boys, none of you fight fair.’ She widened her eyes at him.
‘Right, Mommy?’ Poppy nodded rapidly, having caught Juliet’s words. ‘They cheat don’t they? All the time.’ She sighed. ‘We’re going to have to keep an eye on them. They’re tricky.’
‘Yes they are,’ Juliet agreed. ‘Very tricky indeed.’
20
Small cheer and great welcome
makes a merry feast
– The Comedy of Errors
‘What’s this?’ Juliet frowned at the paper Thomas handed her. It was a printout of a spread sheet, different blocks coloured in pink and blue. It looked like something she’d see in a corporate office, not on the front step of her house.
‘It’s a custody plan for next year. Your times are coloured pink, mine are coloured blue. I think you’ll see I’ve been very fair. I’ve given you Easter and Spring Break, plus six out of the ten weeks in the summer.’
She glanced behind her, making sure Poppy wasn’t within hearing. The sound of running water came from the bathroom – they were running late and she’d just gotten around to cleaning her teeth. ‘But it’s only just December. We haven’t even agreed how to split Christmas yet. Shouldn’t we talk about this in mediation?’
‘Of course we’ve agreed Christmas. I sent you a text, remember?’
‘One I didn’t reply to.’ She could feel her teeth clenching. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have on the doorstep, particularly when Poppy was so close to them. ‘And I didn’t agree to.’
‘Well you should have told me you weren’t happy. I’ve already made plans.’
She could feel her blood starting to heat up. ‘Thomas, you sent the text yesterday. I decided to hold off replying until I’d had a chance to check my work schedule and suggest an alternative. But I wasn’t going to agree to not seeing my daughter from the 23rd December until way after Christmas.’
‘I’ll have her home by the 27th, surely you can do something together then?’