Perfect Blend: A Novel by Sue Margolis Page B

have Charlie,” Victoria cooed down the phone. “We haven’t seen him for ages. And Arthur’s not infectious anymore. I’m sending him back to school tomorrow.”
    “That’s fantastic. Victoria, you’re a total lifesaver.” On the rare occasions she felt close to her sister, like now, Amy still got the urge to call her Vics or Tory—the way she had when they were kids—but Victoria had put a stop to that years ago on the grounds that both sounded common. On the other hand, it wasn’t common for Delilah to be known as Lila. Amy had given up trying to fathom her sister’s logic.
    “I know how hard it is for you working mums to find child care. I’m so lucky that Simon earns enough for me to stay at home. I can’t imagine not being there for Lila and Arthur.”
    From the moment Amy got pregnant, Victoria had made it clear that she disapproved of her sister choosing to become a lone parent. Even now she took every opportunity to remind Amy that she was failing Charlie by not providing him with a father. As a rule, Amy wasn’t afraid of standing her ground on the subject, but since Victoria had agreed to mind Charlie, she wasn’t about to debate the issue and risk turning it into an argument.
    “I’ll take them to the park,” Victoria went on. “Then I’ll give them lunch. I’ve made a shepherd’s pie. I’m sure Charlie will appreciate some home cooking for once.”
    Amy let that go, too.
    “Sounds great. Honestly, I really do appreciate it.”
    “And then in the afternoon I’ve organized a nature trail and treasure hunt for the local play group.” She helped out at Little Rascals a couple of mornings a week. “Of course the boys will be older than the other children, but I’m sure they’ll enjoy it. And I know you and Charlie don’t get out much, what with you being at work all the time.”
    “Wow, you’ve organized a nature trail and a treasure hunt,” Amy singsonged, though how she managed it through clenched teeth, she had no idea. She felt an overpowering need to change the subject. She asked Victoria if she’d gotten around to baking anything for Lila’s school fete, which she knew was being held on Sunday. Ask a silly question. “Actually,” Victoria began, “I’ve made Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which they’re raffling. I was up until midnight, icing it. And if that wasn’t enough, I had to finish her wood nymph costume for the ballet school’s latest production. Strictly entre nous , a couple of the speckled frogs aren’t going to look brilliant. Some of the mums are just sticking half Ping-Pong balls onto green hooded tops and leaving it at that. I ask you.”
    Amy saw no point in saying that in her opinion sticking half Ping-Pong balls onto a hooded top seemed a rather inventive way of making a frog costume and that she for one was going to make a note of it.
    They agreed that Amy should take Charlie with her to Café Mozart and Victoria would pick him up after she’d dropped Lila at school.
    CHARLIE LOVED being taken to the café. Brian made him Bambinocino and, if they weren’t too busy, brought the Connect 4 over from the play area and challenged him to a game. He always let Charlie win. Brian was Charlie’s godfather, and like Bel, he took the responsibility pretty seriously. Not only did he baby-sit from time to time, there had been outings to the zoo, the science museum, and the children’s theater in Wimbledon. For Charlie’s last birthday, Brian had taken him to the circus. Charlie still talked about the trapeze artists and the clowns who had buckets of water poured over them, only the water turned out to be glitter.
    Zelma always fed Charlie chocolate cake, which he loved. He was less keen when she pinched his cheek and told him that she could just eat him.
    This morning, he seemed happy enough to sit drawing at one of the tables. He was working on what was turning out to be a magnificent gorilla swinging from a tree.
    “It’s like the great big huge one we