bad enough. 'Not if they don't know.'
‘ They will
find out,' said Ellie. 'Although at college they reckon that if you're
over eighteen—’
`Demi's not over eighteen,' said Grace.
‘But I look older,' said Demi. °Everyone says
so.'
‘Looking older is not the same as being older!
Your parents know how old you are, and so will the college!'
‘ I don't know about anyone else,' said Ellie
soothingly, 'but I'm starving – because I am pregnant. Shall I make us all something to eat? Sandwiches, something like that?'
‘ That's a good idea,'
said Grace. °Do you need me to do anything?’
Ellie turned to Demi. 'I don't know if you know this, but if Grace
was left to her own devices, she would never cook and hardly ever eat,
which is why I've taken over the cooking. Self-defence.’
This got a grudging smile out of Demi. 'I am
quite hungry. I didn't have breakfast.'
‘ Demi,'
asked Grace tentatively, sure she didn't want to hear the answer, 'how
did you get here?'
‘I hitched.’
Grace groaned and took up Demi's stance of arms
on table, head on arms.
‘It's all right!' said Demi. 'I got here
safely!'
‘You're to promise never, ever to hitch on your
own again.'
‘OK,' agreed Demi. 'The bloke who drove me here
gave me a terrible telling off. He said it was dangerous, too.’
Ellie suppressed a smile,
and went over to the table by the fridge. She observed Demi and
Grace as they sat at the kitchen table. They
were talking quietly, both slightly pleading, but Demi also a little
defiant.
Grace seemed
far too young to be a stepmother, but she could understand why Demi would
choose to come and live with her. If only Demi could stop seeing Ellie as
competition, it could work very well.
Ellie took care with the sandwiches, mostly to give Demi and Grace
more time to talk, but also because she was an expert at making meals which cost
virtually nothing. It had been such fun in
the early days with Rick, before she
lived with him. She would go round to his flat and find that he hadn't eaten all day, and there was prac tically
nothing in the house. Making tasty (if not particularly nourishing) meals out
of what was there felt so cosy and caring. She hoped Demi could stay with them,
it would make them like a family, which would be fun.
Feeling very
like an Earth Mother, and really quite proud of herself, she put a plate of
sandwiches on the table between Grace and
Demi, and they both looked up, startled.
‘ Oh, wow!' said Demi. 'I'm starving! Can I start?'
‘ So what
have you guys agreed?' asked Ellie, biting into A ham and
salad sandwich.
Grace sighed. 'After lunch we're going to ring
Demi's mother and tell her Demi's here.'
‘She won't care,' said Demi, her mouth full.
‘ Yes, she will! But if it's OK with her, and we
can sort something out about college, she
can stay here. Providing the parents agree.'
‘ Good,' said Ellie. `So, who wants to come with me to get
my furniture?'
‘I do,' said Demi, who was looking a lot more
cheerful now she was eating. 'This is going to be so cool.'
‘It might not be,' warned Grace. 'Your mother
may not allow you to stay with me.'
‘ I told you!
She doesn't care! All she cares about is that new bloke of
hers. It's so gross. They touch each other all the time — in front of me.'
‘That is a
bit gross,' said Ellie.
Grace said nothing. She
was remembering how she and Edward couldn't keep their hands off
each other when they were first in love.
Demi would have found that gross, too.
‘ OK, let's
ring her up, shall we? Do you want to or shall I?’
Ellie could hear that
Grace was finding her new respon sibilities taxing. 'How well do you
get on with Demi's mother?' she asked, finding herself wanting to protect
Grace, not for the first time.
‘Not all that well. She thinks I'm an idiot,'
said Grace. 'I suppose you can't blame her. I was responsible for Edward
leaving her. She's bound to hate me.'
‘ Honestly!' said Demi. 'She won't care!'
‘So you'll
ring her?'
‘ They will
find out,' said Ellie. 'Although at college they reckon that if you're
over eighteen—’
`Demi's not over eighteen,' said Grace.
‘But I look older,' said Demi. °Everyone says
so.'
‘Looking older is not the same as being older!
Your parents know how old you are, and so will the college!'
‘ I don't know about anyone else,' said Ellie
soothingly, 'but I'm starving – because I am pregnant. Shall I make us all something to eat? Sandwiches, something like that?'
‘ That's a good idea,'
said Grace. °Do you need me to do anything?’
Ellie turned to Demi. 'I don't know if you know this, but if Grace
was left to her own devices, she would never cook and hardly ever eat,
which is why I've taken over the cooking. Self-defence.’
This got a grudging smile out of Demi. 'I am
quite hungry. I didn't have breakfast.'
‘ Demi,'
asked Grace tentatively, sure she didn't want to hear the answer, 'how
did you get here?'
‘I hitched.’
Grace groaned and took up Demi's stance of arms
on table, head on arms.
‘It's all right!' said Demi. 'I got here
safely!'
‘You're to promise never, ever to hitch on your
own again.'
‘OK,' agreed Demi. 'The bloke who drove me here
gave me a terrible telling off. He said it was dangerous, too.’
Ellie suppressed a smile,
and went over to the table by the fridge. She observed Demi and
Grace as they sat at the kitchen table. They
were talking quietly, both slightly pleading, but Demi also a little
defiant.
Grace seemed
far too young to be a stepmother, but she could understand why Demi would
choose to come and live with her. If only Demi could stop seeing Ellie as
competition, it could work very well.
Ellie took care with the sandwiches, mostly to give Demi and Grace
more time to talk, but also because she was an expert at making meals which cost
virtually nothing. It had been such fun in
the early days with Rick, before she
lived with him. She would go round to his flat and find that he hadn't eaten all day, and there was prac tically
nothing in the house. Making tasty (if not particularly nourishing) meals out
of what was there felt so cosy and caring. She hoped Demi could stay with them,
it would make them like a family, which would be fun.
Feeling very
like an Earth Mother, and really quite proud of herself, she put a plate of
sandwiches on the table between Grace and
Demi, and they both looked up, startled.
‘ Oh, wow!' said Demi. 'I'm starving! Can I start?'
‘ So what
have you guys agreed?' asked Ellie, biting into A ham and
salad sandwich.
Grace sighed. 'After lunch we're going to ring
Demi's mother and tell her Demi's here.'
‘She won't care,' said Demi, her mouth full.
‘ Yes, she will! But if it's OK with her, and we
can sort something out about college, she
can stay here. Providing the parents agree.'
‘ Good,' said Ellie. `So, who wants to come with me to get
my furniture?'
‘I do,' said Demi, who was looking a lot more
cheerful now she was eating. 'This is going to be so cool.'
‘It might not be,' warned Grace. 'Your mother
may not allow you to stay with me.'
‘ I told you!
She doesn't care! All she cares about is that new bloke of
hers. It's so gross. They touch each other all the time — in front of me.'
‘That is a
bit gross,' said Ellie.
Grace said nothing. She
was remembering how she and Edward couldn't keep their hands off
each other when they were first in love.
Demi would have found that gross, too.
‘ OK, let's
ring her up, shall we? Do you want to or shall I?’
Ellie could hear that
Grace was finding her new respon sibilities taxing. 'How well do you
get on with Demi's mother?' she asked, finding herself wanting to protect
Grace, not for the first time.
‘Not all that well. She thinks I'm an idiot,'
said Grace. 'I suppose you can't blame her. I was responsible for Edward
leaving her. She's bound to hate me.'
‘ Honestly!' said Demi. 'She won't care!'
‘So you'll
ring her?'
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