Still Life with Strings by L.H. Cosway Page A

given by older sisters.
    Walking back into the
room where Shane is being pictured, I mentally calculate how much time I’ll
need to go to the shop for groceries, get home, cook dinner, find something to
wear, and be at Pete’s school by seven. Yeah, I should probably get going soon.
I hate to leave Shane since I said I’d stay with him for this, but his mum’s
here now, so he won’t be entirely alone.
    Though from our brief
conversation earlier, I’m guessing he’d probably prefer to be alone than to
have his mother here.
    The photographer is
sorting through shots, so I walk up to Shane to tell him I’ve got to go.
    “That was my brother
Pete. He decided to spring it on me that his parent teacher evening is tonight.
I hope you don’t mind if I leave early?”
    Standing from his seat,
Shane replies, “No, of course not.” He pauses and then randomly volunteers, “I
could go with you if you like?”
    Giving him a funny
look, I respond, “To the parent teacher evening?”
    “Yeah, why not?” He
lowers his voice. “That way I can pay you back for the moral support.”
    I rub my forehead.
“These things can be pretty stressful, especially when you’re dealing with a
kid like my brother.” I go quiet for a moment, considering it and thinking
about how the snobbish teachers sometimes look down on me because of my age and
the fact that I’m only Pete’s sister. Having someone like Shane by my side
could definitely make me look more respectable…they might even think he’s my
husband or something. Okay, so not going there.
    “You can come, but are
you even done here?”
    He quirks an eyebrow.
“They’ve taken enough photos of me to last a lifetime, Jade. Besides, I don’t
think I can stand much more of this,” he says, casting his eyes in his mother’s
direction as she continues to pester the photographer.
    A small chuckle escapes
me. “She likes to take the lead, I see.”
    “A long career as the
CEO of an international charity will do that,” Shane mutters under his breath.
    “She runs a charity?
That’s impressive,” I tell him, letting out a low whistle. Mirin Arthur might
not have been particularly nice to me, but I can respect a woman with that kind
of drive.
    “Think of it more as a
business than a charity, but yeah, ‘impressive’ is one way of putting it.”
    The tone of Shane’s
voice tells me he doesn’t exactly agree. Loosening his tie, he says he’s going
to go change. As I wait, I shove another tiny sandwich down my gullet to see me
through until dinnertime (and a few in my handbag for Specky), and then I play
with my phone for a bit.
    Somebody clears their
throat, and I glance up to see Mirin standing in front of me.
    “My son likes you,” she
states, all matter of fact, and I don’t know how to reply or if she even
expects me to. Instead I stay quiet and wait to see what she’ll say next. Her
eyes trail over me intently. Jeez, what’s she doing, taking my measurements or
something?
    Unable to stand the
silence, I blurt, “Yeah, me and Shane are tight.”
    Oh, God, did I just say
that to this woman? That was probably one of the most ridiculous sentences to
have ever come out of my mouth. Mirin gives me an almost imperceptible smile.
    “Have you known each
other long?”
    “Not long.”
    “I see.” She presses
her lips together before continuing in a voice that’s not quite threatening,
but it’s not not threatening, either. “My son is a vulnerable man,
Miss…”
    “Lennon.”
    “Miss Lennon. He’s been
through a very rough year, and I wouldn’t like to see him being taken advantage
of.”
    Vulnerable. What
exactly does she mean by that? I nod along to what she says before I realise
what she’s getting at. She thinks I’m trying to take advantage of him?
Fuck, if this is the way she talks to all the people who’ve ever been in his
life, then I get why he doesn’t have any friends.
    “I assure you, Mirin,
that when it comes to your son, I have only the