emphasised his tired eyes.
"Is she okay?"
Emma stepped back to let him inside. "She's fine. Worried about you, but fine. What about you?"
He gave her a weary smile and nodded.
Jess was already setting the table as Emma followed Matt into the kitchen.
"Matt, I'm so sorry. You're nothing like Mum and Dad. I don't know why I said it, I didn't mean it."
He stopped in front of Jess and she walked into his outstretched arms, which he wrapped around her. "I know. Just like I didn't mean what I said. It's been a stressful few days, for all of us."
Emma poured a glass of wine for Matt and felt a pang of something straight through her heart. Envy? Regret? Even though Jess and Matt disagreed over their parents, it brought them closer. She felt bad thinking it, especially since her mum was gone, but all her parents had done was help build a gulf between her and her sister. She shook her head. So not going down that road tonight. They were solving problems, not adding more. Emma started to serve up the bolognese as Jess and Matt sat down.
"You know, you can stay at mine as long as you want. Why didn't you tell me what Mum and Dad were up to?"
Jess lifted her shoulders and let them drop as she toyed with her fork. "I didn't think they'd actually do it."
Matt covered her hand with his own, making her look up at him. "And did they?"
"Yeah. They normally pay my allowance into my account by the end of the first week of each month. Nothing has been paid since October."
"Well, it looks like you're stuck with me then," he said with a smile, trying to make light of it.
Emma put a garlic baguette in the middle of the table. "Dig in."
"It smells great," Matt said as Emma set a steaming bowl of bolognese in front of him.
"Yeah, it does," Jess agreed, twirling her fork around the spaghetti.
Emma smiled at Matt, thinking he looked less tired since he'd sorted things with Jess. She nodded at Jess, who took a deep breath.
"Actually, I'm not."
"What?" Matt asked around a fork full of spaghetti.
"I'm not stuck with you. Emma and I talked this afternoon and came up with the perfect solution."
"Mmm?"
"It helps us both. Emma is struggling with the rent on this place, and I'd be out from under your feet."
"You're going to move in here?"
Jess nodded, and a smile broke across her face as she looked at Emma. Matt glanced from Jess to Emma and back again. God, he's so cute, Emma thought as his forehead crinkled and his eyes narrowed.
"I don't understand how that helps either of you."
"Gran left the house in trust to us, so Mum and Dad can't touch it. If I live here, I won't have to pay rent, and I'm not going to charge Emma. I'll cancel her lease agreement, and Emma has agreed to pay the bills until the end of the year. Then we'll split them. Hopefully, I'll have a job by then."
Matt looked between the pair of them and shook his head. "I don't know. I leave you alone for an afternoon and you end up sharing a house. Remind me not to get on the bad side of either of you two. Who knows what evil plan you could come up with?"
***
"Go, relax, we'll do the washing up," Matt said to Emma as he started to fill the sink.
"Thanks for offering my help."
"Don't mention it." Matt smiled as he glanced over his shoulder. "I wanted to speak to you alone."
Jess stopped drying the pan to look up at him. "Why? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, yes, it's fine. I ... You know I'm sorry about what I said earlier, don't you?"
"Yes, so why don't we just forget the conversation ever happened?"
"We can, but not until I've said this. It's just ... Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're moving back up here, but it's just so sudden. Everything's okay, isn't it? You left London so unexpectedly, that's all." He stopped washing the dish in his hand as Jess started to pull on a loose thread of the tea towel. "Jess?"
"What do you think? Mum told me if I wanted to stay living down in London, I would need to find a new apartment. They weren't going to pay for my lease
"Is she okay?"
Emma stepped back to let him inside. "She's fine. Worried about you, but fine. What about you?"
He gave her a weary smile and nodded.
Jess was already setting the table as Emma followed Matt into the kitchen.
"Matt, I'm so sorry. You're nothing like Mum and Dad. I don't know why I said it, I didn't mean it."
He stopped in front of Jess and she walked into his outstretched arms, which he wrapped around her. "I know. Just like I didn't mean what I said. It's been a stressful few days, for all of us."
Emma poured a glass of wine for Matt and felt a pang of something straight through her heart. Envy? Regret? Even though Jess and Matt disagreed over their parents, it brought them closer. She felt bad thinking it, especially since her mum was gone, but all her parents had done was help build a gulf between her and her sister. She shook her head. So not going down that road tonight. They were solving problems, not adding more. Emma started to serve up the bolognese as Jess and Matt sat down.
"You know, you can stay at mine as long as you want. Why didn't you tell me what Mum and Dad were up to?"
Jess lifted her shoulders and let them drop as she toyed with her fork. "I didn't think they'd actually do it."
Matt covered her hand with his own, making her look up at him. "And did they?"
"Yeah. They normally pay my allowance into my account by the end of the first week of each month. Nothing has been paid since October."
"Well, it looks like you're stuck with me then," he said with a smile, trying to make light of it.
Emma put a garlic baguette in the middle of the table. "Dig in."
"It smells great," Matt said as Emma set a steaming bowl of bolognese in front of him.
"Yeah, it does," Jess agreed, twirling her fork around the spaghetti.
Emma smiled at Matt, thinking he looked less tired since he'd sorted things with Jess. She nodded at Jess, who took a deep breath.
"Actually, I'm not."
"What?" Matt asked around a fork full of spaghetti.
"I'm not stuck with you. Emma and I talked this afternoon and came up with the perfect solution."
"Mmm?"
"It helps us both. Emma is struggling with the rent on this place, and I'd be out from under your feet."
"You're going to move in here?"
Jess nodded, and a smile broke across her face as she looked at Emma. Matt glanced from Jess to Emma and back again. God, he's so cute, Emma thought as his forehead crinkled and his eyes narrowed.
"I don't understand how that helps either of you."
"Gran left the house in trust to us, so Mum and Dad can't touch it. If I live here, I won't have to pay rent, and I'm not going to charge Emma. I'll cancel her lease agreement, and Emma has agreed to pay the bills until the end of the year. Then we'll split them. Hopefully, I'll have a job by then."
Matt looked between the pair of them and shook his head. "I don't know. I leave you alone for an afternoon and you end up sharing a house. Remind me not to get on the bad side of either of you two. Who knows what evil plan you could come up with?"
***
"Go, relax, we'll do the washing up," Matt said to Emma as he started to fill the sink.
"Thanks for offering my help."
"Don't mention it." Matt smiled as he glanced over his shoulder. "I wanted to speak to you alone."
Jess stopped drying the pan to look up at him. "Why? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, yes, it's fine. I ... You know I'm sorry about what I said earlier, don't you?"
"Yes, so why don't we just forget the conversation ever happened?"
"We can, but not until I've said this. It's just ... Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're moving back up here, but it's just so sudden. Everything's okay, isn't it? You left London so unexpectedly, that's all." He stopped washing the dish in his hand as Jess started to pull on a loose thread of the tea towel. "Jess?"
"What do you think? Mum told me if I wanted to stay living down in London, I would need to find a new apartment. They weren't going to pay for my lease
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