The Book of Us by Andrea Michael

Author:Andrea Michael [Michael, Andrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2019-10-30T17:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

Spain

Chapter 13

Lauren hadn’t spoken to Cass in approximately eighteen hours, if you included the ones where she was sleeping. It was easy enough to disguise her inner mess of emotions. She took pictures, pasted on a smile and focused all her energy on making that child feel so incredibly cherished.

She knew that perhaps she was being unfair. It wasn’t clear whether she was angry, upset, sad for Vee or just plain jealous. Lauren thought that by the time the plane landed in Seville, she might have had a handle on her feelings, might have worked out how she felt, why she felt it, and would have a plan to move forward. Instead, she was stuck in stone. Cass had betrayed her friend, got knocked up by someone she hated, and it was worth it, if it kept her alive for a few more years. Like pregnancy was an anti-cancer pill.

Except, the other half of her heart argued, if that was the case, she could have given Vee away when she was a baby, and she hadn’t. It was painful to think back to that time, where Cass was such a ball of destruction and Lauren was trying to bury her fear of that wave of anxiety that seemed to crash over her. They were both alone. Cass got a daughter, Lauren had Darren, and that was how it worked out. Cass got the better deal.

Even whilst she was in a strop, Lauren managed everything to do with their travel. She found their luggage, directed them to the taxi rank, gave the name of the hotel. Even in her anger, she was efficient.

Her Spanish was rusty, but she tentatively chatted to the taxi driver, who seemed cheerfully impressed by her attempts. He offered gentle corrections to pronunciation, and asked why they were there. ‘We always wanted to come,’ she replied in Spanish, looking behind her to the two people in the back seat. Vee sat squashed in to her mother’s side, pointing out of the window at all the things they saw. Cass was distracted, stroking her hair and barely replying. She was in pain today. The set of her jaw was different when she braced herself against pain. It almost changed her face completely.

The taxi driver, Manuel, dropped them off as close to their accommodation as possible, pointing down the narrow path with vibrant-blue patterned tiles against a yellow wall.

She tipped generously, and Manuel gave her his card. ‘You need to get around, you call me, I’ll look after you. Practise your Spanish! Adiós.’ He wiggled his bushy eyebrows and jumped back into his cab.

‘Getting chatted up?’ Cass asked, trying for humour but sounding flat and tired.

‘He looks like one of my uncles.’ Lauren rolled her eyes, then waved the card. ‘But we have a cab driver for the rest of our trip.’

She hoisted a bag over her shoulder then took hold of two handles to wheel the cases behind her. Cass and Vee followed her, holding hands like trusting children trailing behind their mother.

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