Katherine can’t remember the last time her mum called her that. Definitely before Sofia was born though. She suddenly loves the intimacy of this moment, her half-sisters in bed, forgotten, and her sharing this secret with her mum. She doesn’t want it to stop. ‘Can I help with the desserts?’

‘Of course you can. I need to burn this sugar and I’m not sure I trust myself after the amount of wine I’ve drunk.’

Katherine takes the proffered blowtorch out of her mum’s hand, curls her fingers around its grip and flicks off the safety catch. She angles it towards the closest ramekin dish and presses down. The sapphire flame is like a magnet, drawing her eyes closer. As she watches the golden grains bubble and meld into a burnt and blackened crust, she knows it will taste delicious, that its sweet crunch will mix with the soft creaminess beneath. Katherine wishes life was like crème brûlée. That you could be ugly and damaged on the outside and people would still want you.

‘And does she have a name?’ her mum asks finally. ‘Your, um, girlfriend?’ She starts transferring the finished desserts to a wooden tray with stainless steel handles, and the ceramic dishes chime as they clink against each other. She’ll be gone in a moment, Katherine thinks. Back to her friends, her glass of wine, Javier’s hand reclaiming possession as he strokes her arm.

And Katherine will be alone again, the odd one out. Too old to go to bed, too young to join the dinner party. All she’s really got is … ‘Becca,’ she says. ‘She’s called Becca.’

December 2021

December 2021

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Beth

Beth recognises the fumble of Simon’s key in the door and steels herself for the inevitable mayhem. As usual, Luna is the first in the family to notice. She lifts her head at the sound and draws back her ears. After a moment of stillness, she launches out of her daybed and flies towards the front door, paws slipping and scattering on the wooden floor.

At least she’s not leaving any muddy pawprints this evening; Kat did an excellent job of returning her both tired out and clean. When Beth first texted the groomer about taking Luna for a walk this evening, it was out of desperation rather than planning – Simon was working late, and she was still petrified by the memory of Mark’s accusing words on Friday afternoon – and she still wasn’t convinced it was a good idea. Then when Kat appeared to angle for an invite when she first arrived, that uncertainty had strengthened. But it had been a different story when Kat dropped Luna back. The dog was exhausted, and spotlessly clean, even by Beth’s standards. She’d had a twenty-pound note ready, and Kat hadn’t tried to linger.