“I don’t mean we’ve done this, exactly. I mean we’ve manipulated the situation to suit our ends. Oh, Mummy and Daddy,” she says in a fake little-girl voice. “We’re so sad and lonely without you. The only thing that’ll make us feel better is a new computer and a new phone and a holiday.”

Max looks uncomfortable. But it isn’t me he glances at with his cheeks stained red—it’s Bella. It’s Bella he wants to see him at his best.

But Bella is laughing with Lena and I’m jealous, wishing I could be as cool and carefree as Lena. All I seem to do these days is nag and moan, and it’s obvious that Bella’s fed up with me.

“You have to provoke Julia into looking bad,” Lena says. “Show her in a bad light in front of your dad. Get him to the point where he has to choose between you and her.”

I frown. Yes, the thought of them getting married is freaking me out, but I don’t want to split them up. It’s actually been nice having Julia in the house. Dad laughs a lot more and she cooks a brilliant chili and everything seems that much brighter. “That’s a bit mean, isn’t it? Julia’s always been really nice to you, having you to stay in the holidays.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “Well, that’s all stopped now, hasn’t it? We haven’t had any invites to stay at your place, have we?” She sounds bitter.

Ah, now I get her eagerness to mess things up between Dad and Julia. She wants things back how they were.

She turns to Bella. “Come on, Bella. What was it you were saying as we arrived? You’d do anything to stop it from happening?”

Max has wandered off and I follow him deeper into the woods.

“I’m sorry about my sister,” he says when he turns and sees me following him.

I shrug. “She’s just playing up to Bella. My sister will soon figure out there’s nothing we can do about this bloody wedding—not without hurting Dad. We don’t want a new stepmother, but we do want our dad to be happy. And I like Julia, so things could be a lot worse.”

“It wouldn’t be that bad, would it?” he says. “Forget what Lena said. If they get married, we might be here more as well.”

A warmth fills my belly at the thought. There’ll be an engagement party, a rehearsal dinner, the wedding itself. All with Max in the house with me. I step closer to him and my arm brushes against his. All the hairs on my arm rise.