The Secrets Sisters Keep: A heartwarming, funny and emotional novel (The Devlin Sisters Book 2) (2 page)

She staggered. Emily rushed to grab her. They both turned to stare at Leo who, sensing Victoria’s rage, stood very close to me.

‘How dare you?’ Victoria screeched. ‘You horrible child. You almost knocked me over. Look at my leg! I’m going to have a huge bruise.’ Then, glaring at me, she demanded, ‘Are you his mother?’

Victoria’s clones fussed over her, asking if she was all right. I was surrounded and outnumbered. I thought – for a split second only – about denying that Leo was mine, but then I decided to stand my ground. ‘Yes, I am.’

‘He’s just attacked me with that wretched ball. Have you nothing to say?’

‘I do, actually,’ I said, my blood beginning to boil. I could feel all eyes on me, judging me, but suddenly I didn’t care. ‘It was an accident, and Leo is very sorry. There’s no need to call him names.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ she spluttered. ‘Is that it? Is that all you have to say? Your son has scarred me.’

I looked at her leg. ‘No, he hasn’t. It’s a tiny bruise.’ I kept my voice as even as possible.

She tried to frown, but her Botoxed face remained stiff. ‘You’re obviously new to the school.’

‘Yes, we are.’

‘Well, let me tell you that such behaviour is not tolerated. Boys are not allowed to behave like wild animals.’

I’d had enough. ‘Chill out. They were only playing football.’

‘
Chill out?
 Who do you think you are?’

‘Julie Devlin. Sophie Devlin’s sister. You remember my sister Sophie? You were best friends for a while. We’ve met before. In fact, we had an interesting little chat in Starbucks a while ago.’

Victoria looked shocked. ‘What on earth are 
you
 doing here?’

‘The triplets are starting in the third form.’

‘But you can’t possibly be sending your children to Castle Academy.’

‘Actually, I can, and I am. They might even be in your son’s class. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll be delighted to hear that your old pal Sophie is doing really well. She’s a partner now in the Beauty Spot.’

Victoria narrowed her eyes and gave me a sickly smile. ‘Poor Sophie. I did feel for her when Jack divorced her and took up with Pippa Collins. Pippa is so young, beautiful and successful. It must have been hard for Sophie to be cast aside like that.’

The hairs on the back of my neck were now at right angles to the ground. How dare she belittle my sister? ‘Actually, Sophie divorced Jack. She’s really happy and fulfilled now. All that lunching and shopping was boring her to death.’

Victoria turned to her posse. ‘Sophie was married to Jack Wells. You must have heard about them. So tragic. He lost everything in a Ponzi scheme. He even tried to get Gerry involved, but Gerry was much too clever to fall for that.’

I was very tempted to ask her if Gerry had enjoyed his dinner in Le Jardin on Friday night, but decided not to stoop to her level. It was my first day: I was supposed to be making friends, not mortal enemies.

Victoria flicked back her wavy, honey-coloured hair and tottered off in her high heels with her adoring fans. Emily followed them, so I found myself alone.

The bell rang, calling the boys into class.

I fought back tears. My first day was a disaster. I’d alienated about half the bloody school.

Leo looked up at me. ‘Sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean to hit her.’

I bent down and hugged him. ‘I know, pet. She’s just a stuck-up cow. Don’t you mind her. Now, off you go and have a great day.’

I watched the triplets lining up behind their teacher. They were the only ones with Tesco backpacks and I was proud of that. Some of the boys had leather ones with their initials embossed on the back. More money than sense, as Mum would say.

My heart sank as I saw Victoria’s son standing in line behind the triplets. They were in the same class. Could this day get any worse?

As I stood there, waving, fake-smiling, standing alone, I longed for my old life at the school gates, with Marian at my side, laughing and joking. Here, I was an outcast already.

I
snapped
my laptop shut and cursed under my breath. Wendy just wasn’t on point. I’d have to talk to her next week. I really didn’t want her sending me annoying emails on Sunday morning about things she’d forgotten to tell me.

Women like her got up my nose. Why the hell couldn’t she be more professional? She had been late twice last week and had arrived at a client meeting with a soother sticking out from the breast pocket of her blouse. It had distracted me, and everyone else, for the entire meeting.

I’d have to talk to her. She was letting the department down. I ran a tight ship and I wanted everyone on my team to be efficient, competent professionals at all times. Clients came to me because of my reputation. Wendy was not going to tarnish it.

I put my laptop on the counter and watched Clara counting raisins into her porridge. I knew she’d stop at twenty. She was just like me: she loved order and routine. I shuddered as I imagined breakfast at Julie’s house. It was a zoo over there.

While Clara finished her breakfast I sent a text to Christelle, to tell her I needed her in early tomorrow because I had an eight o’clock meeting.

No prob, c u then
, she replied.

Hope Galway good fun
, I added.

Gr8 fun, xcpt Harry texting evry 5 mins to chek up on me!

I smiled. Poor Harry. He’d been completely thrown when he found out he had a grown-up daughter he’d never known existed. Julie was far more relaxed about it. In the past four years, Harry had tried to make up for the eighteen he’d missed. He was ridiculously over-protective and it drove Christelle nuts.

Give H a break, he wants to b a good dad
.

I no but he’s suffocating
.

Want me to say smthg at lunch today?

Yes pls!

C
lara
and I were the first to arrive at my parents’ house for lunch. Mum opened the door and bent down to hug Clara.

‘Squeeze tighter, Granny,’ Clara said, and Mum obliged.

We went into the lounge, where Dad was watching rugby. He waved at us and I sat down beside him. Clara sat on the floor and opened her book.

‘What are you reading about this week?’ Dad asked her.

Not looking up, Clara said, ‘Birds of prey.’

‘Does she ever read anything except books about birds?’

I shrugged. ‘She has a huge interest in them, so I’m encouraging her. I was always reading at her age, too.’

Dad rolled his eyes. ‘You never had your nose out of a book. You barely said a word to anyone.’

I patted his arm. ‘Well, it didn’t do me any harm.’

‘Fewer books and more lipstick might have got you a nice husband,’ Mum said, coming in with a platter of nibbles, which she placed on the table in front of the fire.

‘I presume she had lipstick on the night she met Clara’s father,’ Dad muttered, under his breath. Mum tutted behind us.

Clara was the result of a one-night stand, which was still a sore point with Mum, especially as it had happened in Italy and I didn’t even know his name. I had simply told Clara that some kids had no dads and that I loved her enough for two parents. She had accepted it. I’d eventually have to tell her the truth but for now she was happy.

I glared at Dad and mouthed, ‘Shut up!’

Clearly Clara hadn’t heard anything: ‘Granddad, did you know that birds of prey hunt for food using their keen senses, especially vision?’

‘Very interesting, pet.’ Dad turned to me. ‘My God, Louise, they’re very big words for a small girl. Can she honestly read that? She’s only four and a half.’

I felt a rush of pride. ‘She’s way ahead for her age, Dad. I think she’s genuinely in the genius category.’

‘Like mother, like daughter,’ Dad said. ‘I bet she’ll end up in Mensa, like you.’

‘Their talons and beaks are large, powerful and adapted for tearing flesh,’ Clara continued.

Dad looked at me. ‘Is that really suitable reading for a four-year-old? Tearing flesh?’

Before I could answer, Gavin arrived with a tall, thin, blonde girl in low-slung jeans and a tight vest T-shirt. ‘Hey, guys, this is Shania.’

‘Are you sure?’ Dad snorted. ‘It could be Shandy.’

‘It’s Shania, Dad.’ Gavin glared at him.

‘Nice to see she has her clothes on, anyway.’

Shania grinned. ‘Gavin told me about that other girl. How mortifying for everyone. Don’t worry, Mr Devlin, I have my own place so you won’t be seeing my bare arse anytime.’

‘Very reassuring to know. Thank you.’ Dad grinned.

‘It’s super nice of you to have me over,’ she gushed.

‘We had no idea you were coming, but you’re very welcome.’

‘Shania works in Stars and Stripes. She’s the one who got me an interview with them,’ Gavin explained.

‘When is it?’ I asked.

‘Tuesday,’ Gavin said.

‘It would be, like, so awesome if Gavin got a job there. We’d have so much fun together. Gavin is the funniest guy ever.’

‘Really?’ Dad and I were both surprised.

‘OMG, totally.’

‘Where are you from, Shania?’ Dad asked.

She looked puzzled. ‘Killiney.’

‘As in, Killiney up the road?’ Dad spluttered.

‘Totally.’

‘I thought you were American.’

‘I wish.’ She smiled, showing a perfect set of pearly white teeth.

Sophie and Jess walked into the room. Sophie was wearing a dress that was far too short. It wouldn’t even have looked good on Shania. Since Jack had met Pippa, Sophie had been wearing clothes that were too young for her. I’d have to say something, she looked ridiculous.

‘Hi, Gavin. Nice top. Is that Stars and Stripes?’ Sophie asked.

‘Yeah, Shania gave it to me.’

‘I think he looks hot in it,’ Shania said.

‘Sorry, who are you?’ Sophie asked, looking her up and down.

‘This is Shania, Gavin’s “friend”,’ Dad said, winking.

‘Very subtle, Dad.’ Sophie grinned. She proffered a hand to Shania. ‘I’m Sophie, and this is my daughter, Jess.’

‘Hi,’ Jess said. ‘I like your jeans.’

Shania’s jeans had pink hearts stitched down the side of each leg.

‘Thanks, they’re Stars and Stripes too. You should come into the store. I can help you pick some out.’

Sophie butted in: ‘Jess is too young for that shop.’

‘Oh, no, honestly, we do really cute jeans for teenagers.’

‘She’s nine,’ Sophie said firmly.

‘Wow, you look older, probably because you’re tall, like your mum. You could definitely be a model.’

‘Really? Do you think so?’ Jess’s face lit up.

‘Totally.’

‘Pippa thinks so, too.’

I saw Sophie’s face darken. Pippa was a sore subject. I felt sorry for my sister. Pippa was like a slap in the face, she looked like a younger version of Sophie and was Jack’s first serious girlfriend since they had broken up. The fact that Pippa was living with Jack and spending time with Jess was hard on Sophie.

‘Who’s Pippa?’ Shania asked.

‘My dad’s girlfriend. She’s a TV presenter and she’s amazing,’ Jess gabbled. ‘She’s beautiful and so much fun. I love my weekends with her and Dad. My other weekends are so boring.’

Ouch, poor Sophie. I walked over to her and took her arm. ‘I think Mum needs help in the kitchen,’ I said, leading her away. Once we were outside the room, I said, ‘Jess doesn’t mean it.’

Sophie sighed. ‘Yes, she does. She worships Pippa and hates me. Honestly, Louise, since Pippa came on the scene, Jess has been a nightmare. It’s bad enough that Jack is going out with someone half my age, but to have my daughter obsessed with her, too, is really hard to take.’

‘Pippa’s still a novelty. It’ll wear off. You’re Jess’s mum and she adores you.’

‘She used to, but not any more.’

The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. The triplets tumbled into the house, Julie, Harry and Tom following. Julie was wearing a cute navy shift dress with navy-and-white ballet pumps. She looked great.

‘Hi, Harry, how’s things?’

‘Good, thanks,’ Harry said. ‘Is the game on inside?’ He nodded at the door to the lounge.

I stepped aside. ‘Be my guest.’ He headed straight in.

‘You look lovely, Julie,’ Sophie said.

‘Thanks. You told me to buy this – remember?’

‘Oh, yeah! Well, it suits you.’

It’s a pity Sophie doesn’t buy similar clothes for herself, I thought. She’d look so much better.

‘I have to admit, having money to buy decent clothes makes such a difference,’ Julie said. ‘I never knew how much tailored clothes could enhance your shape. They hide all my bad bits. I’m not like you two, with your skinny frames. You can wear anything and look good.’

‘Harry’s had a make-over, too,’ Sophie noted. ‘That was all Hugo Boss, wasn’t it?’

Julie nodded. ‘One of the men in the golf club told him it was the “only place to shop”. So Harry went in and bought almost everything in there. He came home with a car full of clothes. I was shocked. He never cared about clothes before. I know he’s a lot smarter, but I kind of miss his cord jackets and crumpled chinos.’

‘He looks way better now,’ Sophie assured her.

‘Which golf club did he join?’ I asked.

‘The Royal Marine.’

‘Wow! That’s the most expensive club in Ireland. Very fancy!’ I said.

Julie shrugged. ‘It costs a fortune to be a member. Harry spends half his time worrying about money and the other half spending it. But he says he only makes investments, including the boys’ new school and the golf club, which he says is great for networking. The amount of time he devotes to meeting people to discuss how to make the money grow and last for our future is ridiculous.’

‘Hang on! He’s right to be cautious. You came into a large sum, but it disappears quickly. Harry’s wise to be thinking about investment plans and pensions,’ I reminded her.

‘Damn right! Look at me,’ Sophie said. ‘One day we were millionaires, the next we were homeless. You need to mind your cash.’

‘I understand that, but I wish we didn’t have to talk about it all the time,’ Julie said. ‘I spent years budgeting every single day. I just want to enjoy not having to worry about money.’

‘You should treat yourself – just don’t go mad like Jack and I did.’

‘There’s no fear of that. I’m never going to wear designer clothes. I’m still too intimidated to go into Harvey Nichols.’

‘Julie!’ Sophie laughed. ‘It’s just a shop.’

‘I find it really daunting. I’m not comfortable there. I don’t feel like I belong, and I keep expecting someone to ask me to leave because I’m not glamorous enough.’

Sophie and I roared laughing. ‘That’s insane,’ I said. ‘You’re one of the only people in Ireland who has money at the moment. They’ll be welcoming you with open arms.’

‘I used to spend half my life there, shopping or having coffee or lunch. Now I only ever go there for work.’ Sophie smiled ruefully.

‘Well, I’d be happy to go with you and treat you to new clothes,’ Julie offered.

Sophie put an arm around her. ‘Thanks, Julie, but you need to spend your money on yourself and enjoy it. By the way, I keep meaning to ask you how the boys are getting on at Castle Academy.’

Julie filled us in. Sophie laughed wickedly when she heard about Victoria getting smacked by the football. I didn’t think it was so funny, though. Julie needed the triplets to start behaving. They were wild, and if they got expelled from Castle Academy, she might find it difficult to get them accepted elsewhere. She needed to be firmer with them. Harry was far too easy on them, too. He hardly ever gave out to them. He thought all of his children were wonderful. That was fine, but the triplets needed a firm hand. Tom was the opposite, an incredibly calm, sweet child. How had Harry and Julie ended up with such polar opposites?

Gavin’s head appeared around the door of the lounge. ‘The witches are in conclave, I see,’ he said, grinning at us. ‘What are you three whispering about out here?’

‘We’re putting bets on as to how long Shania will be around,’ Sophie said, teasing him. ‘The previous girl only lasted a night, didn’t she?’

Julie and I burst out laughing. Gavin’s love life was a constant source of fascination to us. Why so many girls fell for him was beyond us, but he seemed to have the magic touch.

‘You’d better get used to her,’ Gavin said, shaking his finger at Sophie. ‘This one’s a keeper, I swear.’

‘If she lasts a month, I might start believing you,’ Sophie said. ‘How are you anyway? What’s happening? Any interviews lined up?’

‘One at Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.’

‘Cool store.’ Sophie seemed impressed.

‘Isn’t that the place where the guys stand outside on the street shirtless, covered with fake tan and baby oil?’ Julie asked.

Sophie laughed. ‘It gets people into the shop.’

‘Really? Are you seriously going to work with no top on?’ It sounded ridiculous to me.

Gavin glanced towards the kitchen door, then shushed us. ‘Keep your voice down. Mum and Dad don’t know about that.’

‘What?’ I was shocked.

‘Don’t get all judgemental. The dudes in the shop don’t wear shirts.’

‘Are you honestly telling me that you’re considering working half naked?’ I know I sounded like a granny, but come on! We didn’t live in Santa Monica: this was cold, grey Dublin.

‘Shania said it gets the ladies in. And, apparently, it’s the old birds, like you lot, who always cop a feel,’ Gavin said.

‘Do they proposition them?’ Julie asked.

Gavin grinned. ‘One or two of the really fit guys have had phone numbers slipped into their jeans by cougars.’

‘Well, if they’re single, why not?’ Sophie said.

Gavin crinkled his nose. ‘It’s a bit desperate.’

‘Do you think you’ll be propositioned?’ Julie asked, trying not to laugh.

‘I’m working on my six-pack in the gym, so I reckon I probably will.’ Gavin patted his thin frame. He didn’t even have a one-pack.

‘If you actually get this job, aside from being mauled by older women, are you going to try to get into management or are you going to spend your time in the stockroom with Shania?’ I asked. Gavin had a long history of getting distracted by girlfriends.

‘No, I’m totally focused this time. The company is really cool and I definitely see my future there.’