Summer at Tiffany's (12 page)

Gem took a deep breath. ‘Well, we did the first summer in Ibiza. I mean, nowhere near San Antonio –
obvs
. I just can't take that touristy, clubbing crowd, you know? They're all just so young and immature, and they act like they're the first people who've ever had drugs, you know?' She rolled her eyes. ‘No, we were up in the mountains at this great little hostel where they grew all their own food and there were freaking goats everywhere. It was just really . . . humble. More like a kibbutz really, except not, you know . . . Jewish.'

‘Right.' Henry frowned, clearly a little puzzled. ‘And then?'

‘So then we moved on to India, went to Jaipur and Kerala and met some amazing spiritualists. I got so into Ayurveda it's not even funny. And in Braj, we were there in time for the Holi festival – you know, when everyone throws paint powder all over each other and dances in the Ganges?'

Cassie was instantly grateful to realize Anouk would miss this comment. As someone who bathed in coconut milk and honey, the thought of bathing in the Ganges would no doubt elicit a violent physical reaction more akin to an enema.

‘Although, my skin was blue-tinted for about a fortnight afterwards,' she laughed.

‘Funny, I've never done India,' Henry said, clearly riveted. ‘But everyone raves about it.'

‘Apart from those who get Delhi belly,' Cassie joked, but her words must have been swallowed up by the crowd as neither Henry nor Gem laughed.

‘You could go on your honeymoon!' Gem said excitedly. ‘You so should! I know this guy who owns this uh-mazing palace that he rents out to friends and friends of friends. It's really exclusive and word of mouth only. Honestly, you'd love it – the views are to die for.'

Cassie smiled, nodding politely every time Gem glanced at her, which wasn't often.

‘It's a definite possibility, isn't it?' Henry asked, giving her a loving squeeze.

Cassie nodded again. Last night's argument – although triggered by the stress of Archie's predicament and already forgiven – remained as unresolved as ever. ‘Where else did you go?' she asked quickly.

‘Well, then we shimmied over to Bali for a bit. Don't you just love gamelan?' Gem's eyes were on Henry again.

Henry nodded. He travelled for a living. He knew exactly what gamelan was without having to look it up on Wikipedia.

‘I did some yoga out there and really got into it, so I took my teacher training qualification.' She said the words with undisguised pride. ‘Ah! Ah! You see? You're surprised, aren't you? You thought I was just swanning about the world and putting off getting a job, but I've come back with a qualification. You weren't expecting that, were you?'

Henry shook his head indulgently. ‘You're right. I wasn't.'

‘No. Aunt Hats couldn't believe it either. But I just thought it was important to come back with something to show for my time off, right? I mean, it's not all just watching sunsets on the beach. Although, ohmigod, doing yoga? On a beach? At sunset?' She closed her eyes, her middle fingers and thumbs pinched together in an ‘om' position. ‘Di. Vine.'

‘I bet,' Henry grinned, joshing Cassie lightly with his elbow.

‘Do you do yoga, Cassie?'

Cassie was startled. Being in Gem's sights was like having a lighthouse lamp shone right at you. ‘Uh, well, not really, no. I'm more of a runner.'

Gem shook her head. ‘Running makes you so tight.' She scrunched her face and hands up tightly, as though her words could only be true if she followed them through bodily. ‘We should do some yoga together sometime. I'll take you through some om shantis.'

‘Oh, OK. Yes, groovy. Thanks.'

Groovy?
Groovy?
Who said that? Why had she said that? She never said that! Cassie scanned the room, wondering whether everyone else in there was looking at her like she was old. She felt old – and very tired – in Gem's company.

‘Anyway, after, like, five months, I was done. Done I tell you. There's only so many pink sunsets you can take, you know?'

‘So where'd you go then?' Henry's eyes were alive with curiosity.

‘Oceania. Isn't that just the best name?' She wrinkled her cute snub nose. ‘Went to New Zealand first because I wasn't ready to . . . immerse myself in city life again so soon, you know? I just felt so pure after all those months of living on fish and stretching my body and rubbing salt on my skin. I needed a halfway house to get me back to civilization again. I had to retox!' she laughed.

‘I totally get that,' Henry shrugged. He was often quiet for a few days on returning from a trip, wanting nothing more than to hole up in the flat with Cassie for four days at a stretch, speaking to no one but each other.

‘I knew you would,' Gem grinned, looking at him intently and jabbing him affectionately in the chest with her finger. ‘So we spent a couple of months there before going on to Oz.'

‘We?' Cassie asked, pleased that she could see Bas and Anouk on their way back with the drinks.

‘Me and Laird.'

‘Aye-aye,' Henry said with a wink, as Bas reached over and put a pint into his hand. ‘Anything we need to discuss?'

‘Funny you should ask . . .' Gem beamed, clapping her hands together.

‘Drink that – it'll make you feel better,' Anouk instructed, handing Cass her gin and tonic. ‘What are you all talking about?'

‘Gem's fella in Oz,' Henry said. ‘I was just finding out whether he's worthy of my little cuz.'

‘Oh, he totally is. Wait till you meet him.'

‘He is here too?' Anouk asked, looking languidly around the room.

‘Well, I wasn't going to leave
him
behind. Wait till you see him. He's a total keeper.'

‘Where is he?' Cassie asked, intrigued.

‘Over there.' They all followed Gem's point to a sun-bleached-blond guy by the bar. He had pecs that looked like they were inflated and a tan that only Bas had copyright on. ‘He's a surfer.'

‘No shit,' Henry quipped, one eyebrow cocked as his eyes met Cassie's.

‘You should see him catch a wave. Honestly, it's almost a spiritual experience.' She reached inside her top and pulled out a roll-up, quickly cupping a hand as she lit it, her eyes closed as she inhaled the first drag. ‘Damn, that's good . . . Got to be careful he doesn't catch me. He's very anti.' She took another deep, deep drag, just as Henry took it from her with a sympathetic tut.

‘That's illegal over here now.'

‘What? My little rollie?' she pouted.

‘Smoking indoors,' Henry said, wetting his fingers and quickly extinguishing the cigarette. He handed it back to her with a stern expression. ‘
Not
that you should be smoking anything anywhere.'

‘What are you? My dad?'

‘As good a substitute as you'll get,' Henry smiled with a wink.

Gem sighed, staring at the roll-up sadly. ‘I've promised to give up anyway. You know, in time for the wedding.'

‘What wedding?' Henry asked, taking a swig of his beer.

‘Mine! Whose do you think, bozo?' she cried, holding her arms wide. ‘And seeing as you're the nearest I'm going to get to a dad – your words! – will you walk me down the aisle?'

Henry coughed, spluttering on his drink and spilling most of it down his poplin shirt. ‘Will I
what
?'

Gem laughed, delighted at his response. She clearly had a love of dramatics. ‘I said, will you walk me down the aisle?'

Henry gawped at her as he wiped his chin, plainly searching for a sign or a clue that she was joking. ‘But . . . but . . .' He looked back at Laird with a less friendly look. ‘Does Mum know?'

‘Not yet. I'm telling her tomorrow when we go to see Arch.' She pulled an ‘Oh Lawd!' expression. ‘Wish me luck.'

‘Christ, I wouldn't, Gem. You'll give her a heart attack and all.'

‘Why?' Gem asked. ‘This is exactly the kind of good news Aunt Hats needs.'

Henry hesitated. It was clear he did not think his mother was going to receive this as good news. ‘Yes, but . . . well, it's a bit bloody swift, isn't it? How long have you even been with the guy?'

‘Long enough.' Gem pulled a stern face similar to the one she'd pulled when asking about Arch earlier. ‘Besides, what does that matter? Didn't you always tell me that when you know, you know?'

Henry shifted his weight uneasily. ‘Yes, but . . .'

‘What? It was different for you? Listen, I'm nearly twenty-one, which is the age you were when you told me that Cassie had gone and married that old bloke—'

Anouk spluttered with surprised laughter, and Henry cast a sly, happy look to hear his old rival described as such. Cassie scowled, not so much in defence of Gil but from her own hurt pride to have married such a man.

‘But you still said you
knew
she'd be yours. I mean, that's a properly mad thing to go and say, you've got to admit. Besides, I'm twenty going on forty. I'm an old soul, me. I know what I want, and I want him.'

‘But what's the rush, Gem?' His eyes fell to her stomach, but she just laughed and shook her head. ‘What did you have to get engaged for? Why can't you just wait a bit?'

‘Wait for what? Tomorrow may never come. All we have is now. This day. This moment. My parents went to bed one night and never woke up. I
know
how capricious life can be. Everything's fine and boring and planned out, and then – wham! – the rug's pulled out from under you. Life can change in a day; it can fall apart in a moment. We have to grab our happiness when we find it and not assume that we're entitled to the light.' She shook his arm gently as she dropped her voice. ‘I know you understand it. You always got me. You were the only one who ever did.'

Henry sighed deeply as Gem finally lapsed into silence, her dark eyes hopeful and still upon him. Somehow, Cassie found her silence more unnerving than her mile-a-minute chatter. He gave a slow smile, reaching for her and hugging her tightly round the shoulders. ‘Yes, and I still do. And you've always got me,' he said quietly, kissing the top of her head. ‘Of course I'll walk you down the aisle.'

‘He said what?' Suzy screeched, losing her voice midway through and almost falling off the bed. Velvet was sitting between them all, playing with her favourite doll as Cassie and Suzy sat cross-legged on the pillows, Anouk draped decoratively along the footboard and inspecting her manicure. Henry was downstairs with Hattie and Bas in the kitchen.

A bunch of sweet peas in a milk jug, picked by Hattie that morning from the garden, was gently scenting the room, and the blue check Jane Churchill curtains billowed in the strong breeze. Every window in the house was open. Suzy had read ‘something, somewhere' about the air quality in houses being significantly more toxic when the windows were left shut and accordingly was trying to blow the house through before Archie's eventual return. Could stale air cause heart attacks? It wasn't worth taking the risk.

‘I know. It's crazy,' Cassie shrugged, unfolding her legs and recrossing them the other way. ‘
No one
should be allowed to get married at twenty-one. Honestly, I think there should be a law against it. I mean, who really knows what they want at that age?'

‘Well, you didn't, that's for sure,' Anouk said, her arm outstretched as Velvet patted at the stacked and twisted gold bangles she was wearing, the doll all but forgotten.

‘No. Thanks for that,' Cassie groaned, rolling her eyes.

‘What? I am agreeing with you. You are the case in point for why this wedding should not go ahead.'

‘Nooks is right,' Suzy said solemnly, staring into the middle distance. ‘We let you make the biggest mistake of your life because we were all as young and stupid as you were. Are we just going to sit by and watch history repeat itself? Mum's in a right state – Germ's nowhere near as sorted as she's trying to make out. She was the proverbial wild child when we were growing up – don't you remember? I used to read Mum's letters out to you. I thought Mum was going to lose her hair worrying about all her antics.'

Cassie frowned at the nickname Suzy had used. Gem was
Germ
? Why had no one said? Of course she remembered the girl! Suzy had never stopped moaning about her when they were at school.

‘She was expelled from
everywhere
, dropped out of uni, disappeared round the world for nearly two years, and now she's come back saying she wants to settle down for the rest of her life? Ha!' Suzy gave a contemptuous snort and wagged her finger. ‘I don't think so.'

‘Is Hattie very close to her, then?' Cassie asked.

‘Incredibly. It's not just that Mum became her legal guardian. Mum was so close to Uncle Pip, and when he died, I think she felt a responsibility to give his little girl a happy life. I mean, it was obvious why she was playing up – everyone could see it. Even the headmasters – when they'd call Mum in to tell her they couldn't have Germ at the school anymore, very often they'd end up crying more than she did! And Mum never threw the book at her. She'd just hug her and say that she was loved and everything would be OK.' Suzy narrowed her eyes. ‘Honestly, if ever there was an argument for tough love . . .'

‘You can't keep calling her Germ,' Cassie said disapprovingly, hugging a scatter cushion to her and staring past the billowing curtains to a couple of pigeons sitting on the telephone wire.

‘Well, not to her face, maybe,' Suzy grumbled. ‘What? My poor mum was run ragged by her. She was a brat, I'm telling you.'

‘Yeah – because her parents died. Cut the girl some slack,' Cassie said, her hand automatically reaching to stroke Velvet's hair as she came within touching distance on the bed.

Suzy huffed crossly but didn't try to defend her position further.