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Paige frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means they’re interested in turning it into a movie, provided they can raise the money.”

Paige’s eyes rounded. “That is totally awesome,” she cried. “Oh my God, does it mean we’ll be going to Hollywood?”

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Jenna laughed.

“I know—let’s go through the book and decide who we think they should cast.”

Liking the sound of that, Jenna hugged her tightly. Suspecting the best way to handle the next piece of news would be to treat it as if it were no big deal, she began unloading the dishwasher as she said, “The other call I received on my way home was from Oliver Pryce. He’s wondering if he can come and see you.”

Paige’s jaw dropped as she stared at her mother in disbelief.

Jenna pretended not to notice. “I said to come about five,” she added casually. “I hope that’s OK.”

“You did what? Mum! You said
what
?”

Jenna regarded her, all innocence. “Would you like me to change it?” she offered.

“No! I mean,
yes.
Josh and the twins’ll be home by then.”

“No they won’t. Dad’s taking them to TGI Fridays.”

At the mention of her stepfather Paige’s face clouded, but only for a moment. “Oh my God,” she said, gulping, as she tried to think what to do. “Mum, do you have any idea…? I mean, I never told you this, but he is like…”

“It’s OK, I know.” Jenna smiled.

“What? How do you know?”

“I’m your mother. Mothers know everything.”

Paige’s eyes narrowed. “That would be seriously spooky if I didn’t know it wasn’t true.”

Laughing, Jenna said, “You’ve got an hour to make yourself presentable.”

“That is
so
not long enough.” Dashing up the stairs with Waffle hard on her heels, Paige almost shut him out in her haste to FaceTime Charlotte while she put on her makeup and tried to decide what the heck she was going to wear—never mind what she was going to say!

—

It was five minutes to five when Paige reappeared in the kitchen, her makeup so carefully applied it might have been done by a professional, and her white ruched top and her best jeans, the ones with rips in the knees, enjoying their first outing since purchase. She was so nervous and excited she almost squeezed her grandmother as Kay came in the door, asking what Richard’s son was doing hanging around outside.

“He’s already here?” Paige gasped.

“He’s obviously keen to see you,” Jenna commented.

“Don’t say that,” Paige snapped. “Just don’t.”

Jenna held up her hands. “You look lovely,” she told her.

“Are you sure? I couldn’t make up my mind between this top and the red one we got in New Look. I thought this one made me look a bit more…you know.”

“Definitely,” Jenna assured her.

“What do you think, Grandma?”

“Oh yes, definitely,” Kay agreed. “Very you know.”

Since her grandma’s jokes were rare and almost never funny, Paige didn’t even pick up on it. “Shall I invite him in?” she asked.

“I think you should,” Jenna replied.

“But where can we go without everyone listening?”

“There’s only me and Grandma here,” Jenna pointed out, “but if you insist, we can always go and sit in the car.”

“Don’t you dare,” Paige growled, missing the irony again. “Oh my God, I am so nervous. What am I going to say to him?”

“Why don’t you ask what his favorite hobbies are?” Kay suggested.

Paige gawped at her. “Like I’m really going…What are you doing?” she protested as Jenna began steering her toward the door.

“He’s waiting,” her mother reminded her, “and Grandma and I will stay here in the kitchen if you want to bring him in the front door and take him into the sitting room.”

Moments later, wanting the ground to open up and swallow her as a mortifying rush of embarrassment turned her cheeks an unflattering puce, Paige stood staring at Oliver, not sure what to say or do. Since he was leaning against his car with his head down as he texted or checked his phone, he didn’t realize she was there at first. As soon as he did he put his phone away.

“Hi,” he said, starting toward her. “Thanks for agreeing to see me.”

He was so utterly and completely drop-dead that she had no idea how she managed such a casual little shrug as she said, “No problem. I mean, I think my mum agreed for me, but that’s OK.”

With the lift of an eyebrow she’d seen him do on his video when he was singing the words “Are those smiles meant for me,” he said, “Cullum wanted to come with me, you know, to say sorry and everything, but I told him to pick his own time.”

Paige gave a choked laugh, though she wasn’t sure why.

“So how are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m cool. I mean, it was all a bit…you know…”

“Sure. You had us all pretty worried.”

He was worried about me.
“It was just dumb,” she said. “Kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing that got out of hand.”

He nodded and came to lean against the wall next to her.

“Do you want to come in?” she offered. It was freezing out here, but no way was she going to put a coat on and cover up what she was wearing.

“I’m here to apologize,” he said, as though he hadn’t heard the invite. “I should have realized what was happening….I mean, I did. Cullum told me, and obviously I got that Kelly and her mates were making out they were you sending messages, putting stuff on my Facebook page, and all that. I should have done something about it, but I didn’t, and so I definitely owe you an apology.”

“It’s OK,” she assured him, her heart so full she could hardly speak. He’d understood it wasn’t her, and now he felt bad for not coming to her rescue, which meant he wished he had. She wished he had too. “It wasn’t up to you to look out for me,” she said.

“Yes it was. I can’t stand it when people are picked on, it really gets to me, and I could have made it stop. Honest to God, I kept meaning to, but there was like this other part of me that kept saying, ‘They’re just messing around, trying to get your attention, don’t rise to it.’ ”

“I don’t blame you for thinking that.”

“Kind of arrogant, though.”

“Depends which way you look at it.”

He cast her a glance, and when he smiled she felt her heart turn inside out. “Are you going back to school before the end of term?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t think so. Apparently I don’t have to, but that kind of feels like running away.”

“No one would blame you if you wanted to hang loose for a while. Apart from my brother, who’s desperate for you to do the part of First Voice in the production on Good Friday.”

Paige smiled. “Because if I don’t he’ll have to?”

“I think that’s how it goes. He told me to tell you he’d pay you whatever you asked if you’d agree to do it.”

Though Paige wanted to say she would, if only to prove to Oliver that she was coping with everything, she truly didn’t know if she could face it. “Tell him he’s not rich enough,” she quipped.

Oliver laughed. “OK, I will. It’s kind of unusual having a girl in the part,” he added.

“I’m down for other roles as well, but only minor ones.”

He nodded. “I could never really get my head round that piece.”

Not wanting to sound like a swot, she simply said, “I know what you mean.”

After an awkward pause she went on, “It’s really good of you to come.”

“It seemed the right thing to do, and now I’m glad I did.”

Knowing she’d read massive amounts into that later, she said, “So where are you going now?”

“Home, I guess. I’ve got a load of reviewing to do.”

“When do your exams start?”

“Middle of May, so not long.”

“Will you take a gap year before going to uni?”

“You bet. I’m ready to get away from this place, see a bit more of the world.”

Filled with dismay at the thought of him looking forward to leaving, she said, “Who will you go with?”

“Liam, I expect, and a couple of others.”

It was out before she could stop it. “Lindsay?”

He shook his head. “We’re not together anymore.”

Paige’s heart felt like it was trying to leap out of her body. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s cool. It was kind of coming for a while.” He turned to look at her. “That’s not to say…I mean, you and me…” He was clearly embarrassed and starting to blush.

“No, no, it’s fine,” she assured him. “It’s not what I was thinking.”

“It’s just you’re only fifteen, and I…Well, you get what I’m saying?”

“Sure, I get it,” she said, somehow not blurting out that she was nearly sixteen, and Liam didn’t seem to mind about Charlotte being fifteen. It would look too desperate and really put him on the spot, which would make everything a thousand times worse.

“I’d kind of like it if we were friends, though,” he said. “Or I could be like the older brother you always wished you had.”

Paige tried to smile.
Friend? Brother?
“What makes you think I always wished that?”

He shrugged. “Just a hunch. But also it might help you to know you’ve always got someone to turn to if anything like this starts up again. I mean, it shouldn’t, because she’s being expelled, isn’t she?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, I’m not sure that’ll stop her coming after me.”

“The first sign of it, you’ve got my number. Cullum’s going to be on the lookout, so he’ll keep me informed even if you don’t.”

Finding herself suddenly horribly close to tears, Paige said, “I probably ought to go in now.”

Pushing himself away from the wall, he said, “Sure. Thanks for coming out.”

“No big deal.”

As she started to walk away he asked, “Hey, if you do decide to do the play on Good Friday, would it be OK if I came?”

She couldn’t turn round or he’d see how upset she was. “I don’t expect I will,” she mumbled, “but I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Minutes later she was in her mother’s arms, sobbing as though her heart would break. “I wanted him to like me,” she gasped, “but he thinks I’m just a kid.”

“Well, you are three years younger.”

“So what? That’s nothing, and it hasn’t stopped Liam being with Charlotte. He doesn’t fancy me; he just doesn’t want to say so.”

“He wants to be friends, though, and lots of relationships have started that way.”

“No, he wants to be like a brother. That’s different altogether.”

“Not really, because he isn’t your brother and never will be, no matter how close you might become.”

“How are we going to get close if I don’t ever see him?”

“He’s already said he’ll come to the play if you do it,” Jenna reminded her, “so you’d see him then. And we could always invite him and his family over to the Pitcher and Piano after to celebrate.”

“Who says we’re going to the Pitcher and Piano? It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Dad thought it would be a nice idea, if it was what you wanted.”

“So Dad’s coming to the play?”

“Of course. You know he wouldn’t miss any play you’re in.”

“Won’t he be gone back to the States by then?”

“Apparently not.”

Paige’s expression remained mutinous. “I haven’t said I’m going to do it,” she pointed out heatedly, “and now I feel I’m being forced into it.”

“That’s not the case at all. The decision’s entirely yours. I’m just saying that if you do feel up to doing it, we could all go for a little party after to toast your success.”

“You mean after everyone’s booed and shouted at me to get off, or howled because of how bad I sound?”

Jenna frowned. “You read that part beautifully. Everyone thinks so, especially Miss Kendrick, who, by the way, wants to come and see you tomorrow.”

“No way! I want everyone to stop coming to see me. It’s just making everything worse.”

“OK, OK…”

“She’s only going to try and talk me into being in her stupid production, and I don’t want to do it.”

“I promise she won’t pressure you, and actually it’s not why she’s coming. She wants to say sorry for not going to Mr. Charles when you first told her what was happening with Kelly Durham.”

Paige stared desperately at her mother. “I don’t want to see her,” she cried. “I really, really just want to forget all about it.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do for now, but I’m afraid you still have to see a specialist for an assessment of—”

“All right, if I have to I will. I just don’t want to make the whole of the rest of my life about this, because I can’t see how that will help at all.” Tearing herself away, she ran upstairs to FaceTime Charlotte, who’d understand better than anyone how she felt about Oliver not wanting to go out with her, even though he wasn’t with Lindsay anymore.

—

“I was thinking,” Jack said later that evening after bringing the children home, “I could sit down outside her door and refuse to move until she speaks to me.”

Jenna raised an eyebrow. “She’s out with Waffle at the moment, so it wouldn’t do you much good.”

“You know what I’m saying.”

“Yes, and I know it’s worked in the past, but she’s older now and this is a little different.”

He nodded dejectedly. “I’m running out of ideas here, so if you’ve got any…”

Sighing, Jenna said, “Look, I know you’re in a hurry to try and make amends, but she still needs time.”

“How much time?”

“I’ve no idea. These things don’t run according to a schedule, and she’s been very hurt by your leaving.”

Kay said, “Why don’t you write her a letter? Or send her an email?”

“Saying what?”

“Whatever it is you want to say when she’s ready to talk. If she knows in advance, she might be more willing to listen.”

“Or not,” Hanna muttered.

“Hanna,” Jenna chided.

“Well, what’s he going to do,” Hanna cried, “explain to her that he’s fallen for another woman, so he’s not going to be living with you and the family anymore? She already knows that, so reading it or hearing it isn’t going to make her feel any better about it.”

“She needs to know that his feelings for her haven’t changed,” Jenna told her.

“And you think that’ll help?”

“It can’t do any harm.”

“She’s not a child. He can’t just palm her off with words that aren’t going to mean anything when he’s gone again.”