Summer With My Sister

by Lucy Diamond

  Graham snorted as they glimpsed someone else running along the pavement, beaming and waving. ‘What the hell is that batty old woman doing now?’ he said fondly, pulling over to the kerb.

  Polly wound down her window. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Is there room for me? I’ve made you a cake.’ Karen had a Family Circle tin swinging in a carrier bag, and Polly could see a potted fern as well. Bless her.

  ‘Of course there’s room,’ she said, unclipping her seatbelt and shuffling along the double passenger seat. ‘You didn’t have to bake a cake, Mum. You’re still going to see me all the time.’

  ‘I know but … Well, you know.’

  Polly squeezed her mum’s arm companionably once she’d clambered in. Yes, she did know. She knew that she had the loveliest, kindest parents in the world, and was truly grateful that she’d finally realized as much.

  ‘Don’t start getting muck from that plant in the van, will you,’ Graham admonished. ‘I borrowed this from Mike; he’s not going to be happy with me if I bring it back in a state.’

  ‘Oh, hush, will you,’ Karen said, pulling a face at Polly. ‘Just drive us there, for heaven’s sake.’

  Graham gave a long-suffering sigh, then set off again. ‘I don’t know why you couldn’t just walk there, Karen, it’s not exactly far,’ he muttered.

  Polly smiled to herself. Funny he should use those words. It wasn’t far to Jay’s house, no, but the journey felt pretty momentous to her right now. She couldn’t quite believe she was moving in with him, after all these years of being apart. And yes, okay, maybe this wasn’t taking things quite as slowly as she’d initially anticipated, but hey, she couldn’t resist any longer. Jay was a hard man to refuse. Besides, whenever she thought about the dark winter months ahead, and Christmas to celebrate at the end of the year, she was certain there was nowhere else she would rather be every night.

  And, as Clare had said, sometimes you just had to take a chance.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Clare was trying to hurry Leila and Alex into getting ready, but couldn’t help the occasional admiring glance into her hall mirror as she waited for them. She’d had her hair cut the week before, had actually treated herself to a proper salon do after years of snipping haphazard trims herself, and the soft feathery layers fell about her face, framing it prettily. Alison, the hairdresser, had put some colour in too – a cheerful coppery shade that somehow brought out the flecks of green in Clare’s eyes. Damn it, it felt good to look after herself for a change. And hadn’t she bloody well earned it.

  It had been fantastic, signing a new twelve-month contract with Langley’s back in the summer. It had been even more fantastic getting the cheque for the first delivery. Once she’d paid Debbie and Lydia for the hours of work they’d put in, she’d taken her parents and friends out for a slap-up curry at the Bombay Brasserie in Amberley as a thank-you. It had been the proudest moment of her life being able to treat all the people she loved with her earnings. Her – a businesswoman. She’d never held her head quite so high before.

  Polly had refused to take any money from her. ‘Let’s call it quits, for you putting up with me in your home for so long,’ she’d said, handing back the cheque. ‘You have it, Clare. Put it towards that holiday you were talking about.’

  ‘No way,’ Clare had argued, trying to press the cheque into her sister’s hand again. ‘You worked flat out for me all those evenings. Please, I want you to take it.’

  After much toing and froing Polly had taken the cheque, but had got her own back by ordering her sister the most stupendously comfortable sofa that Clare, Leila and Alex had ever had the joy of resting their bottoms on. As it turned out, Clare still had enough money to book them a week’s holiday in Fuerteventura this coming half-term. Leila and Alex were already wild with excitement.

  Alex trailed through into the hall, shoes still off, eyes glued to the new Nintendo DS she’d bought him for his birthday.

  ‘Alex, come on, you should be ready by now,’ Clare scolded. ‘Polly will be wondering what’s happened to us. Leila, where are you? Hurry up!’

  She glanced back into the mirror again, peering at her skin this time. It definitely looked fresher and pinker these days, now that she was sleeping so much better. And her face actually looked a tiny bit slimmer too. Must be all the swimming she’d been doing lately with the new club she’d joined at the leisure centre. It was hardly Junior Dolphins – Middle-Aged Whales was more apt – but she’d rediscovered the breathless joy of diving, the exhilaration of butterfly, and the endorphin rush she always got when she hauled herself, dripping, from the pool at the end of a hard session. What was more, she knew Michael would not have begrudged her any of it. He’d have been pleased for her.

  ‘Done!’ Leila said, coming through with a gaudy card in her hand. ‘Do you think she’ll like it?’

  The card had a picture of a small rodent on the front cover. ‘Is that a guinea pig?’ Clare guessed.

  ‘No! A hamster, of course,’ Leila said, stuffing her feet into her favourite sparkly baseball boots.

  ‘And you’ve made Aunty Polly a Moving House card with a hamster on because … ?’

  Leila grinned. ‘She’ll know. Just a reminder about something. Are we going then?’

  ‘We are,’ Clare said, snatching the DS from her son and putting it in her bag. ‘Don’t moan, you can play on it when we get there. Come on!’

  She grabbed the bag of potatoes Agatha had dropped round for Polly, then they set off down the road towards Polly and Jay’s place. Polly and Jay’s place! Clare was absolutely thrilled that her sister had decided to stay in Elderchurch for keeps. Who would have foreseen that at the start of the summer?

  Her phone beeped with a new text message as they walked along. Still on for tonight? Will pick you up at 8. Lx

  Warmth flooded through her at the simple sentences. Definitely, she texted back. She and Luke had met for drinks and dinner several times since that first heart-pounding date. He’d even come out with her and the children for a long, bum-aching bike ride through the gorgeous autumn countryside the previous Saturday. Clare had been worried that they wouldn’t like him, or might start making pointed remarks about how wonderful their dad was, but it had been a day full of laughs and fun. The two of them were going to Roxie’s farewell bash in The Fox and Goose tonight – her last weekend in the UK before she set off travelling around South America with her mates. The surgery wouldn’t be the same without sparky, funny Roxie, but she’d promised Clare postcards galore ‘And his-n-hers sombreros, if you’re really lucky.’

  ‘Oh, I’m feeling lucky all right,’ Clare had replied, grinning. ‘Very lucky.’

  She smiled and pulled her coat tighter around her as she and her children walked through the village together. It had been a strange old summer, all in all. A summer of sisterhood, new business ventures and the first flush of love; a summer when she’d finally faced up to what had haunted her about the past and let go of the guilt. With her family all around her, and Luke in her life, she had a feeling that the future was going to be even better.

  Lucy Diamond’s Summer Cocktails

  Whether you’re sharing these with a sister or not, a cool, colourful cocktail can be the perfect drink at a summer party. Here are some suggestions:

  Classic Pimms and Lemonade

  (Serves 6)

  250ml Pimms No. 1

  1 litre lemonade

  Half cucumber, chopped

  1 apple, cored and chopped

  1 orange, sliced

  3 strawberries, sliced

  Handful fresh mint leaves

  Mix all ingredients in a large jug. Serve chilled, or with ice.

  Mint Julep

  70ml Bourbon whiskey 4 fresh mint sprigs

  1 tsp powdered sugar

  2 tsp water

  Muddle the mint leaves, sugar and water in a glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add Bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a s
traw.

  Raspberry Champagne Cocktail

  (Serves 8)

  3 tbsp Crème de Cassis

  1 bottle of champagne, chilled

  A few raspberries

  Divide the Crème de Cassis between 8 champagne flutes. Carefully add the champagne. Just before serving, add a few raspberries to each drink.

  Citrus Peach Cooler (non-alcoholic)

  (Serves 8)

  2 lemons (juice only)

  2 limes (juice only)

  1 lemon, thinly sliced

  1 lime, thinly sliced

  Peach juice (or peach nectar)

  Cloudy lemonade

  3 sliced strawberries

  Sparkling water

  Mint sprigs

  Put the lemon and lime juice into a large jug. Add the sliced lemon and lime, and a handful of ice cubes. Add peach juice to fill about one third of the jug, then add the lemonade until the jug is two-thirds full. Add the strawberries, then top up the jug with sparkling water. Garnish with mint sprigs.

  Lucy Diamond’s Home-made Beauty Products

  For Clare’s storyline, I did a lot of enjoyable research into making beauty products. Here are a few easy recipes you can try for yourself:

  Rose-petal Bath

  1 cup of rose petals

  ½ cup of rose water (you can buy this from health-food stores)

  ½ cup of coconut milk

  Mix the rose water and coconut milk, then pour into a warm, running bath. Add rose petals for extra scent.

  Avocado, Carrot and Cream Face Mask

  1 avocado, mashed

  1 carrot, cooked and mashed

  250ml double cream

  1 egg, beaten

  3 tbsp honey

  Mix all the ingredients until smooth then spread gently over your face and neck and leave for 10–15 minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.

  Packed with vitamin E, avocado also makes a great moisturising hair mask. Simply mash one into a smooth paste and spread on clean damp hair for 20 minutes, then rinse.

  Natural Shampoo

  25ml olive oil

  1egg

  1 tbsp lemon juice

  1 tsp apple cider vinegar

  Blend all ingredients until well-combined. Use like ordinary shampoo and rinse well. (Discard any leftovers).

  Soothing Foot Balm

  1 tbsp almond oil

  1 tbsp olive oil

  1 tsp wheat germ oil

  12 drops eucalyptus essential oil

  Combine all ingredients in a bottle and shake well. Rub into the feet and heels nightly to smooth and soften rough dry feet.

  Summer With My Sister

  Lucy Diamond lives in Bath with her husband and their three children. Summer with My Sister is her sixth novel.

  When she isn’t slaving away on a new book (ahem) you can find her on Twitter @SueMongredien (her real name).

  By the same author

  Any Way You Want Me

  Over You

  Hens Reunited

  Sweet Temptation

  The Beach Café

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to Nicky Adams and Simon Trewin, who helped with ideas for this novel at its earliest stages; to Kate Harrison for friendship, feedback and words of wisdom; and to Victoria Walker for letting me talk through plot problems along the way. Thanks also to Martin and Andy Powell for their long conversation about what cars my characters should have. (Sorry I couldn’t squeeze in a Jensen Interceptor – another time!)

  I couldn’t be more grateful for the fabulous and insightful editorial feedback provided by my editor, Jenny Geras, and my agent, Lizzy Kremer. Thank you. You have both made this book infinitely better than it started out. I’d also like to thank the rest of the team at Pan Macmillan – in particular Chloe Healy, Ellen Wood and Michelle Kirk for all their hard work, as well as for being the loveliest people to drink cocktails with. What more could an author want?

  Thank you to Hannah, Tom and Holly (the coolest children ever); to my parents, who have befriended every bookseller in the Midlands on my behalf; and to Phil, Saba, Ellie, Ian and Fiona, for spreading the word and always being so supportive. And I couldn’t write these books without my husband Martin’s pep talks, plot brainstorming sessions and all-round cheerleading. Thank you so much.

  Finally, a massive thank you to everyone who’s bought one of my books and taken the time to email or write to me about it; I appreciate it so much. I hope you enjoy this one.

  First published 2012 by Pan Books

  This electronic edition published 2012 by Pan Books

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

  Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Basingstoke and Oxford

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-4472-1363-5 EPUB

  Copyright © Lucy Diamond 2012

  The right of Lucy Diamond to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.

  Table of Contents

  Title page

  Dedication page

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Lucy Diamond’s Summer Cocktails

  Lucy Diamond’s Home-made Beauty Products

  Author biography

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright page