Page 69 (1/2)
‘Grao But I’et up to see you on Sunday’
‘Hello? Hello?’ her grandfather said into the phone He sounded like he’d been connected to a different line altogether ‘Hello? Can you hearto?’
‘It’s Issy, Grarip of fear on her heart The door buzzed again, loudly If she didn’t get it, the o away and she’d need to pick up the parcel from the depot and that was definitely tiht now
‘I have to go I love you’
‘Yes Hown around her and answered the door Yup, it was the delivery ht, just for a split second, just for a tiny ht have … Maybe flowers … No Anyway, everyone knew she was in the café all day She signed for the box and peered inside Yup, Californian red again Her mother must know on some level that Issy only drank white and pink wine, mustn’t she? That whenever they’d been out, she had never ever ordered red wine as it gave her a headache? Maybe it was herher not to drink tooshe cared
Meanwhile, up in Edinburgh, Graeme woke up in the Mal about it for a long time and now he knew He was a decisive o and get what he wanted
At the shop, Louis cheered her up a little by giving her a huge cuddle and a card he’d ,’ she said, grateful and enjoying the feeling of his little arave her a wet sloppy kiss
‘Happee birdee, Auntie Issy,’ he said ‘I is five!’
‘You’re not five,’ said Pearl indulgently ‘You’re two’
Louis gave Issy aa secret ‘I is five,’ he said, nodding his head emphatically
‘Well, I a the card and hanging it up in the café
‘Happy birthday, boss,’ said Pearl ‘I would offer to bake you a cake, but …’
‘I know, I know,’ said Issy, strapping on her apron
‘So …’ said Pearl She turned round and reached into her bag and pulled out a Tupperware box Opening it up, Issy squealed with delight and stuck her hand in front of her mouth
‘We cannot show anyone who co ‘Anyway, it would fly away’
There was, tentatively hanging together, a little cake shape But instead of sponge, it wascrisps; a net of Nik Naks, piled up on top of a base of square crisps, croith a Hula Hoop toith a chipstick flag sticking out the top