‘I don’t want to leave,’ Pip had retorted, putting down her knife and fork noisily.
‘We don’t have any choice, I’m afraid. Your dad left us with no means of paying the rent.’
‘But if you’d been nicer to him, he’d still be with us, wouldn’t he?’ she snapped. ‘I can’t understand why you were always so mean.’
‘Grown-ups often don’t get along forever, Pip. That’s just the way it is.’
‘No, it isn’t. You’re just stupid enough to make Dad leave.’
Livvy remembered closing her eyes while Pip had ranted at her. Why did children think that kissing and making up would keep their parents together? Pip hadn’t got a clue what she’d been through since she and Kieran had met. The broken promises and the lack of money; the control he had over her. Sure, it was hard for any teenager to go through their parents breaking up, but it wasn’t as if Livvy hadn’t tried to keep their marriage going.
There were so many things she couldn’t tell her, that would probably make sense. Pip was still a child, no matter what she thought.
‘Where are we going?’ Pip had asked then.
‘Somerley.’
‘Where?’
‘It’s half an hour away on the train.’
‘But what about school? And all my friends?’
‘It can’t be helped, I’m sorry.’ Livvy leaned across the table to reach for her daughter’s hands. ‘There’s something I have to tell you. I have a sister who lives there.’
Pip’s face screwed up in confusion.
‘You mean I have an auntie?’
‘Yes, that’s right. She’s name Hannah.’
‘How old is she?’
‘Forty.’
‘And I’ve never met her? Why haven’t you told me about her before?’
‘It’s complicated.’ It was also something she didn’t want Kieran to know about either. Because she’d never planned on going back to Somerley.
‘I feel as if I don’t know you.’ Pip scraped the chair across the floor in her haste to stand up. ‘You have so many secrets.’
‘Pip, I—’
‘Don’t.’ Pip held a hand up in dismissal before flouncing off.
Normally Livvy would have shouted her back and called her up on being so insolent. But on this occasion, she let it go. There would be plenty of time to talk on the train. If Pip had calmed down by then.
Livvy had held in her tears. She’d known this was going to be heartbreaking for Pip to up and leave everything she knew. But she’d realised after receiving the letter that she had no choice other than to go back to Somerley, to see if Hannah would let them stay for a while.
They’d left Manchester on the 10.32 train, arriving in the city of Hedworth. A short bus trip and they were in Somerley. They’d had a coffee before she’d plucked up the courage to come and see Hannah.
Livvy had been deflated when she hadn’t been home but was glad they’d caught up. They would have had to find a small hotel in Hedworth and come back in the morning. And it would mean spending money she hadn’t accounted for.
Hearing the front door open and close, Livvy stood up. She knew it would be Hannah as she’d given the spare key to her earlier that afternoon.
‘Hi, I bought a pizza with me to pop in the oven.’ Hannah closed the door, came through, and handed Livvy a carrier bag. ‘I’ve got you a few essentials until you know your way around again.’
‘Thanks.’ Livvy took them through to the kitchen, confused by Hannah’s words. Was she having a go at her for not coming home for so many years? Or was she just stating that things may have changed since she’d left before? Either didn’t bode well for the evening ahead.
‘Where’s Pip?’ Hannah asked, after she’d popped the pizza in the oven and started to gather cutlery and plates in readiness.
‘She’s lying on her bed texting her friends. I feel such a great parent.’
‘It must be hard on you both.’
‘If she’s not down in a few minutes, I’ll give her a shout.’
Hannah turned to face her. ‘Have you found everything you need? I expect most things are where you remembered they were.’
Livvy nodded. ‘It’s weird being back. In some ways I feel I’ve never left. In others, so much has changed.’
‘Want to tell me about it?’
Livvy shrugged. ‘I met a guy, Kieran. We got married, Pip was born, and I tried to be a good wife. I stayed with him way too long because of her, but if I tell her that she won’t believe me. She thinks the sun shines out of his arse and that I’m to blame for him leaving because I wasn’t very nice to him. Apparently.’
‘Ouch.’ Hannah blew air out of her cheeks. ‘That’s some story. But it still doesn’t explain everything to me. What’s going on, Livvy?’
Chapter Six
Livvy didn’t want to say too much as she and Hannah sat down at the table. A silence dropped on the room as they faced each other.
Livvy stared at Hannah. ‘Go on,’ she finally said.
‘What?’
‘Have a go at me. I know you want to, and I know I deserve it. I could have got away sooner, but I was embarrassed. With Pip a little older now, it’s easier.’
‘And what does Pip think?’
‘She hates me anyway. How’s her being a little more upset going to be different?’
‘I’m sure she doesn’t hate you. Remember us at her age? We used to moan about Mum and Dad all the time.’ Hannah laughed.
Livvy did her best to join in, but it was hard. Already she was wondering if she’d done the right thing by coming here. It was good to see her sister after so long, but they had nothing in common now. How could she think she’d be able to slip back into life in Somerley?
‘So are you planning on staying for longer than a week?’
Livvy’s face heated up with embarrassment, as if Hannah had been able to read her mind. She realised for all her thoughts she had no choice but to stay. She began to play with the cuff on her jumper.
‘I can still read you well.’ Hannah smiled. ‘Do you need somewhere for longer than that?’
Livvy paused, biting her lip for a moment. ‘I do, please.’
‘Look, I practically live across the cobbles now, anyway. You can stay here as long as you like. It’s our family home, well it was, but that’s a story for another day. I can grab a few of my clothes so you can have my room and Pip can have the spare.’
‘I feel like I’m putting on you.’
‘You came here for my help.’
‘But I don’t belong in Hope Street anymore.’
‘I know it’s essential that you have a roof over your head. I’m not having you heading back to Kieran when there’s a house right here that you can use.’
Livvy wasn’t going to mention she hadn’t been with him for months. That she wasn’t sure where he was staying; that he hadn’t provided any maintenance for Pip. But Hannah mistook her silence as stubbornness.
‘It’s fine,’ she insisted.