Free Guess Who's Coming to Christmas Dinner by Laura Lockington Page B

Sophie picked his bag up and grabbed his arm, guiding him out of the room. “No, Archie, I don’t want you in here,” she said firmly, realising as the words left her mouth that she really meant it. For the first time since Archie had been here she now knew how she felt. It could never go back to how it was, never.
    She pulled him through to the living room where Susi was curled on the floor, leaning on the coffee table painting her nails. The room was filled with the pear drop scent of nail varnish, and Susi looked up in surprise as Archie stumbled across the room and landed heavily on the sofa. “Steady tiger! You OK?” Susi said, glancing at Sophie.
    “Archie will be sleeping in here tonight; I’m just going to get some blankets. Susi, I really don’t think I want you disturbing Bella, so you can bunk down with me, or you can take the other sofa, it’s up to you.”
    Susi’s mouth opened in shock at the tone in Sophie’s voice. She glanced again at her friends face and closed her mouth, carefully twisting the top back on her nail varnish. She stood up, holding her hands splayed away from her.
    “I’ll give you a hand, hang on. Let me just wait for my nails to dry...”
    “No need,” Sophie said, turning swiftly on her heels. She managed to resist banging the door behind her, and went to forage in the airing cupboard for blankets. She could hear Susi talking to Archie in a giggly tone that made her seethe. If this was a joke to Susi, perhaps she’d like to look after Archie? Oh god. Maybe that was it? Maybe she really did want to look after Archie?
    Sophie stood at the airing cupboard, with a rather ratty pale blue blanket in her arms, breathing in the slightly musty smell of it. There was a nagging doubt in her mind that she had been trying to quash for some time, but was now rising to the surface like yeast added to flour and water. Susi and Archie? She thought back to all the times at University, to her wedding, to various parties and gatherings over the years. They were all old friends, and Archie didn’t seem to even like Susi that much...and yet... Susi flirted with everyone, not just Archie...no. Impossible. She shoved the thought back into the recesses of her mind and headed towards the living room trailing blankets and pillows.
    As she pushed the door open with her foot, she found herself walking with stiff legs, like a dog whose hackles were up. Susi was shivering rather theatrically and jumped up at the sight of the blankets. Sophie dumped a blanket on one sofa, and then turned towards Archie who had kicked his shoes off and was lying on the sofa, snoring. She threw a blanket over him, and as she was leaving the room, said, “Susi, d’you mind being in here tonight? I need my bed to myself, sorry...see you in the morning.”
    She gently closed the living room door and walked to the bedroom with a smile.

 
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
    Sophie woke up as Bella slid into her bed, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Sophie sleepily hugged her and breathed in the puppy dog smell of her daughter’s neck.
    “ S’cold, mum...can we have hot chocolate?” Bella whispered into Sophie’s ear, snuggling against her back. Sophie rolled over and studied her sleepy face, smooth skin with a dusting of freckles over the nose and the tousled curls spread out on the pillow. Sophie kissed the tip of her nose, noting that it was indeed cold. “Morning pumpkin, sleep well?”
    Bella nodded vigorously, “Max came in, he did, he did, but then he went out again and then I went to find him and daddy was in the kitchen and Susi was crying and then Max wanted to use his you know and he did a…”
    “Susi was crying?” Sophie said, smoothing Bella’s hair away from her face, marvelling yet again that she had produced such a beautiful child.
    “Yes, but Max did a really smelly poo!” Bella giggled, impervious to Sophie’s question, in that seemingly callous way that small children have. Sophie knew she’d have