‘What about Sharon?’ Rachel said. ‘Will he want to see her?’
Alison snorted. ‘Yeah, right. Even if he did, why would she go? He’s no use to her in there, no money, no possessions, she wouldn’t even be able to tap fags off him.’
‘Maybe she’d just like to see him, like she did me, you if you’d let her,’ Rachel said.
‘Bollocks.’ Alison was not giving an inch where their prodigal mother was concerned.
‘I’m off.’ Rachel picked up her car keys.
‘Thanks for the bag.’
‘No problem.’
‘You’ll have to come round,’ Alison said at the door, ‘you and Sean and Haydn. When you’re off work.’
‘Sure,’ Rachel said, trying to sound vaguely enthusiastic.
It was raining hard now and she hurried to the car. Heaved a sigh of relief at escaping without getting into a full-on barney with her sister. She’d go home, have a drink and watch whatever she could find on the box. Please herself. No Sean. Her heart lifted at the prospect. Just miss my own company, time on my own, she told herself, that’s all.
She thought of the Perry twins, always together, like having a clone, someone to reflect your every thought, share your every deed, understand you completely. Weird, really weird. Having someone in her flat day in, day out was strange enough but to understand another person so completely – Rachel couldn’t imagine it.