Page 115 of Broken Silence
“I second that,” Lizzie said.
Mia chucked the lettuce back in the fridge and closed the door. “Good, because I can’t be bothered to make it. But I can be bothered with this,” she said, holding out two bottles of Prosecco to Dad.
“Celebrating?” Oakley asked. I spun around. She leant against the doorframe, chewing on her lip. Her eyes darting from the food to the drinks and back to us.
“We’re celebrating new beginnings,” Sarah said, leaning into Miles. He was a really nice guy, but he was a tie to Australia. I got the impression that Oakley, Jasper, and Sarah would be staying together. How would they choose where to end up?
If it was even going to be a choice.
Her lips pulled up into the faintest smile. “I’ll drink to that.”
“I need some, too?” Leona said, pointing to the champagne glasses on the counter.
Mia smiled. “Of course.”
She handed Leona a champagne glass filled with lemonade, but from the goofy grin on Leona’s face, she thought she was getting the adults drink, too.
I bet Mia would have a word with Leona’s nursery teachers, telling them that it was a fizzy drink rather than alcohol she’d had.
“To new beginnings,” Miles said, raising his glass.
Oakley clinked my glass and brought hers to her lips.
“All right. Who has vodka?” Jasper shouted.
“Eat something before you do shots,” Sarah told him. “Please.”
“You underestimate me, Mother.”
She grinned, pointing a finger at him. “I mean it, I’m not cleaning up your sick.”
Oakley laughed and shook her head at her brother.
We drank and ate and laughed—most of it at stupid things Jasper said—but the heavy atmosphere had vanished.
“Come on, Oakley! You must remember those hot twins. They were at the Christmas beach party.”
She sighed. “No, Jasper, because you made them up.”
“I did not make them up. They were hot andallover me.”
“Yeah, that definitely sounds like a lie,” I said.
“Dude, why would I make that up?”
“Whywouldn’tyou make that up?”
He huffed. “I don’t need to prove anything. You all know.”
Oakley put down her drink. “Okay, we need to change the subject before I’m sick.”
“I’m so glad Leona dragged Dad and Miles outside,” Mia added.
“You don’t need to make up stuff, Jasper. We all like you, you know,” Lizzie said, patting his hand.
Jasper deadpanned. “Well, thanks for that, Peroxide, but ithappened. Believe me, that’s not something you forget. But, anyway, I don’t care what you lot think.”
“Oh, and those highlights in your hair are all natural,” she shot back.
