Page 31 of Plot Twist

‘Becca put Mammy’s cup in the wrong place.’

I gasped. Was Ivy annoyed? Upset? Distraught? I searched her small, innocent face for a hint of her reaction to the mistake I hadn’t known I’d made. Riley watched her intently, weighing up what to say.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I said, carefully, moving towards the cupboard to try to fix whatever I’d done wrong. ‘I didn’t mean to. . .’

‘It’s fine,’ Riley reassured me.

He reached up and moved the cup to the row above.

‘That better?’

‘That’s it.’ Ivy smiled. ‘Back where it should be. For when she comes back.’

I looked at Riley to catch his reaction. His body flinched slightly before he lifted Ivy off the ground and swung her upside down above his head. Her white tights and princess dress flopped above her head and she giggled and shrieked.

‘Daddy! Put me dowwwwwn!’

‘Only if you say I’m the best daddy you’ve ever had in your whole life,’ he said, his eyes lighting up with laughter.

‘You’re the only daddy I’ve ever had,’ Ivy giggled.

‘Exactly so I must be the best!’

Ivy laughed so hard that I thought she might throw up. I couldn’t help but smile at the infectious sound. But as I looked at Mammy’s cup and thought of Ivy’s reaction, I started to wonder what I’d managed to let myself get in the middle of here.

Mind you, whatever it was, it couldn’t be worse than what I had been running away from myself.

13

‘Yoga mat?’

‘Check.’

‘Water bottle?’

‘Check. Dignity?’

‘You might as well leave it here.’ Riley grinned at me.

‘Aw gawd, I know! I’ll be terrible!’

‘I’m joking! You’ll be grand, Becca. There are other beginners here, I promise.’

Riley had somehow managed to persuade me to come along to his yoga class, after dropping Ivy at nursery. He said it helped with the ‘flow of his writing’. I’d protested that it wasn’t in our timetable, but he eventually wore me down. I wondered if it would help with the flow of my writing, too. We’d continued with our daily writing sprints and they seemed to be working; Riley was getting more done and I felt like I was contributing a little to his progress. I had added more to my word count, too, and felt like I was getting there. Somewhere, anyway.

I had to give him credit; it was the most beautiful setting for a yoga class I’d ever seen. Not that I’d been to any yoga classes before, but I imagined it would kick the ass of any others. Nestled at the foot of the mountains beside a small stream, it was like something out of some mindfulness magazine.

Maybe this would be just what I needed. Breathe, relax, think of my story and then write my ass off when I get back. That was my new plan.

‘This is Eimear, our instructor,’ Riley introduced me. ‘This is Becca, our new recruit.’

‘Nice to meet you, Becca,’ Eimear said, her brown eyes sparkling in the sunshine. She adjusted her sports bra and laid her mat down at the front of the class. I’d never seen someone with such a flat stomach before. Maybe I did need to stick in at yoga, after all.

‘You too,’ I called to Eimear, moving my mat up to the back of the class.

‘Where are you off to?’ Riley shouted.

He was right up at the front, just under Eimear’s nose.