Copycat

‘I know,’ Miles said. ‘But I’m hungry.’

‘You can’t be,’ Sarah said. ‘Go and dig a hole. Work up an appetite.’

‘I already have an appetite.’

‘No,’ Sarah said. ‘It’s too early for lunch.’

‘Just a snack.’

‘No, Miles.’

His face hardened and she saw he was not going to back down. Well, neither was she. He didn’t need to eat again.

‘Mom,’ Miles said. ‘You can’t starve me.’

‘I’m not starving you.’

‘I want some food!’

Ben stood up. ‘I tell you what,’ he said. ‘Let’s go to the rock pools. You have a quick snack before we go and then when we get back we can have some lunch. Off you go and see if anyone else wants to come.’

Miles paused, then nodded. He ran over to the rest of the kids.

‘Ben,’ Sarah said. ‘I told him no. And now you’re giving him a snack.’

‘I haven’t given him anything,’ Ben replied. ‘Not yet. And he’ll forget. He needed diverting, that’s all. He eats when he’s bored.’

Ben was good at avoiding conflict; he had the ability to sidestep it. Perhaps he had learned it during a life with Diana.

It turned out all five kids wanted to go.

‘Right,’ Ben said. ‘Let’s get moving.’

‘What about my snack?’ Miles asked.

‘I’ll bring it with me. Everyone get water shoes on.’

‘Are you OK taking them all?’ Jean said. ‘That’s a lot of kids.’

‘I think so,’ Ben said. ‘Hopefully I won’t lose any.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Rachel said. ‘Keep you company. I love rock pools.’ She stood up. She was wearing a dark red bikini, and she had not put on any weight since high school. She pulled on a T-shirt. ‘OK, kids. Let’s go.’

Ben looked at Sarah. ‘Want to come?’

‘Or sit here for an hour in the sun with Jean and have no kids to worry about?’ Sarah furrowed her brow, pretending to think hard. ‘Maybe I’ll stay.’

She watched as the kids sprinted along the beach, Ben and Rachel walking behind them. When they were about thirty yards away Rachel turned to Ben, nodding with laughter, which carried on the breeze to Sarah. It was a full, you’re-a-really-funny-guy laugh; whatever Ben had said had really amused Rachel, or at least, Rachel wanted him to think it had. Some dry, sardonic comment about the convertible, maybe. She’d ask Ben when he got back.

Jean had noticed too. ‘Must have said something funny,’ she said.

‘Yeah. Not like Ben.’

‘He’s amusing enough, in his goofy way.’ She reached into her cooler and took out a can of seltzer water. ‘Want one?’

Sarah was about to say yes, when she heard someone call her name. She looked up, and a couple were walking toward them. The woman waved to her.

‘Who is it?’ Jean said.

‘Becky and Sean,’ Sarah replied. ‘You remember them?’

Jean shook her head. ‘Not sure I do.’

‘They were at our house last Christmas. At the party we had. Sean had not long moved here.’

Jean nodded. ‘I remember now. Didn’t you set them up with each other?’

She had. Sean – a doctor at their practice – was new in town and she had invited him to the party so he could meet some people. Specifically, she wanted him to meet Becky, who had recently broken up with her boyfriend.

She introduced them, and they had hit it off, so much so that no one had seen much of them since.

They walked over. Sean was tall and lean, his stomach flat.

‘Hi, Sarah,’ he said. He held out a hand to Jean. ‘I’m Sean. We may have met?’

Jean shook his hand. ‘I think so. At Sarah’s house, maybe.’

‘Oh, yeah,’ Sean said. ‘At Christmas, right?’

‘Yes,’ Jean said. ‘Nice to see you again.’

‘You too,’ he said, then turned to Becky. ‘Shall we tell them?’

‘Tell us what?’ Sarah said.

Becky put her hand around Sean’s waist. ‘We have some news.’

Sarah glanced at her hand; there was no engagement ring. Her gaze flickered to Becky’s stomach.

‘What kind of news?’ she said.

‘We’re pregnant,’ she said. ‘It’s early days yet, and we’re not telling too many people, but since you’re the reason we met, we thought we’d let you know.’

Sarah laughed. ‘Wonderful news!’ she said. She glanced at Jean. ‘And don’t worry. We’ll keep it to ourselves. I’m so glad for you both! When’s the baby due?’

‘February,’ Sean said. ‘We can’t wait. And thank you for your matchmaking. It’s the best thing that ever happened to us.’

Sarah looked at Jean, and grinned. ‘My pleasure,’ she said.