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Seph

My phone had pinged three times since I'd been lying on the sun lounger by the pool. It was hot, hot enough that no one was complaining about having a steady stream of cold beers, but not too hot so that you were bathed in your own sweat and baking in your own skin.

I wasn't sure if I had the energy to bend down and pick up my phone, to see who it was demanding my attention, but I'd already had a couple of messages from Georgia, chatty ones, not just ones about Rose either, but ones about her too.

I sat up and reached down, almost knocking over a full beer bottle, which would have been a shame. I angled my phone so that I could see the screen without the sun bouncing off it. Georgia’s name was the first thing I saw, and I felt like a child on Christmas Day as I opened it.

Georgia:Is it illegal to murder a sibling? Asking for a friend.

Seph:Depends on what they’ve done, but usually, no.

Georgia:Olivia’s decided to have a fling with the bartender who has the beer place on the beach. I’m not sure this is the best example for my daughter who now thinks she’s going to be a bridesmaid. How the hell do I explain this one?”

Seph:You don’t. You just roll your eyes and shake your head. Don’t make a big thing of it.

Georgia:How do you know these things?

Seph:Because that’s what Mum did whenever Max brought a girl home. Just pretend Olivia’s really silly.

Georgia:That’s not something I’m going to have to pretend. How’s Ava? Has she calmed down any?

Seph:Out of all of my sisters, I would’ve thought she’d have been the most chilled with all of this. Not the Godzilla she’s turned into.

Georgia:It’s bridezilla, not Godzilla.

Seph:No. It’s really Godzilla. Bridezilla suggests some form of humanity. I think Eli’s getting ready to divorce her, and they’re not even married yet. He’s never seen this side to her.

Georgia:Are you exaggerating or is this serious?

Seph:I never exaggerate.

Georgia:I’m sure you told me your penis was the size of a baseball bat.

Seph:Like I said, I never exaggerate.

Seph:Good to know you’re thinking about my penis.

Georgia:Yes, well…

Seph:As long as it’s my penis, and not the beach bartender’s friend or something.

Georgia:Is that jealousy?

Seph:Yes. He’s getting to see you in a bikini and I’m not.

Two minutes later,I received a photo of two of my favourite things wrapped up in a bikini that definitely did my swimming short situation no favours. We hadn’t text flirted for a couple of weeks. Slowing things down had meant with communication as well, and now I wondered if that had been necessary.

Seph:Now. I’m definitely jealous. And hard.

Georgia:How hard?

Seph:You remember that time in your kitchen when we were on our own and you wore that lingerie set?

Georgia:The see-through one?

Seph:Yes. That one. I’m going to have to get in the pool. If I drop my phone in there it’s your fault.

Georgia:You started this conversation.