We move through the different rooms and into the kitchen, where huge great copper pots hang on the wall. I can’t help but think of all the wonders Sadie Lee could pull off in a kitchen like this.
Then, as we step into the Banqueting Hall, I can only dream of the events Sadie Lee and Mum could host here together if they ever got the opportunity. Maybe I should suggest it to them . . .
“Penny, look!” Bella grabs the edge of my cardigan and tugs. I follow the line of her chubby finger, which is pointing up at a stunning gold chandelier with a serpentine Chinese dragon twisting round the chain.
I grin widely. “See, I told you there were dragons in Brighton!”
“Wow . . .” she whispers, and steps closer to my leg.
I give her a tight squeeze. “Don’t worry, they’re only for decoration.” I’m itching to take photos, but I’m not allowed to in here. My camera stays buried in the bag at my side.
Alex is staring at the beautifully laid-out banquet table, where not a single fork is out of place. “This guy—who was he again?”
“Prince George, before he became George IV,” replies Elliot, fount of all knowledge.
“He had interesting taste, that’s for sure,” Alex finishes.
“I think he’s my hero,” Elliot says, almost breathless with awe. “It’s so over-the-top . . . If I could, I’d move in here tomorrow.”
By the time we finish touring the Pavilion, we end up in the Tearoom. Bella is exhausted from the tour and her jet lag, and after she finishes her carton of apple juice she crawls up onto my lap for a nap. Elliot, Alex, and I have all ordered tea, and we giggle as we take sips.
Elliot leans forward over his chai tea. “I think we’re the only people under twenty in this whole room.”
I quickly glance around me, and he’s not wrong: most of the people sitting in here are much older. Still, the Tearoom serves amazing scones, so we aren’t going to complain.
“Want to check out a film tonight?” Alex asks us.
“I’d love that!” I say. “But I’ll have to check with Mum first if Sadie Lee is staying for dinner.”
Elliot grins. “Oh, a film sounds great. There’s this new subtitled film from Sweden . . .”
“No!” say both Alex and I in unison. Elliot pouts, but he’s not going to win this one.
“I want to see the new Avengers movie,” says Alex.
“Veto!” says Elliot. “No way am I watching another over-CGI-ed, eardrum-exploding Hollywood comic book spin-off.”
Movies might be the only thing that Elliot and Alex disagree on, even if they both love watching them.
I hold up my hands between them, before it turns into a full-blown world cinema versus commercial film debate. “How about I check what’s on before we start World War Three!” I say.
Moving slowly so that I don’t disturb Bella, I fish my phone out of my bag. Habit means that rather than open my browser I click straight away on the email icon, which is showing two new messages.
My hand flies to my mouth. “Yay!” I cry out, when I read the first message.
“What is it?” Elliot leans towards me and Alex raises an eyebrow.
“Posey’s going to come down next weekend! She can make it after all!”
“That’s great! That means Project Drama Student is on!”
I nudge Elliot in the shoulder. “She’s not a project; she’s a new friend. And I bet you’ll really like her. She’ll kick your butt at SingStar and everything.”
Elliot looks affronted. “Nobody kicks my butt at SingStar!”
Alex laughs. “That’s because we’re not brave enough to listen to you!” He turns to me. “Tell me—who’s Posey?”
I fill Alex in on my trip to see Megan and on Posey’s stage fright.
“Wow, which one is Megan again?” asks Alex.
“The one who’s always using Penny for her friendship,” snaps Elliot.
I grimace. “She’s not that bad . . . you just have to get past the front she puts on. Deep down, she’s a really nice person.”
“For sure . . . Grand Canyon deep,” mumbles Elliot.
If I didn’t have a sleeping five-year-old on my lap, I would kick him under the table.
“Actually, did you know that the Colca Canyon in Peru is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon?” says Alex, a teasing gleam in his eye.
“Well, see?” says Elliot, laughing. “I wouldn’t say she’s as bad as that! But now who’s the know-it-all!”
As they talk, I type a rapid reply to Posey.
That’s the best news!
I’ll wait for you in the station at 11 on Saturday. I’ll be standing next to the free piano. (But definitely not playing! No skills there I’m afraid.) x
Now that there’s a plan in place to see Posey, I feel much happier. There’s just a tiny niggle at the back of my brain, which is me wondering whether I should tell Megan. But Megan doesn’t police who I’m friends with. “Shall we go?” I say. “Oh, I forgot to look up movie times!”
“Don’t worry, we did it,” says Alex with a grin. “And we’ve decided on the newest Disney film. Are you in?”
“Yes! I’ll check with Mum.”
On my lap, Bella wriggles awake and yawns widely.
“Are you ready to go home?” I ask, brushing a few loose strands of hair from her face. She smiles and a dimple appears in her upturned cheek. Suddenly I’m struck by just how much she looks like Noah. But it’s time to stop seeing his ghost everywhere, and time to step out into the light. I have friends who love me, and new friends who I’m growing to love.