The Silent Wife(56)
‘I’m a bit worried about how much damage there’ll be in the garden.’
Massimo patted my shoulder. ‘That, my darling Maggie, is where you will be truly grateful to have married into the Farinelli family. We cannot have my dear brother shortening his life because a hydrangea has taken a hit. So, we invite you to hold your party next door, where child and dog have already taken their toll.’
Sam burst out, ‘And Massimo’s thought up some really good ideas for games on the trampoline.’
‘That’s really kind of you but what does Lara say? She’s not going to want a load of kids rampaging round the house. Do you know what you’re letting yourself in for? Has Sandro ever had a party?’
A flicker of exasperation passed across Massimo’s face. ‘Sandro has never wanted a party.’
There was a little moment of silence when I felt like I’d said something rude without meaning to. Massimo steamrollered on. ‘Lara won’t mind: we’re a lot less worried about our garden than Nico is about his. Lupo has seen to that.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘When Caitlin was alive, we barely dared walk on the grass. Part of the reason she wouldn’t get a dog was because she was worried about the yellow patches on the lawn.’
I could have hugged him. Someone finding one tiny fault in Saint Caitlin. It was like finding a twenty-pound note on the pavement. Not life-changing but ridiculously uplifting on a temporary basis.
‘If you’re sure? And Lara won’t mind?’ I was still smarting from her sudden exit this morning. I didn’t want to add ‘party for lairy kids’ to my wrongdoings.
‘She’ll be fine with it.’
Lara had many qualities but I didn’t feel relaxed and ready to entertain were among them. But Massimo was doing that thing of being so ridiculously generous and enthusiastic that any argument would make me look like I was the most ungrateful person breathing in Brighton air.
‘Shall we do it on Sunday in two weeks’ time? Then that’ll give me the Saturday to get it all set up. Shall we say three till five? The parents can have a drink when they come to pick up. I’ll sort out all of the games… I’ve got loads of ideas.’
If Sandro had never had a party, I was afraid Massimo was falling into that typical bloke trap of assuming he could turn up for the main event without worrying about any of the details leading up to it. Lara would get lumbered with cleaning the house to her exacting standards so all the kids’ parents could scoff their vol-au-vents directly off the floor if necessary, while he trollied in twirling a football on one finger.
I couldn’t let him present Lara with a fait accompli. I didn’t want her to feel taken advantage of. I tried again. ‘Why don’t we pop round there now and run it past Lara before we get too far down the line and I claim my spot in family history as the most unpopular relative ever?’
Massimo surprised me. He threw his arms around me and whirled me around. ‘You, darling Maggie, are the best thing that ever happened to my brother, a wonderful breath of fresh air breezing through his uptight life. You deal with him and I’ll talk to Lara.’ He turned to Sam. ‘It’ll be the best party you’ve ever had, mate, they’ll all be talking about it for a week afterwards.’
Sam looked delighted. But in among the worry about imposing ourselves on next door, I felt a little pang it wasn’t Nico making a massive effort for Sam. My hopes of being one big happy family, where our kids just saw us as ‘the parents’ regardless of origin, were looking increasingly unlikely.
Thank God I would be able to repay their generosity by teaching Lara to drive, assuming I did actually manage to get her to plant her backside in the car sometime soon. I couldn’t wait to surprise Massimo when she came roaring round the corner waving her driving licence. It would definitely take a load off him when he no longer had to taxi them everywhere. Finally I’d have my own little part in the family history, smiling modestly as Massimo regaled everyone with the story of when ‘Maggie, that little minx of my sister-in-law, helped Lara pass her test without me knowing a thing about it.’
23
LARA
Since I’d come home from Maggie’s at lunchtime, my stomach was so hollow I felt as though a big echo would reverberate inside me if I ate a peanut. What did Massimo giving Caitlin that box mean? That they’d had an affair? Or that he’d just given her a present he hadn’t told me about? Had I really been blind to something going on under my nose or was Massimo just doing his usual trick of presenting himself as a thoughtful man, finding the perfect gift for his sister-in-law?