Of course you are. The Simpsons are some of Mum and Dad’s oldest friends,’ Chrissie said firmly. Rosie tried to hold on to her temper. Chrissie’s pregnancy seemed to be making her bossier than ever, or was it simply that with her outburst to Jake Lucas she had somehow lost a little of her protective coating...her control? Rosie wondered uneasily. She had noticed a disturbing tendency recently for her emotions to swing far more violently from one extreme to the other. She was constantly tense and on edge, looking over her shoulder, half expecting to find Jake Lucas watching her disapprovingly. She cringed to think of that awful confrontation she had had with him. Why had she told him about Ritchie? What had she hoped to achieve? What had she expected him to do? Apologise... Show regret, remorse, guilt? He hadn’t even believed her. He had made that plain enough. ‘Rosie...’ Guiltily she realised that Chrissie was still talking to her.
