page46 (1/2)

She pulled her sunglasses down her nose just enough for him to see her eyes and stared at him ‘Theo, it isn’t a weakness to talk to people about eood for you’

‘I don’t—’ he began

She held up a hand and made the kind of noise parents ht that second

It worked He shut up

‘Theo, you know you bottle things up You’re like all the otherand silent is a good thing I’ you, it isn’t So either you talk to o back to England’

He knew from past experience that his sister was perfectly capable of carrying out her threat

‘Your choice,’ she finished, folding her arms

He sighed ‘All right Her name is Madison Maddie, for short’

‘And?’

‘She works with istrar’

Sophronia nodded and pushed her sunglasses back up to their nors in common So what’s the problem?’

‘There isn’t a problem’

‘Then why didn’t you bring her home to meet us? Are you scared on’t like her?’

‘You’d all love her,’ Theo adood to have around’ And he ly, to the point where it was like a physical pain He ached for her to be there, next to hi first; she likes dancing to old-fashionedfundraisers for the hospital’

‘So she’s fun and has a good heart Exactly the kind of woman I’d want for ain

It was a long, long time before he answered ‘I’m the problem’

‘How?’

He sighed ‘I suppose I’m scared’

‘Scared?’ She raised an eyebrow ‘My big brother, who’s not scared of anything and who’s always told et about the spiders and reach for the stars—and Meli, Thali and Stefanos too—scared?’