page25 (2/2)

‘The day after Dad’s funeral’ A lifetio ‘The fraud squad had just left the house with a vanload of cartons containing private papers from Dad’s study’

He started rubbing her back softly ‘You’re beginning to look pregnant’ Warh her as he cupped her breast

She placed a hand on her small baby bump ‘Mum’s sister came out from Australia for Dad’s funeral She had plenty to say about er wealthy and would have to live in relative poverty’

‘Your ree?’

‘That’s the funny thing She did at first Stuck up for oing on She even gave s and talked about Dad as we’d known him before the de We looked through photos of the three of us on holidays, at functions, doing the things fao down later’

‘When did it all change?’

‘The nextmy aunt went to town to buy some clothes That’s when the reality struck, first her and then Mu in and threw all the photos on the floor, ju She’d never qualified at anything and be a rich man Dad had always kept them both in funds That day the credit cards simply didn’t work any more’

‘And it was all your fault’

‘Apparently Mum didn’t want to believe my aunt so they went out and tried to buy a bracelet at the local jewellers Same result, and the end of e, visiting fashion shops to try on clothes she could no longer afford, leaving them in piles on the shop floors It was all there in the papers that night They flew to Australia the next day and I’ve never heard fro up on’

‘She cut you off when you’d done nothingh to hand over the cohtened his hold around Tam, and she leaned into him ‘Would you want your mother to know about the baby and take part in his life if she could get past what happened?’

‘Yes’ Had he lost his randmother in more than name’ She wasn’t exactly the perfect role model for a mother, but she was her mother

‘Want to try anothe

r phone call?’

‘And take another king hit? No, thanks’ But she would, just not tonight after that wonderful session talking with Conor’s family

‘I’ve got a suggestion’

She started to object

‘Hear me out Write to her, tell her about us and the baby, and hoe’rehow you’d like her to be part of the family’

‘She’ll tear it up’

‘Or she’ll set it aside and keep going back to stare at the envelope with your writing on it until she can’t resist it and gives in to curiosity’

‘She’ll get rid of it the moment she sees my scribble’ Or would she?

‘She et your mother back’

A soft silence fell over the her close, and she continued soaking up the warht her ‘I’ll think about it’

Mondayand bedlam ED was overrun with year-three children fro to control the little getaho see treated for bee stings

‘Tell ?’ Conor shook his head at the chaos before turning back to a harassed teacher who also had stings on her ar like it’

‘Me neither We were out on the field, playing soccer, when a swarht into ourand it was scary’

‘I bet’ He’d never experienced a swar attacked, would’ve been a nightmare’

‘I’etpool quick smart’