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Her nostrils flared and her chin flew up “How about you do so about this!” Then she kicked him in the shin Hard

“What the hell?” Josh rubbed his leg, grateful her shoes didn’t have steel toecaps

She pointed in his face “And don’t think you’re coain That boat has sailed Any k

ids we have will bethe kitchen door behind her

“At least she’s still talking about kids” Josh groaned as he plopped into a chair

He listened for the sound of her sto up the stairs, and was relieved when he heard it For a ht he’d hear the front door slaraphers parked at the gates h, knowing Caroline, he wouldn’t have put it past her to cliet away

“You’re going to have to fix this,” his mum said

Josh shot her a “you have got to be kidding et hurt There are all sorts of lunatics out there, andme puts her on their radar I need her to be safe Even if it ”

His mum sat down on the chair beside him “You need to be patient with her This is out of her co She can’t do that with the life you’re offering her She must be terrified”

“Yeah, she looked it,” Josh scoffed

But he wondered He’d had all of his adult life to get used to being faradually for him, so there’d been time to adapt Caroline had been thrown in at the deep end, with barely three weeks to adjust

He suddenly felt guilty Maybe he’d been a bit harsh “I better go talk to her”

“Are you sure? Perhaps leaving it to theis better”

“No” Josh sighed “I’ll do it now”

He dragged hi if Caroline had gone to his bedroom or taken one of the empty ones Ten minutes later, he had his answer: Caroline hadn’t taken any bedroom Instead she’d opened theon the first floor beside the oak tree and climbed down it Josh felt steaone over the wall after all