Chapter 42

On Sunday evening after dinner, Steve was downstairs helping Jerry install a new mixing console in his studio, Diane was sitting with the girls watching a film on Disney+ that none of them were really interested in.

“How much wine have you had,” Lucy asked Gabbie.

“The same as you, a couple of glasses.”

“How do you feel?”

“OK, why?”

“Do you fancy another glass, then we can try the accidental trance thing again.”

“mmm, I want to be happy, and I need to feel super safe, can I lie in your lap again?”

“You can lie in my lap any time you like,” Lucy smiled.

“And run your fingers through my hair like you were doing that night, it feels really nice when you do that.”

“I’ll fetch another bottle, is the chardonnay OK.”

“Yes, I like that one,” Gabbie replied, “can you find that Olivia Rodrigo film, Lucy, the one where she’s making her album.”

“Great idea, we can’t be anything other than happy when she’s on telly.”

Halfway through the show, her third glass of wine took effect and Gabbie started to feel sleepy, she lay her head in Lucy’s lap as Diane turned off the TV and put some quiet music on the speakers.

“Where are you, Gabbie?” Lucy whispered as she ran her fingers through Gabbie’s hair.

“I think I’m in a club, mum’s on stage singing a Carpenter’s song, We’ve Only Just Begun, she’s singing it so well.”

“Can you tell me about the club, where is it?”

“I don’t know where we are, I don’t remember this place at all,” Gabbie replied, she sounded puzzled, “the stage is quite small, she’s just got a guy with a guitar and a drummer, they’re all that will fit on the stage. The club is long and narrow, there’s a bright bar at the back, people are sitting at tables, it’s quite smoky.”

“Hang on,” Diane interrupted, “there’s been a smoking ban for years, since 2007 I think.”

Gabbie didn’t react to Diane, perhaps she could only hear Lucy.

“How old are you, Gabbie?” Lucy asked.

“I don’t know, oh, I’m in a pram, I’m just a baby. This is weird.”

“Where are you, whereabouts in the club?”

“I’m at the front, near the stage, I’m with, let me look, I’ll see if I can sit up, oh, I’m with Auntie Alice, she’s wearing a really pretty black and white spotty dress. There’s someone sitting on the other side, ahh, it’s Uncle Pat, that’s Auntie Alice’s husband.”

“But she lives in Scotland,” Lucy said.

“Not when I was little, she lived near our house, they had a little cottage in the town until I was in primary school. Uncle Pat got a job in Scotland when Saoirse was little, that’s when they moved. Ahh, mum’s finished, there’s a DJ playing music, she’s coming to the table. Oh, that’s odd, she’s walking away with Uncle Pat, I’m crying! Why am I crying? Ahh Alice is telling me something. ‘it’s OK sweety, your mummy will be back soon, she’s just going to her room with Pat, he helps her with things your daddy won’t do.’”

Gabbie was quiet for a moment, Lucy thought she’d fallen asleep until she started laughing.

“Oh my god Lucy! Mum was fucking Pat, that’s so funny.”

“Hang on, but you said he’s Alice’s husband!” Lucy replied.

“Yeah, I’m trying to work things out, dates wise. I think it was early 2007 there, mmm, I think they got married late 2006, yeah I seem to remember mum saying I was a baby at their wedding.”

“So they were married during the scene you’ve just watched.”

“Oh yes, they must have been. How very weird, Alice lending her husband to mum like that.”

Gabbie closed her eyes for a moment, “don’t worry, I’m not slipping into a trance, I’m just remembering going to clubs with mum when I was older, mmm, I might have to go a bit deeper,” she added as she resumed her place on Lucy’s lap.

“Ahh, yes. I think I mentioned before all this shit blew up that mum was probably having affairs. She used to leave me with one of the barmaids while she popped to her dressing room or a nearby hotel room with a guy ... and, oh yes! She’s just taken a girl back to her room. Wooo, mum had groupies,” Gabbie laughed as she pulled out of her trance.

“You’re getting good at slipping in and out of your trances,” Lucy complimented her.

“Yeah, maybe we’ll try it another day without wine. See if I can do it with a clear head.”

“So, what have we learned tonight?” Diane asked.

“We’ve learned my mum was as beautiful as I remembered, and something in the back of my mind always thought she was shagging people. I think mum might have told me to keep stuff quiet from him, because I remember now, we used to have a family room in hotels when we were away overnight, and she took men back to the room and I had to sleep with earplugs in.”

“Ahh, that’s not nice,” Diane sympathised.

“Maybe not, but I’m glad mum still felt sexy enough to have lovers.”

“So, can we look at the Auntie Alice and Uncle Pat situation,” Lucy asked.

“Oh fuck!” Gabbie cried, “I’ve just realised something!”

“What?” Diane asked.

“If I was around one year old, Uncle Pat might be Jordan’s dad.”

“And that’s what I was just about to suggest,” Lucy replied.

“What do we do? We’re seeing them tomorrow,” Gabbie asked.

“Let me think for a moment,” Lucy told her.

“Do you want a hot chocolate while you think,” Diane asked.

“Yes please, with cream and sprinkles.”

“Same for me, please.” Gabbie added.

A little later, Lucy cradled her mug, her eyes on Gabbie as she spoke.

“So, we know Charles isn’t Jordan’s dad, we found this out from the will.”

“Mmm, yes, that’s why he got no money, so I’ve given Alice some of mine to pass to Jordan.”

“So, can we assume Jordan knows this? We’ve not spoken to him about it directly, have we?”

“No, and that’s bad, we should have.”

“Right, so here’s my plan. We speak to Alice before we speak to Jordan. We tell her what? Mmm, perhaps we don’t weird her out with all the trances and stuff. OK, we tell her the tragedy, because that’s what it is, and the fire and stuff has given you some really vivid dreams, and you think you remember that your mum dated Pat. How does that sound?”

“That sounds OK, she may wonder how I can have vivid dreams of when I was a baby, and how a baby would understand about dating.”

“Yeah, well we’ll just have to hope Alice doesn’t think of that.”

“Will this make things awkward when we see Jordan tomorrow?” Gabbie asked.

“I don’t think so. Like, we already knew he’s only your half-brother, so it doesn’t really matter who his dad is.”

“I suppose it doesn’t.”

“And besides, he’ll just be staring at my boobs all day.”

“Hahaha, he will. I’ll ask him what colour your eyes are...”

“He might not have noticed I have eyes,” Lucy laughed.

“No, that’s not fair, he spent a long time looking at your face as well. There’s no way I can tell him off, because that’s pretty much what I was doing.”

“He’s a very good-looking boy. What’s Saoirse like?”

“It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen her properly, she was a tomboy when we were little, I guess I was a bit, I loved climbing trees and exploring. She’s pretty, but she would be, because Alice is beautiful, she really is. She looks like my mum did when I was younger, before life wore her down. Alice didn’t ever have to experience the horrors mum did.”

At breakfast the next morning, Diane asked the girls if they were sure they’d be OK taking the train.

“Of course we’ll be OK. Remember I took Steve to London without incident.”

“I guess, but Steve could drive you...”

“His visitor will be arriving before we get home, remember.”

“Ahh yes, of course.” Diane replied, “Are you sure about the Travelodge? Those rooms are pretty basic. Can’t you ask Nessa to get you a room somewhere?”

“I thought about that,” Lucy replied, “but there’s none of her hotels anywhere close, so we’d need a car, and Steve’s needed here. Besides, I checked the hotel on TripAdvisor, the room looks OK, much better than the room we shared with Lizzie at school.”

“And it’s much better than my bedroom at home,” Gabbie added.

“Yes, of course, silly me, I should have realised you’d have checked every detail. I guess I’m just worrying about you travelling alone, and meeting Katherine’s sister.”

“We’ll be fine, mum,” Gabbie assured her, “Alice is not like Katherine, she’s a loving, caring mother. She’s taken Jordan in, and that was before she knew she’d get any money.”

“I guess I need to stop worrying, you’re both sensible girls, and you’re going somewhere safe. How far is the hotel from Alice’s house?”

“Not far, it’s just across town, about a mile I think. We’ll be fine walking.”

“What do Alice and Pat do?” Diane asked as she stacked the breakfast things in the dishwasher, “Saoirse’s school is more expensive than your school.”

“Alice was a model for a while, not a glamour model like Lucy’s mum, she was a fashion model. She’s tall and slim, I saw her in Vogue once. I think she got a lot of money from that, but she’s not worked for a while. Pat’s an accountant, I guess there’s a lot of money in that game.”

“That’s kind of an accountant’s job, to count lots of money,” Lucy laughed.

“Well yeah, but he must earn a lot of money. Mmm, you said Saorise’s school is dearer than ours. Will the money I’ve given Alice be enough to pay for Jordan?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, just like Katherine gave me enough money to pay for your fees, she gave Alice the money for Jordan’s, I checked.”

“Ahh, that’s good.”

“And Alice got a third of Katherine’s money in her will, she split her money three ways; you, Jordan and Alice got a third each.”

“That’s nice,” Gabbie replied as she finished her coffee.

“It’s a lot of money, Gabbie, are you sure you’re Ok with your share going to charity?”

“I’ve got more than enough money in the bank, I bet we could live off the interest alone. Lucy and I will live a simple life, we won’t need a lot of money.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lucy laughed, “I’m having servants.”

Steve volunteered to drive the girls to the station. Jerry was already feeling the Christmas spirit, lending Steve the Aston Martin for the drive across town to Bank Quay station.

“Mum says you’ve invited Millie up for Christmas,” he said as he placed their suitcase in the spacious boot.

“Yes, we felt sorry for Millie, her parents aren’t coming over this year, so she was going to be all alone at school,” Lucy replied, glad she didn’t need to lie to Steve, just twist the order of events slightly.

“We thought it would be nice for her to spend time with our whole family. She’s not much older than you, Steve, so you could perhaps take her out somewhere.” Gabbie added.

“Yeah, she’s good company, we have a lot of fun chatting with her. I bet she’d be glad to spend some time with someone who’s a bit more mature than us.”

“So, you’ve not invited her round to seduce her?” he asked.

“Well, Gabbie’s already tried that,” Lucy replied with feigned annoyance, “and Millie made it clear she’s not into girls, which is a shame, because she’s super pretty, and has a lovely figure.”

Lucy spotted Steve’s smile in the rear-view mirror, “he’s definitely happy she’s coming” she whispered into Gabbie’s ear.

“So yeah, Millie is interested in a lot of the dull stuff you enjoy, like galleries and museums. She likes rom-coms and subtitled French thrillers.”

“And she likes Lana Del Ray,” Gabbie added, “I know you like some of her albums.”

“So basically, you’d definitely swipe right.”

Steve smiled some more.

“So, when is Millie arriving?” Steve asked as he lifted the girl’s case from the boot outside the station.

“Some time on Wednesday, we’re coming home Wednesday evening, our train gets in about 7 o’clock I think, so send dad if you’re busy then,” Lucy replied.

“Did Millie ask you to fix her up?”

“Gosh no! Millie’s like you, she’d never have the nerve to ask someone out, or ask someone to ask their brother out.”

“But you do like her, don’t you...” Gabbie added.

“She’s older than me.”

“Only 5 years older, so that’s not much.” Gabbie told him.

“Stop trying to make excuses, Steve. You think she’s pretty, you already told us that. She thinks you’re good looking, and she’s definitely interested in finding out more about you.”

“Does she know about us?”

“Mmm, she might have guessed.”

“Don’t tell fibs,” Gabbie chided Lucy, “yes, we’ve told her.”

“But she had guessed first.”

“And she’s OK about it?” he asked.

“Oh yes, she knows we’re not really brother and sister.”

“Have you mentioned any details about me?” Steve asked, blushing slightly.

“Like what?” Lucy asked innocently.

“My err...”

“Your willy? Oh no, we’ve not mentioned that. It would be a very weird conversation that led to us talking about the contents of my brother’s trousers,” she replied with an admirable poker face.

Steve relaxed, “after what you and Nessa said, I’m worried that girls might be scared, you know.”

“Relax Steve,” Lucy replied, giving him a big hug, “apparently babies come out of that hole, and a baby’s head is much bigger than even your fine penis.”

“I’d prefer it if you were here when she arrives.”

“I know you would, which is why we chose a later train, so you can speak to her on your own. Me and Gabbie can’t be around every time you meet a girl.”

Steve smiled, “how come you’re so confident and I’m so timid.”

“You’ve seen my mum haven’t you? It takes a lot of balls to get your tits out in a magazine, I inherited that confidence.”

“And the looks,” Steve replied, kissing her tenderly on the cheek.

Gabbie squeezed in close, offering her cheek.

“And you got your mum’s looks as well, Gabbie,” Steve laughed as he kissed her cheek, before picking up their case, leading them to the northbound platform.

“Do you know where you’re changing trains?”

“Yep, it’s dead easy, we wait for this train to reach the end of the line, then we leg it across the station for the train to Galashiels. From the station we’re getting a taxi to the hotel, it’s about a 5-minute drive according to Google. It’s not far from the hotel to Alice’s house.”

“Why did I even doubt that you knew exactly what you were doing?”

“Because you never plan anything,” Lucy replied as she stood on tiptoes to kiss Steve properly, “which is why we planned for Millie to come and meet you.”

“We gave you lots of lessons on how to please girls,” Gabbie added as she took Lucy’s place, “make sure you use them if Millie is responsive.”

“How will I know if she likes me?”

“Eye contact, laughing at your rubbish jokes, but mostly how close she sits on the sofa. If she puts her hand on your knee, you’re definitely in.”

“Don’t rush her though.” Lucy warned, “She’s not had a boyfriend since university, so she’s just as nervous as you. I want you to let Millie go at her own pace, don’t you make a move. If that means you spend Wednesday night in separate beds, so be it. If needs be, me and Gabbie will intervene on Thursday, but I really think you’ll be OK. She is excited to spend some time with you. Go to the pub, get her a couple of glasses of white wine, she likes pinot grigio. She had a couple of glasses before she kissed Gabbie last week.”

“Hang on, you said she wasn’t into girls.”

“She isn’t, it was all in the name of science.”

“I can confirm she didn’t enjoy kissing me, well, not much. Actually, she did enjoy it, but not enough to want to take it further.”

“Shit,” Steve sighed, “life in your boarding house is so much more exciting than life in mine.”

“Ahh, here’s our train,” Lucy shouted as the train approached, she hugged Steve quickly, “you’ll be fine Steve, she likes you, you like her, just let nature take its course.”

Gabbie tried to lift their suitcase, “a little help here!” she cried.

“You’re the sporty one,” Lucy laughed.

“Yeah, but you’re the strong one.”

Lucy gave Steve one final hug before hoisting their case and hopping on the train.

Jerry had bought their train tickets, so they had a long walk down to the first-class carriage.

Gabbie took over pulling their case once they’d found their seats. She looked at the case, up to the luggage rack, then sighed.

As she’d hoped, a man across the aisle noticed her plight and helpfully lifted their case, placing it carefully on the rack above their table.

She smiled warmly, “thank you so much.”

“See,” Lucy hissed, “you charm everyone you meet.”

“And I didn’t even need to flirt,” Gabbie whispered back as Lucy pulled a couple of cans of Coke and some sandwiches from her bag.

“Will Steve be OK?” Gabbie asked as she popped the tab on her can.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. We’ve told Millie she’ll have to do the running; Diane told her much the same. It’s in her hands, if she wants it to happen, it’ll happen.”

“I’m a little jealous,” Gabbie sighed.

“Of Millie?” Lucy asked.

“No, Steve. I’d like to see Millie naked.”

“Didn’t you get naked with her the other day, when we had the mind sex?”

“I was naked, she kept all her clothes on. It’s OK, there’s lots of girls I’d like to see naked and it won’t ever happen, so I’ll have to use my imagination,”

“Name some,” Lucy asked.

“Well, there’s Lizzie, obviously. She’s so pretty, and such a good kisser.”

“Did she really stick her finger up your bum?”

“Oh yes,” Gabbie giggled, “I said she could finger me, but she could only reach my bum, so I told her that was fine.”

“And she did it, just like that?”

“Yep, like I said, she’s a good kisser, we got very hot.”

“Who else?” Lucy probed, enjoying the conversation.

“Polly, of course, she’s tall and slim, totally different to you.”

“I like Polly a lot, and she is very pretty. I’m enjoying this game, who else do you fancy?”

“Do you know Naomi in Turner House?”

“Oh my god, she’s gorgeous, and you should see her mum, she’s stunning.”

“I like Naomi, but I’m thinking of her girlfriend, Pixie. If you didn’t exist, I think I’d fight Naomi for Pixie. I’m not going to say she’s perfect, because only you are perfect in my eyes, but she’s close.”

Lucy closed her eyes, concentrating. “I don’t think I know her.”

“You won’t, because the beauty of Pixie is she’s invisible unless she wants you to see her.”

“How does that work?” Lucy asked, genuinely puzzled.

“You know Mabel in our house?”

“Err, who’s that?”

“Exactly, Mabel’s the same. She bunks with Felicity and Kim, second floor.”

“Oh yes! I know Mabel now, she’s very plain, you don’t fancy her, do you?”

“Oh no, what I mean is Mabel is quiet and just fades into the background, you just don’t see her unless she makes herself known.”

Lucy thought for a moment, “Oh yes, I see what you mean, So, is Pixie plain like Mabel?”

“Definitely not, she’s stunning, with amazing boobs, almost as good as yours...”

“Naomi has a cracking pair of tits,” Lucy added.

“My god, she really does, but Pixie’s are bigger. She’s incredibly shy though. Naomi is a lot like you, she’s charismatic, she’s bright and bubbly, and I think Pixie takes advantage of that. Whilst everyone is looking at Naomi, Pixie just slips by, and nobody sees her.”

“How did you see her?”

“Do you know when I went to the shop on my own, for our MindTime experiment?”

“How could I forget that, it was a lot of fun.”

“Do you remember anything you saw through my eyes?”

“Do I ever, I have the whole film in my head.”

Gabbie closed her eyes, “think back to when I was in the shop and I’m looking at the wine.”

Lucy closed her eyes, “OK, I’m there, I can see the cheap Chardonnay you nearly bought.”

“Hahaha, I really don’t know enough about wine. So, there’s a girl coming, she’s got the most gorgeous auburn hair.”

“I see her.”

“That’s Pixie.”

“Oh wow, really? She’s stunning.”

“A lot prettier than Naomi, now who thought that was even possible.”

“Oh man, you’ve got me drooling. Mmm, if you manage to see Pixie in the nude, don’t even hesitate, break into my head and tell me everything.”

“So, who do you want to see naked?” Gabbie asked.

“Apart from your list, I’d really like to see Polly’s friend Billie naked.”

“Interesting, I don’t fancy her, but I can see why you do.”

“She’s got the most amazing lips, wouldn’t you just love to kiss them?”

“Mmm. maybe.”

“She’s always wearing baggy clothes, but I can tell she’s got great boobs and a really nice bum under them.”

Gabbie closed her eyes, thinking back to when she’d seen Polly and Billie kissing, she remembered the swell of Billie’s breasts as Polly held her close, she smiled.

“OK, I approve,” she laughed.

“Why have you changed your mind?” Lucy asked.

“Look in my head, see what I’m thinking about,” she replied, smirking.

Lucy closed her eyes and tuned into Gabbie’s thoughts, “see, I told you she had great boobs.”

“Is that all you think about, boobs?” Gabbie asked.

“Well, it’s all you seem to think about, I have to lower myself to your level, so I don’t feel left out.”

Gabbie looked around, “have you ever made out in a train toilet?” she asked quietly.

“Not yet.”

“Well, maybe it’s about time you did.”

Ten minutes later they tidied themselves up and made their way back to their seats, Lucy saw the ticket inspector leaving the carriage at the other end.

“Awww, we missed the ticket inspector,” she mockingly sighed as they sat down.

“It’s a good job he didn’t knock on the toilet door, they do that sometimes.” Gabbie replied as she ripped open a Twix and passed one bar to Lucy.

Gabbie did her looking at the suitcase and sighing routine as they approached Edinburgh Waverley station. The same man as before lifted their case down, smiling broadly as he placed it carefully on the floor.

“Does that trick ever fail,” he asked.

“It hasn’t so far,” Gabbie replied, “but it’s only the second time I’ve done it.”

“A 100% success rate then, and I’ve fallen for it every time, well done.”

“We’re getting the train to Galashiels now if you want to fall for it a third time.”

“Sorry honey, I’m off to work, but I can’t see that smile failing you any time soon,” he replied as he lifted the case onto the platform for Gabbie.

“What did I tell you,” Lucy whispered, “people love you. You don’t need to flirt to get your way, just smile and the world will fall at your feet.”

The train to Galashiels was 6 platforms over and leaving in 5 minutes, so Lucy grabbed the case, and they dashed across the station.

The train was almost full, so there was no need to charm someone to lift it onto the luggage rack, Lucy dropped it on the floor and Gabbie used it as a seat for the 40-minute slow train south,

“All that before, it was just a bit of fun, you know,” Gabbie told Lucy.

“I know sweetie, but you’re a horny little minx. I don’t expect you to chase after any other girls, but if the opportunity arises, I’d be astonished if you could control yourself.”

“So what should I do?”

“Jump in with both feet, what else? What I do want you to do is contact me, I want you to crash into my mind so I can see what you’re seeing, to feel what you’re feeling.”

“I’m not strong enough to break into your mind. And I don’t think I’ve enough brain bandwidth to let you see and feel at the same time. In the shop you could only see things, and with Millie you could only feel her lips.”

“Mmm, I guess we need to practise. This holiday I want you to try to crash into my mind as easily as I can crash into yours.”

“What about the seeing and feeling at the same time?”

“I think that will come. I’ve an idea how to practise.”

“How, I can’t just seduce a girl while we’re on holiday.”

“I’m sure you could,” Lucy smiled, “but we’ll do something more innocent. I want to see and taste something you’re eating.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Mmm, am I allowed to try to seduce someone as well.”

Lucy leant forwards, touching her lips to Gabbie’s, “only if I can watch.”

Lucy was just about to call for a taxi when Gabbie waved at a car, “it’s Uncle Pat, someone must have told him when we were arriving.”

“I’m not grumbling, it saves me a £10 taxi ride,”

“Which reminds me,” Gabbie said as she pulled open the rear door of the white Audi Q7 while Lucy popped the case in the back, “I’m paying for this trip, so I’m paying Jerry back for the train tickets.”

“Are you paying for my fuel for picking you up?” Pat asked jovially.

“You’ll need to file an expenses claim,” Gabbie replied as she slid across the back seat.

“And I suppose I need to get God to sign it.”

“Yep,” Gabbie replied as she buckled her seatbelt, “Pat tries to make me pay every time he takes me anywhere,” she told Lucy.

“That’s accountants for you, they just love paperwork.”

“Personally I hate paperwork, but I’m afraid it’s unavoidable in my job,” Pat replied, “so, where are we going girls, I was just told to meet your train.”

“We’re at the Travelodge, it’s close to your house.”

“Ahh, you’d have been better getting off at the next stop, the hotel is just over the road from the station.”

“Ahh, I didn’t think of that.”

“No worries, Alice wanted me to collect you from the hotel anyway.”

“We can walk to yours from the hotel.”

“I’m sure you can, but Alice would rather I give you a lift,” Pat told them as he parked outside the hotel, “I’ll let you get settled in and grab a shower. Meet me in the coffee shop when you’re done.”

“We can’t keep you from your work, Uncle Pat, we’re fine walking to your house.”

“Hey, I don’t work when my favourite niece is in town.”

“I’m your only niece,” Gabbie sighed.

“Yeah, but even if I had a hundred nieces, I’m fairly sure you’d still be my favourite.”

“I’m guessing that’s a conversation you’ve had before,” Lucy said as she lugged their case up the stairs.

“If I’d known the lift was broken, I’d have asked for a downstairs room,” Gabbie apologised, “and yeah, it’s a conversation we have a lot.”

“He likes you, and not in a weird uncle way, his eyes were smiling.”

“How come I never notice these things?”

“Because you still don’t think anyone likes you, so you never look for the signs.”

“Will you show me the signs?”

“I don’t need to, just realise that practically everybody likes you, so start looking for signs that people don’t like you, signs they don’t trust you.”

“Who doesn’t like me, so I know what to look for?”

“I’ve not found anyone who doesn’t like you, not a single person. You’re human catnip Gabbie,” Lucy told her as she opened their hotel room door.

“Well, this is cosy,” Gabbie laughed as she looked at their room, which consisted of a bed, a desk and a chair.

“I hope we both don’t need to sit at the same time,” Lucy replied as she slung the case on the bed.

“It’s just for two nights, and the bed looks comfy.”

“You have the first shower,” Lucy told her, “I’ll unpack the case. I hope Jordan and Saoirse’s presents survived the journey.”

“They’ll be fine,” Gabbie replied, “I wrapped them in your t-shirts, and used your bra as extra padding. I think Jordan will like hearing his present has been inside your underwear,” Gabbie laughed, ducking as Lucy threw a t-shirt at her,

Twenty minutes later they met up with Uncle Pat in the hotel coffee shop.

“We weren’t properly introduced before, I’m Gabbie’s Uncle Pat.”

“I kind of guessed that,” Lucy laughed, “I’ve spent a long time training Gabbie not to get in stranger’s cars. I’m Lucy by the way.”

“Hi Lucy, I’m unbelievably pleased to meet you.”

“He likes you,” Gabbie whispered, “his eyes are smiling.”

“Now you know what it looks like, you should be able to recognise it in other people,” Lucy told her.

“Am I missing something?” Pat asked, puzzled.

“I’m also training Gabbie to recognise when someone likes her.”

“How could anyone not like you, Gabbie? You’re genuinely one of the most likeable people I’ve ever met.”

Uncle Pat’s mug was still half full, so Lucy bought a couple of flat whites and they joined him at his table.

Gabbie took a sip of her drink then looked at her uncle, “mmm, so ... do you know what went on back at my house?”

Pat looked uncomfortable, “Only what Alice told me. There’s been no mention of you on the news.”

“It’s not nice, so I won’t go into it. I only mention it because the treatment I’ve been having, to come to terms with everything, has led to me having ... let’s just call them vivid dreams, very vivid.”

“Ok...” Pat replied, clearly unsure about where this was heading.

“One I had the other day, I was very young, still in my pram. Katherine was on stage in a club, Auntie Alice was minding me. When mum finished her set she went backstage, and you joined her. I distinctly remember Auntie Alice telling me it’s OK, you were helping mum with something dad wouldn’t do.”