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“Wow it’s like a secret garden, like in the book.”
“It is, properly secret. The guy who used to live here was quite a character.”
Rowan dropped her backpack and grabbed her little sister in a hug.
“You look good, really good,” she commented when they drew apart.
“Whereas you look like you need a good night’s sleep.” Sky frowned.
“I know.” Rowan’s hand went to her hair. “He’s not in the house right now, is he?”
“No, they took off early this morning, said they were going to the workshop, but there’s something going on there they don’t want me to know about.”
“Hmmm, yes. I’ll kill him if he gets on the wrong side of the law inside a week of being out of jail.”
“Whatever it is, they tried to keep me out of it, but I over heard a bit. Let’s get inside. You can have a rest and some food before they get back.”
“Sounds good.” Rowan looked beyond as they walked up the path side by side. “What’s that?” Rowan stared at a big long shed covered over with trailing plants and what looked like grapes vines.
“Bike store, what else.”
“Of course it is.”
A dog loped out to greet her.
Rowan bent down and ruffled his head. “Aww he’s cute. Does he carry bags?”
Sky hugged her side and took the backpack from her hand. “I’ll take it, you must be tired.”
“Bedraggled maybe, but I have a head of steam that’s kept me going.”
It was good to see Sky, who suddenly seemed the personification of calm.
“Is it the hacking gig, or something else?” Sky frowned.
Rowan shook her head. She hadn’t been able t
o say much when she phoned the day before, and right now she wasn’t sure she could. On the brink of tears and weary too. She was dangerously close to letting it all spill out.
“Hey, you’re really upset, what’s going on?”
“Sean. He came and went like a thief in the night. It’s tearing me apart.”
Sky’s expression turned serious. “Poor love, well he always did leave a trail of chaos in his wake and it sounds as if he’s in a hell of a mess.”
“Too right it is.” Talking about it made her anger rise. She had the urge to grind her teeth. “Can you believe it—he’d just told me he was going straight and promised he would never take off again, and then whoosh...out of there without a word, for a bloody hacking gig!”
They’d reached an open door, but Sky stopped dead and looked at Rowan, aghast. “He didn’t explain why, before he left?”
“No.” They stared at each other in silence for a moment then Rowan had to ask. “Please tell me what you know.”
“Maybe its better he tells you.”
Appalled, Rowan glared at her sibling and was about to demand she talk but Sky carried the backpack indoors, gesturing for Rowan to follow. “Wait, tell me what, Sky?”
Once the dog loped in and the door was shut, Rowan saw they were in a kitchen, a big rambling room it was with loads of mismatched cupboards and a large wooden table centre stage.
Sky bulled out two chairs. “Get comfy, I’ll put the kettle on and rustle you up something to eat.”
