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Flynn’s eyes sparkled a little too much when he looked back at Abby, making her stomach clench in fear. “You don’t need to worry about that thing I had on this morning. It was cancelled. Seems it wasn’t urgent after all.” His lips twitched with clear mischief. He was up to something. This was not the time for him to be up to something! He eyed the table, taking in the tea and cake. “Mind if I join you?”
Yes! I mind! Every fibre of Abby’s being screamed at him. Unfortunately, it was silent and he missed it.
“We’re feeding him now?” Katy protested loudly.
“You’re such a joker, kid.” Flynn ruffled Katy’s hair, making her growl.
He just grinned and shook hands with Lawrence. Abby stood frozen. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think of a way to get Flynn out of her house. Her eyes darted between Katy and Flynn. The two of them together had the potential for Armageddon.
Katy stomped over to Flynn’s side, folded her arms and scowled at him. “Why are you here? You can’t be here to be friendly. Muma said you’d only be nice to us when all the rivers in Scotland dried up, and I saw the stream this morning. It still has water.”
Abby gave an obviously fake, and clearly hysterical, laugh.
Flynn reached out and tugged Katy’s ponytail. “Isn’t she a cute kid?” he asked Victoria. “Almost too cute to be allowed out in public.” He turned to Abby. “Maybe you should keep her in her room?” Although he was grinning, Abby wasn’t sure it was a joke. She watched as he gave Katy a narrow-eyed glance.
“There’s rules for coming into my house,” Katy said. “You need to wear clothes. And you need to stop kissing my Muma.”
Lawrence made a choking noise as he sat back down at the table.
Abby stopped breathing. Stared at the ceiling and pleaded once again for a meteor to strike the house.
“Clothes?” Victoria asked in a strangled voice.
“She means T-shirts,” Abby said. “Flynn likes to sunbathe, so he rarely wears them. Got to keep up the tan, eh?”
Flynn cocked an eyebrow at her, making it clear he thought she was the one who was nuts.
“You’re a funny kid,” he said to Katy. “Cute and funny. Great sense of humour. Bet you get to sit on the naughty step a lot with all those tales you tell.”
Katy leaned in to him. “You need to sit on the naughty step, not me. You need to sit there for about a year. You let a woman show her boobs at a party. And you’re noisy. And messy. And Muma said you’re a pig.”
“Katy!” Abby felt the floor disappear beneath her feet. She held on to the table to stop the room from spinning. This conversation alone was enough for Victoria to file for custody. What made her think she’d get away with a week of good behaviour from Flynn? What made her think Katy would keep her knowledge to herself? It was a disaster.
“You know what?” Flynn stood. “Katy promised to show me her new Barbies. How about we do that now, kid? While your mum makes some coffee. There’s only tea here, and I’m not much of a tea drinker.”
Katy and Abby opened their mouths to protest at the same time, but Flynn beat them to it. “You know, I think I’ve got another football shirt you’d like, Katy. Why don’t I tell you about it while we look at the new Barbies?”
Katy’s back snapped straight as her eyes narrowed. Her tongue licked across her bottom lip in a gesture that could only be described as calculated.
“My Barbies are in the living room.” Katy turned on her heels, head held high, expecting him to follow.
“Kids.” Flynn shook his head and grinned at her family before following Katy.
Abby was stuck to the spot, torn between running after them to rescue Katy from Flynn, or Flynn from Katy, depending on what was happening. And staying with her sister in an attempt to make the whole visit seem normal. When Victoria eyed her with disapproval, staying won out. It was time to do damage control.
“Flynn has a strange sense of humour.” Abby forced a smile. “I’m told it’s worse since the injury. His cousin thinks he may have suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen on the operating table. It’s a terrible waste. But we have to show compassion to those less fortunate than ourselves, don’t we?”
Lawrence started choking again while Victoria’s eyes went wide.
“Now, who would like a slice of Bakewell tart?”
???
Flynn hobbled into the living room closely behind the five-year-old terrorist. They stalked into the centre of the room. Katy spun toward
s him, arms folded and the usual glare on her face. Flynn stayed standing too, even though it hurt his knee, because he didn’t want to give ground to the monster.
“Okay, kid, what will it take for you to be nice to me while your aunt and her friend are here?”
