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Katy looked at him like he was the idiot. “That’s loose tea. I don’t know how to work it. Teabags are easier.”
She had a point. Flynn
didn’t know what to do with loose tea either. Katy arranged a cup and saucer, then put a bag in it while they waited for the kettle to boil. Flynn leaned against the counter and watched Abby mutter.
“Is this normal?” he asked Katy.
“No.” Katy shook her head. “She once threw a pot at the wall. And a long time ago she cried. I think that was when my daddy died. Muma usually smiles. Except when she’s mad at you. You made her cry too. But only a little bit. Not like the last time. And usually she talks to real-life people. I don’t know who she’s talking to right now.”
“Neither do I,” Flynn said.
Suddenly Abby stopped pacing and spun to them. Her eye twitched. Not a good sign. “Katy.” He voice was saccharine sweet. “Could you go play in your room for a little while? Muma needs to talk to Mr Boyle.”
“It’s okay to call him Flynn. He’s not really a grownup.”
The eye twitch grew more noticeable. “Honey, go play in your room.”
“Okay.” Katy huffed as she stomped to the door. “But no kissing while I’m gone.”
“We’re not going to kiss,” Abby snapped at the same time Flynn said, “I’m not promising anything, kid—that wasn’t part of our deal.”
“Deal?” Abby’s attention zoomed in on him.
Flynn winced. Yeah, maybe now wasn’t the best time for this discussion. Unfortunately, the terrorist wasn’t on the same page as he was.
“Flynn’s going to buy me a swimming pool if I pretend I like him and I stop telling Aunty Victoria all about everybody’s business.”
Abby didn’t move for a long minute as she stared off into space. She was frozen. System overload. Where was her reboot button? He needed to call a doctor.
“Go. Play.” Her words were even. A quiet command brooking no argument.
With a dramatic slump of her shoulders, Katy did as she was told. Abby stared after her for a long time before turning to Flynn.
“I can explain.” He held up his hands in a reassuring gesture while eyeing the area around her for weapons.
“Yes. You can and you will. Start now.”
Man, she was hot with a capital H when she got all bossy. Flynn dragged his mind out of his shorts and focused on defusing the bomb that was Abby.
“I was trying to help.”
She let out a strangled scream. He carried on regardless.
“I’ll be the first to admit I’m not used to helping people. And maybe I don’t know what I’m doing. But I should at least get credit for effort.”
He looked at her hopefully. She glared back. Flynn charged on, hoping to get the explanation out before Abby went hunting for a knife.
“I thought your sister should know you’re a really respectable person and the blame for any uncharacteristic behaviour rests with me.”
She lips formed words, but no sound came out. She was counting to ten silently. “And you thought coming over here, confronting my sister, being rude and corrupting my child was the way to go about helping me?”
“Okay, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so good.”
“And you bribed my daughter?” The scary high-pitched tone was back again.
Flynn lowered his voice to compensate for it, hoping it would soothe her. “Look, we both know you were having problems with the things Katy was saying. I thought I’d help. Now she’ll keep her mouth shut around your sister.”
Wrong thing to say. Abby’s eyes snapped to his. “How do you know that?”
