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“Cookie?” Ryan’s attention was pulled from the game.
“Is there another way out of here?” Isobel picked up a cookie and waved it as she spoke.
He cocked a thumb at the back wall. “That door opens up into a tunnel that leads out to the road. Now gimme the cookie.”
“Yes!” Jack shouted as Isobel threw the cookie at Ryan. “You are dead, dude. Should have kept your mind on the game. Hey, where’d you get the cookie?” He turned to Isobel. “Do I get a cookie?”
With a shake of her head, she tossed one to her son as well, before turning back to her sisters. “We don’t need to worry,” she said, sounding slightly hysterical. “There’s a tunnel.”
“I thought the tunnel was a myth,” Agnes said. “Old man McKay never got council permission to dig one.”
“Obviously he decided to dig it without the permission,” Isobel said. “I wonder how he did it. Do you think he had like a digger or a burrowing machine or something? Or maybe he scooped it out by hand, like he was tunnelling out of jail?”
“Burrowing machine?” Donna said as all three sisters gaped at Isobel.
“What? I’m sure it’s a thing.” Isobel reached for another cookie. “Didn’t they use one to make the Channel Tunnel?”
“I hope the McKay tunnel is structurally sound,” Donna said. “I wouldn’t want you to get trapped in it.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Callum thought to check it out and reinforce it if need be.”
“Honey, listen to yourself.” Agnes leaned over the table and covered Isobel’s hands with hers. “I hate to break it to you, but your white knight is a fruit loop.”
“You mean her baby’s father,” Mairi said helpfully.
“Baby?” Ryan said. He’d snuck up on them and picked up the plate of cookies. He stood behind the women, shoulder to shoulder with Jack, working his way through the biscuits. “What baby?”
“Callum knocked up Mum,” Jack said.
“Jack!” Isobel’s cheeks began to heat again. “Go play your video game. Take Ryan with you. There’s no baby. And this is none of your business, either of you.”
Ryan shook his head and looked at Jack, who was the same height as him. “Dude, if you were ten years older, the things I could tell you about Callum.”
“I’m mature for my age,” Jack said. “Feel free to spill. But first we need more cookies and milk.”
Ryan agreed, and they went off to get some.
“Mature my hairy backside,” Mairi muttered. “Damn, I accidentally sent hairy backside to Karl. Must not talk and text…must not talk and text…”
“If she doesn’t talk while she’s texting,” Agnes said, “she’ll never speak.” She thought about it for a second. “I totally agree, Mairi, you must never talk and text.”
“Will you lot stick to the topic for a minute?” Isobel said. “We were talking about leaving. Are you packed?”
“I’ve packed up all my gear,” Agnes said. “I still need to send an email to the university to let them know that I’m moving, and I’ll send my contact details when I know them. Mairi, have you given the rental agency notice yet?”
“Not yet,” Mairi said. “I’ve been busy. I will, though.”
“Mairi, we need to get out of here before Saturday,” Isobel said.
“I know,” Mairi said. “I’ve got a lot on right now. I think someone has hacked my boyfriends’ accounts. I’m getting weird emails, and I’m worried it’ll affect my job.”
“We’ve got three days to get out of here before that loan shark comes looking for thirty-four thousand pounds that none of us have,” Isobel said. “You need to pack and sort out your flat. Worry about your online boyfriends later.”
“Um.” Donna squirmed. “I might have a teeny-tiny problem.”
“What?” Isobel wanted to groan. Just once, she would like something to go smoothly.
“I need to give my boss two weeks’ notice. He won’t accept anything less and says I won’t get a reference if I walk out before then.” Donna’s wide eyes begged them to understand.
