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Alex swayed. ‘Whoa, shit! You never said you were thirteen. You look older.’
‘Well, she’s not. Get up,’ he said, grabbing Alex’s T-shirt and pulling him upright.
Alex lifted his hands in surrender. ‘I don’t want no trouble.’
‘You should’ve thought of that before you gave pot to a thirteen-year-old. Christ, if her father hears about this, he’ll call the police and have you arrested.’
‘Please don’t, Uncle Matt.’ Poppy jumped to her feet. ‘I’m sorry! Please don’t tell my dad.’
Matt was conflicted. The right thing to do was report Alex, but that would ruin the wedding. There was no coming back from the bride’s brother getting the groom’s teenage cousin stoned. He looked down at Poppy. ‘How much did you smoke?’
‘I didn’t smoke any,’ she said in a rush. ‘I promise, I didn’t have any. I was just holding it for him and pretending.’
‘I saw you raise it to your mouth, Poppy.’
‘I was smelling it, nothing else, I swear. It smelt awful. I didn’t smoke it.’ Tears pooled in her eyes.
Call him a mug, but he believed her. ‘You’d better not be lying to me.’
‘It’s the truth, I promise. Please don’t tell my daddy.’ She clutched hold of him.
He had to think fast. ‘Go to the ladies’ room and wash your hands to get rid of the smell. Then go to the restaurant and apologise to your father for disappearing. He was worried sick when he couldn’t find you. Tell him you were looking around the museum, or something. Do not run off again at any point this weekend, you hear me?’
‘I promise.’ She nodded frantically.
‘You so much as sip any alcohol, go near this idiot again or do anything wrong, and I’m telling your father, okay?’
She nodded frantically. ‘I’ll behave, I promise.’
‘You’d better. Now go.’ Poppy ran off. ‘Not you,’ he said, stopping Alex when he went to follow. ‘You’re having an early night.’
‘No way, man.’
Matt bunched Alex’s T-shirt into a fist and drew him close. ‘You have two options, mate. Go to your room and sleep it off. Or spend the night in a cell for giving drugs to a minor.’
Alex looked startled. ‘I didn’t know she was a minor.’
‘You think that’s a defence?’
Alex shook his head.
‘Maybe you’d prefer me to drag you into the restaurant and announce to your family what you’ve done? How do you think they’d react?’
‘Beth would kill me.’
‘Too bloody right she would.’ He looked at Alex’s stricken face. ‘So what’s it to be?’
‘I’ll sleep it off.’
‘Good choice. I’ll escort you up there, in case you change your mind.’
Matt ushered an unhappy Alex out of the museum and up the stairs, almost dragging him and ignoring his grumblings about it being unfair. No wonder Beth was so stressed, if this was the kind of crap she had to deal with.
When they reached Alex’s room on the first floor, Matt opened the door and shoved him inside. ‘Don’t get any funny ideas about leaving. My ultimatum stands. You so much as show your face downstairs before tomorrow morning and I’m calling the cops. You hear me?’
‘I hear you,’ Alex mumbled, flopping onto the bed.
‘Good. Sleep tight.’ Matt closed the bedroom door and leant against it.
