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and warm every evening might actually be rather pleasant, even if it did require them to start making their own beds and remembering to put the rubbish out and eating with cutlery and having fruit and stuff. Yes, there were more soft furnishings and bits and bobs about, but that was just the price you paid, Austin reckoned, for all the lovely stuff too; for something that felt not a million miles away from happiness.

    Darny took off hiswinter jacket and rucksack, scattering school books, hats, scarves, Moshi Monster cards and random small pieces of plastic everywhere.
    ‘Hello Darny,’ said Issy. He padded through into the kitchen.
    ‘What are you doing?’ he said. ‘I’m starving.’
    ‘You’re always starving,’ said Issy. ‘You can’t eat this, though.’
    He gazed into the huge pans. ‘What are you doing?’
    ‘Oh, this is the easy bit. Just marinating the fruit.’
    Darny took a sniff of the bottle she was applying liberally to the mix. ‘Phew. What’s that?’
    ‘It’s brandy.’
    ‘Can I—’
    ‘Nope,’ said Issy without hesitating.
    ‘Come on, just a taste. In France they let the kids drink wine with their meals.’
    ‘And they eat horses and have mistresses. When we decide to be French, Darny, I’ll be sure to let you know.’
    Darny scowled. ‘What is there to eat, then?’
    ‘Have a couple of bananas, and I made you some fruit toast,’ said Issy. ‘And there’s a lasagne in the oven.’
    ‘Fruit toast? I can’t believe you run a cake shop and all I get is fruit toast.’
    ‘Well, learn to bake your own cakes then.’
    ‘Yeah, not likely,’ said Darny. ‘That’s for girls.’
    ‘Scared?’ said Issy.
    ‘No!’
    ‘My grandfather bakedhundreds of cream horns a day till he was seventy years old.’
    Darny snorted.
    ‘What’s funny?’
    ‘Cream horns. It’s rude.’
    Issy thought about it for a while. ‘It is a bit rude,’ she allowed eventually. ‘Men make wonderful bakers, though. Or they can do.’
    Darny had already scarfed the fruit toast and was peeling a banana. He glanced at the phone.
    ‘I’m expecting him,’ said Issy. ‘Any minute.’
    ‘I don’t care,’ said Darny instantly. ‘He’s probably in stupid meetings anyway.’
    He looked out of the back French windows that led on to the dark patio. He could see their reflections in the glass. The house looked cosy and warm. He wouldn’t admit it, but he did like having Issy there. It was nice. Not that she was … she wasn’t his mum or anything like that. That would totally NEVER happen. But compared with the drippy women Austin had brought home over the years, she was probably all right he supposed. And now she was here, well, it was almost like they had a nice house like his friends did, and everything was kind of all right when it really hadn’t been all right for a really long time. So why was his stupid brother in stupid America?
    ‘You know the schools in America, right?’ he asked, faux-casually, trying to steal some raisins from the mixing bowl. Issy smacked his hand lightly with the wooden spoon.
    ‘Yes,’ she said.Issy had, in fact, never been to America, which made it a bit difficult to calm Darny’s fears.
    ‘Do they have … do they have a LOT of guns at school and things?’ he asked, finally.
    ‘No,’ said Issy, wishing she could be more sure. ‘I’m sure they don’t. Absolutely not.’
    Darny’s mouth curled in contempt. ‘And do they sing all the time?’
    ‘I don’t know,’ said Issy. ‘I just don’t know.’
    The phone rang.

    ‘Sorry,’ said Austin. ‘The meeting ran on. They wanted me to meet a few more people and pop into their board meeting …’
    ‘Wow,’ said Issy. ‘They’re obviously impressed by you.’
    ‘I don’t know about that,’ said Austin. ‘I think they just like hearing me talk.’
    ‘Don’t be modest,’ said Issy, cheerful, but with a slight wobble in her voice. ‘Of course they love you. Why wouldn’t they love you? You’re