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in the kitchen and within seconds the room was filled with raucous laughter.
    ‘So you’ve finally turned up,’ said Adam. ‘Some of us have been helping out with the preparations for quite some time, I’ll have you know.’
    ‘Don’t listen to him, Luke,’ said Mum, batting Adam across the back of his head with her hand. ‘He’s been here half an hour if that and not lifted a finger!’
    ‘Did you see that act of child cruelty, Cass!’ said Adam rubbing the back of his head. ‘A mother beating her poor son just for pointing out the truth?’
    ‘I’m sure she had her reasons,’ said Cassie. ‘Anyway you, where’s my hug?’
    Adam gave her a big squeeze. He had always liked Cassie. His favourite way to describe her to people who had never met her was: ‘She’s like a real proper girlie but without all the nonsense that goes with it’, and people knew exactly what he meant. As far as Adam was concerned Cassie was one of the best things that had ever happened to his brother and despite his mum’s best efforts to treat her like a guest he considered Cassie to be a fully paid-up member of the Bachelors in all but name.
    As Luke chatted to their mum Adam caught up with Cassie’s news about work and life and found himself mulling over his friend’s comments from the night before about ‘the right kind of girl’. Cassie was definitely the right kind of girl, the kind you’d want to spend your life with if you were that way inclined and yet Adam couldn’t really see himself with someone like Cassie. Perhaps finding the right kind of girl was going to be a lot harder than he’d initially thought.
    Adam was about to ask his mum what time she was expecting Russell when he felt the weight of a large body leaping on to his back. He spun round to find Russell attempting to get him in a headlock. Within seconds the whole kitchen was in uproar with three grown men play-fighting like the big kids they were, as had been a part of their routine ever since they were small. Their mother was bellowing at the top of her voice, ‘Enough is enough!’ while their dad stood in the doorway chuckling at the look of dismay on Cassie’s face.
    Wrestling over and mowing complete, the Bachelor men took their places at the table while Mum and Cassie (having refused all offers of assistance) started bringing in the food: plates of roast beef, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice and peas, carrots, cauliflower and home-made gravy. Adam smiled. It was June; possibly one of the hottest days of the year. But as far as his mum was concerned Sundays just weren’t Sundays without a roast.
    With all the food on the table Cassie took her seat next to Luke and Mum began serving up. Luke stood up and cleared his throat.
    ‘Mum,’ he said quietly, ‘can you just put down the potatoes for a second.’
    ‘Why? What are you after?’
    ‘Nothing.’
    ‘Then why are you asking me to put the potatoes down?’
    ‘Because I’ve got some news.’
    ‘What news?’
    ‘Sit down and I’ll tell you.’
    His mum did exactly as she was asked and, pausing only to throw a smile in Cassie’s direction, Luke started talking: ‘Cassie and I, we’re—’
    Luke didn’t get to finish his sentence. Mum had already sprung to her feet and was throwing her arms round a bewildered Cassie and within a matter of moments the whole family was up on their feet congratulating Luke and Cassie on the best bit of Bachelor family news of the year.

‘Hope, love, family. Those are the important things.’
    ‘Anyone fancy another brew?’ asked Luke.
    It was late in the afternoon and Luke was still on a high. Normally he and Cassie would have long since left his parents’ and gone home but this particular afternoon was different. Although Russell had gone (something to do with a crisis he was having at work), Adam (who was usually out of the door around the time the washing-up began) had stayed and Luke had had no choice but to endure his