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flat?’
    â€˜Take it, say thank you very much and rent it out. Save the money you get for that as well.’
    â€˜Good idea!’ She reached forward to clink glasses with him, realized hers was empty and when he would have filled it, she shook her head. ‘Not till we’ve had something to eat.’
    â€˜We’ll send out for a pizza.’
    â€˜Great. I’ve not had pizza for years. Father didn’t like them, said they were vulgar and smelled horrible.’
    â€˜What do you want on it?’
    â€˜Everything.’
    The pizza delivery guy arrived promptly. He obviously knew Lou, who gave him a generous tip and teased him about his girlfriend.
    Miranda carried the box back to the sitting area and found two plates. ‘Father never gave tips. He said it was un-Australian.’ The word came out mangled, but Lou just laughed at her.
    â€˜I like to tip people. I can’t take my money with me when I go, after all, can I?’
    â€˜As long as you’ve got enough left to see you out comfortably.’
    â€˜I have. I’m quite good with money.’
    By the time they’d finished eating they were laughing again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much.
    Miranda woke with a thumping headache. It took her a few minutes to work out that she was in Lou’s spare bedroom. Good heavens! She’d got so drunk she couldn’t even remember going to bed.
    Well, so what? It was worth a hangover because she’d enjoyed every mouthful of wine and pizza, every moment of shared laughter.
    She heard the sound of movement and got up, putting on the man’s dressing gown she found draped over a chair.
    Lou was in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil. He turned round and smiled. ‘You look a bit pale.’
    â€˜My head’s thumping. I’m not used to drinking so much.’
    â€˜I hope you’re not regretting it.’
    â€˜Certainly not. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed an evening so much.’
    â€˜Bacon and eggs for breakfast? They’re good for hangovers.’
    â€˜Shall I cook them?’ She’d noticed how stiffly he was moving this morning and wasn’t surprised when he nodded. ‘Do you want one egg or two?’
    â€˜Two please, sunny side up. Are you having some?’
    She shuddered.
    As she cleared away his plate afterwards, he asked in a more serious tone than usual, ‘Did you mean it?’
    She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. ‘About coming to live with you? Yes, I did. Unless you’ve changed your mind.’
    â€˜Oh, no.’ He closed his eyes for a moment, relief on his face.
    When he opened his eyes again, he said, ‘Then we need to plan things carefully, Miranda my pet. We both have to escape from marauding relatives.’
    She’d thought she was good at planning till she sat down with Lou and watched him make lists, thinking of details that wouldn’t even have occurred to her at this stage.
    After they’d finished, he said, ‘These first lists will get us started. Now, there’s a photocopier in my office. Would you mind making your own copies? I will confess that I’m a bit tired this morning and the pain medication hasn’t kicked in fully yet.’
    When she came back he was dozing, so she sat down and waited for him to wake up. It had occurred to her while she was using his photocopier that she didn’t need to hurry home. There were only Sebastian and Regina to worry about her and she doubted they would even notice.
    Lou jerked awake a quarter of an hour later, stared at her, then smiled slowly. ‘I’m glad you’re still here.’
    â€˜Are you all right?’ she asked.
    â€˜Yes. I always did take power naps and wake up refreshed. You look so much happier this morning.’
    â€˜I am. Will you be all right if I leave now? I want to go home and change into some clean clothes, something less