Kate turned to her with a smile. ‘And what was that for?’
‘For being the loveliest mother who ever lived,’ said Lucy going back to her seat.
Dan rolled his eyes.
‘What?’ she said, glaring at him.
‘You!’ he said. ‘I didn’t have you pegged for being so soppy.’
‘I’m not soppy. No one can ever accuse me of being soppy. I’m merely being truthful.’
Kate leaned in to him, and tapped him lightly on the knee. ‘Daniel, you know you think that, too,’ she said with a crooked smile.
He sighed and shook his head, because of course their mother was correct.
Lucy looked around and did a double-take when her eyes landed on Augi. She looked so sad. Lucy had almost forgotten she was there. She was so quiet. And, of course, like Oliver, she had no family in New Zealand.
‘You must think we’re a bit over the top,’ said Lucy, leaning in to talk quietly to Augi, so only she could hear.
Augi’s mouth curved into a small smile. ‘Not at all. I was thinking how…lucky you are. To have each other.’
‘We’re not always this well-behaved,’ Lucy said. ‘We’re improving with age.’
Augi’s smile faded. ‘Sometimes families don’t improve,’ she said softly. ‘Sometimes they drift. And they don’t come back.’
Something in her face — wary, raw — made Lucy’s breath catch.
‘Is that what happened with yours?’ she asked, before she could stop herself.
Pain flashed across Augi’s eyes, so quick and sharp Lucy almost flinched.
‘I’m sorry,’ Lucy said immediately. ‘That was prying. I didn’t mean?—’
Dan’s voice cut in, gentler than Lucy expected. ‘Augustini. I apologise for my sister. She talks first and thinks second.’
Augi looked up at him, startled. The pain eased — didn’t vanish, but retreated — as if Dan had shifted the air in the space between them.
‘You used my full name,’ she said, and there was something vulnerable in the words.
Dan rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Do you mind? I can call you Augi — ’
‘No,’ she said quickly. Then, softer, ‘I like hearing it. I haven’t heard it spoken like that in a long time.’
‘It’s too beautiful not to be used,’ Dan said, and then seemed horrified that the sentence had come out of his mouth.
Augi’s smile flickered again, real this time. ‘It sounds even better when you pronounce it the Greek way, like you did.’
Lucy stared at her brother. ‘Do you know Greek?’
‘God, no. It’s too hard. I tried it once after a holiday there, but gave up pretty quickly.’
‘Then how did you know how to pronounce Augi’s name?’
Dan looked mutinous. ‘YouTube,’ he muttered.
Lucy bit down on a grin. It was clear from Dan’s expression that he’d hoped Augi hadn’t heard their exchange. But Augi was leaning forward and her surprised expression plainly told Lucy she’d heard every word. She wasn’t the only one who was surprised. If Dan spent his evenings practising saying Augi’s name, his interest wasn’t superficial.
Dan cleared his throat, retreating to safer ground. ‘Anyway. Augustini was just telling me she has news. About the house.’
