As the full horror of yesterday burst through his consciousness, Seb covered his face with both hands.
“Yeah, she has that effect on people,” Tom said. “But she’ll grow on you, I’m sure.”
Chapter 14
Inthedustybathroom,Seb splashed cold water on his face, rinsed his mouth out with a squirt of toothpaste, then sat on the edge of the tub to focus on his breathing.
In through the nose, out through the mouth.
But it wasn’t easy leveling out his emotions with hoots of laughter, squealing, and the angry wails of a baby seeping through the walls. Abandoning his search for balance and tranquility, Seb headed toward the wall of noise coming from the kitchen, surprised—and yet not really surprised at all—to find a chicken, alive and flapping, heading straight for him.
He jumped to the left as the bird shot past with Tom in hot pursuit, and he didn’t see the discarded shoes at his feet until he tripped on them. Seb crashed into Helen, who was standing on a chair with her head in a cupboard. She yelped and wobbled.
Seb gripped her hips to steady her, his nose in-line with her naval. “Hey.”
“Hello.”
Toddler squeals and chicken clucks continued behind them.
“What’re you doing up there?” he asked.
“Looking for coffee. I thought we had some, but no.”
No coffee?Seb felt like weeping.
“Helen hasn’t been shopping for months,” her brother called out, just finished wrangling the hen out the back door. “Maybe now you’re here, you’ll inspire her to eat properly again.”
“I do eat properly,” Helen said from up high, then motioned for Seb to let go so she could get down.
Too distracted by the no-coffee catastrophe, he hadn’t realized he’d still been holding on. He stepped back, narrowly missing the little kid who’d snuck up behind him.
“How ’boutstoowawbewee?” Harry held up a hand covered in red juice.
“Gee, thanks, buddy.” Seb plucked the half-mauled strawberry from Harry’s sticky fingers, and under the scrutiny of the boy’s wide and curious eyes had no choice but to eat it. He popped it into his mouth, made some yummy noises, and when Harry toddled back happily to his mom, joined Helen by the sink.
A sink that sparkled in the bright morning light.
In fact, all the worktops sparkled, cleared of crap and rotting food. Seb scratched his stubbled cheek, recalling his insult to her home.
Had Helen accepted his apology through the door last night, or would she be one of those women who’d dine off the hurt for weeks? He’d soon find out, but right now, he had a more pressing question.
What had she told her family about him?
“We need to talk,” Seb said.
“Later.” Helen flicked a quick glance at her brother then back again, an unnerving mixture of guilt and dread washing across her face before she pushed up a smile. “So, guess what?”
Oh, man.“What?”
“Tom said you made the news this morning.”
“It was mainly about those Wags getting attacked by a kebab,” Tom chipped in. “It was nothing really.”
Seb’s jaw tightened. In his experience, making the breakfast news was rarelynothing.He excused himself and retrieved his phone off the floor by the sofa to call Brenda, who’d already left him a message.
He called her back. “Hey, I’ve just heard last night hit the news. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Sebastian.”
