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‘Changing your mind’ was a polite way of referring to my habit of lying. Because she knew exactly who I was and what I did, and loved me regardless. “I’ve already lied to him too many times.”

She regarded me without speaking for so long it became uncomfortable. Eventually, she nodded. “I want you to have someone when I’m gone.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“I’m not immortal, and I’ll talk any damn way I please. I hadn’t finished, and I’ll thank you not to interrupt.” I mimed zipping my lips closed. “I want you to have someone who’ll be by your side, no matter what, who’ll put you first, who’ll make you smile, who’ll worship your body.”

I closed my eyes against the wave of embarrassment and prayed she’d finished. She hadn’t. “A good sex life is important. Are you compatible?”

“Yes.” I pushed the word out between gritted teeth, opening my eyes to find her looking satisfied.

She pointed to the other side of the room. “There’s a box at the back of the wardrobe. Be a love and bring it over here, would you?”

I did what she asked, locating the box, which was larger and heavier than I’d expected, behind clothes, and heaving it back across the room.

“On the bed,” Caroline directed.

I put it where I’d previously sat, Caroline wasting no time in peeling the flaps back. “I want you to have these, and I figure I better give them to you now before you do something stupid and get yourself killed.”

“I’m not going to get myself killed.” I didn’t like the uncertainty I heard in my voice.

Caroline pulled a book out of the box and passed it across. Frowning, I opened it to find Caroline Cohen, age 12, written in neat handwriting. “This is your diary?”

She nodded. “You might want to skip the first half of that year. It’s mostly about boys and wanting straight hair, and whether boys prefer curly or straight hair. Start when it rains red.” She pulled a few more books from the box, lining them up on the bed. They all had months and years scrolled inside the cover. “There were periods of time when I didn’t write much, but it’s all in there. Finding this place, meeting your granddad, your father being born, you being born. Some you’ll find boring. Some you might find interesting.”

Caroline smirked as I picked a book at random. “I wouldn’t start with that year if I were you.” I ignored her and started to read.

Peter is a generous and skillful lover. When he does that thing with his tongue, I just melt.

I slammed it closed, Caroline laughing. “I did warn you. That was the year your grandfather and I met. It’s like I said, sexual compatibility is important.”

Despite the embarrassment factor, the gift touched me. “Thank you. This is…”

She held out her arms, and I moved in for the hug. “They’re yours. They were always going to be yours. As is this place. All you have to do is make sure you come home to claim it.”

I got it then. “You wily old woman. You think my curiosity about what’s in these diaries is so strong that it’ll give me an extra kick up the arse to survive whatever Keaton has in store for me?”

She ignored the question. “Speaking of Keaton, hadn’t you better see what he’s up to?” She gathered the books and placed them back in the box. “You can collect these later.”

After a wash and a shave, and a whole new wardrobe that fitted him surprisingly well given the breadth of his shoulders, Keaton looked like a new man. So new I kept having to tear my gaze away from him when my gaze inevitably wandered back his way.

Conversation at dinner started off politely, Laura having done herself proud with the cooking and serving up roasted lamb, potatoes and vegetables.

I had to hide a smirk as Keaton virtually inhaled his and stared longingly at his empty plate. When Laura gave him seconds of everything without prompting, I thought he might propose to her. It was certainly a long way from the jerky we’d consumed before Oz’s demise had provided us with more options.

We were on a dessert of apple pie with cream, Keaton’s expression similar to the one I’d seen on his face when he orgasmed, before my grandma got down to business.

“So,” she said, her hands resting on the table with her fingers laced together. “I hear you’re dragging my grandson all the way to Dover.”

Keaton glanced my way as he wiped cream from the corner of his lips. It made me think of something else I’d much rather see on his lips. Something that had my cock twitching, and made me glad my crotch was safely hidden beneath the table. “Not dragging, exactly. August offered. And I’ll obviously get there much faster on the back of his bike than I will walking.”

“You will if you don’t run out of petrol,” Caroline pointed out. She turned her attention to me. “You may have covered a lot of miles north, but you’ve never traveled over fifty miles south of here. You don’t have places lined up. No safe houses. Nowhere you’re guaranteed to get petrol.” Her head whipped back around to Keaton. “Were you aware of that? Did he make that clear to you?”

“He did not,” Keaton admitted.

I sat back in my chair. “It’ll be fine. There’re plenty of places where I’ve played it by ear.” I shared a private look with Keaton. “Like the fire station.”

“Not south,” my grandma provided waspishly. “While we’ve already established I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, you at least need to take the threat seriously. I’ve been there; you haven’t.”