Chapter 34

“What the hell!” Jude yelped as she tore back into the kitchen.

“She’s—”

“Mummy, Anton’s friend’s on fire in the hall!”

“—kinda weird.”

“No shi—er, hell?”

“Just ignore her,” Anton advised, hanging up their coats. A nervous swoop made itself known when Jude grinned and kissed his ear, but he laughed it off and pushed Jude in the direction of the kitchen. “Go get us drinks or something.”

“It’s your house,” Jude said, but wandered off obediently. Anton took a moment to simply breathe before following him.

Lily had firmly decided—despite having seen Jude before and not having really clocked his hair—that Jude was on fire, and Anton had to wrestle a cup of water away from her before it ended up on Jude’s head.

“Nooo, give it back!” she wailed, stretching up to grab his belt as he put the cup in the sink and rummaged in the fridge for Cokes.