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‘It will take me five minutes.’

‘You do a lot of DIY, do you?’

‘Fine,’ Jack said, ‘be a martyr.’

‘I’m not being a martyr. I’m just trying to set up his room.’

He didn’t get her problem. Jack was having a great evening and just didn’t know why it angered her so much, but he gave in then. ‘Look, sorry I invaded your time with Blake. I honestly had no idea that he’d be here tonight. My mistake. I can go if you want …’

‘You’re not invading my time with Blake, Jack. I don’t think you understand how messed up their lives have been, with people tripping in and out, each one promising that this time things will be different. I don’t want that for them here. I don’t want my personal life invaded.’

‘So you’re not going to have friends over or date or …?’ He shook his head, went to say something, but Blake called out from the lounge that the game was back on. When Jack headed out, Nina sat back on her heels because, no, she didn’t want to make up the bed and, no, she didn’t want to be a martyr to her brother and sister, but the last thing she wanted was to hurt them, and losing Jack would hurt.

Perhaps he truly didn’t see it.

Didn’t fully realise the effect he had on her, the effect he was having on Blake—that if he appeared too long in their lives, it would hurt when he left.

But right now the best she could do was enjoy tonight, so she headed out, sat on the couch next to him and tried to simply live in the here and now, which was actually a very nice place to be, because even when Blake’s team lost, he told her he’d still had the best night.

‘I’d better go,’ Jack said, after he’d finished setting up Blake’s room.

‘No!’ said Blake.

Yes, thought Nina as she walked Jack to the door, but of course Blake didn’t want him to leave.

‘It’s time for you to get ready for bed,’ Nina called, but unfortunately she was looking at Jack as she said it.

‘It’s a bit early for me, but if you insist.’

‘Ha-ha.’ She stood in her hallway. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Blake had a great night.’

‘So did I,’ Jack said. ‘Don’t I get a kiss?’

‘I smell of garlic.’

She could hear the phone ringing, wondered who it was this late at night, and the panic that was ever present flared just a touch as Jack carried on, oblivious.

‘I love garlic,’ he said as he moved in for a kiss.

‘Nina …’ Blake called. ‘They want to speak to you.’

She knew in that moment who it was and walked into the lounge with her heart thumping.

‘Nina Wilson.’ She closed her eyes, because Jack had followed her back into the lounge and now Jack had a ringside seat to her life. ‘No, she hasn’t been here.’ He watched her open her eyes. ‘No, I had no idea. Of course I’ll ring …’ She took a deep breath. ‘If Janey calls, I’ll let you know.’

And a lovely, albeit reluctantly lovely, Friday night disappeared in a puff. If she had thought her cheap, herby dinner might put him off and had been wrong, then this surely would.

‘Janey’s run away.’

‘Does she run away a lot?’

Nina shook her head. ‘She’s been skipping school and there’s been just that one time I told you about a few weeks ago when she came to my place …’ Nina headed to the window, looked out at the freezing night. She could feel panic squeezing her chest at the thought of Janey out there.

‘She’s probably gone to a friend’s,’ Jack reasoned. ‘Can you think of anywhere that she might go …?’ And then his voice trailed off as the door was pushed open and one very angry young lady walked in.

Jack watched as Nina ran over to her, but Janey pushed her off, anger marring her pretty features as she took in the scene—the scent of dinner still in the air, the popcorn on the coffee table, all evidence of all she had missed out on—then she scowled in Jack’s direction. ‘Sorry to break up your night. Looks like you’ve been having fun.’

‘Janey …’ Nina’s voice was strained. ‘This is Jack, he’s a friend from work. We were …’ She shouldn’t have to explain herself to Janey, so she didn’t. ‘Where have you been? Barbara’s frantic.’

‘I’m not going back.’

‘What happened?’

‘Barbara wanted me in bed at nine. It’s Friday night, for God’s sake.’

‘Why …?’ Nina was trying to stay calm, trying to be reasonable. ‘Why did she want you to go to bed at nine?’

Janey shrugged and then sighed out her answer. ‘I told you, she’s annoyed at me for what happened at netball. I’ve got to clean the basement.’

‘That’s not all, though,’ Nina broke in. ‘I’ve just been told that she grounded you for skipping school today.’

‘Yeah, well, I’m not five—I’m not going to bed at nine. I couldn’t even watch the game. Vince came in and told me to turn the television off.’

‘Because when you’re grounded you’re not supposed to be lying in bed, eating popcorn and watching ice hockey.’ Nina was struggling not to shout. ‘Janey, what do you think it’s going to be like when you live with me? There have to be rules …’

‘Yeah, well, you just carry on enjoying yourselves,’ Janey shouted. ‘I’m out of here.’

Jack said nothing, just watched, because trouble hadn’t just arrived, Janey was in trouble, a whole lot of it, and he’d dealt with enough to know.

‘Why don’t you ring them?’ Janey challenged. ‘And tell them I’m here? Then you can get back to your nice night.’

‘You know I have to ring them,’ Nina said. ‘If I don’t they’ll soon be here to check after last time. Janey, if I am to have any hope—’

‘We’ll go to my place.’ It was the first words he had spoken since Janey had arrived.

‘Jack …’ Nina was furious. ‘You’re just making things worse.’

‘Come on.’ He ignored her. ‘Pack some things.’

‘Jack, can I have a word please?’

She had more than a word, she had several heated ones, but Jack stood firm.

‘Janey needs to talk to you—she needs some time with you.’

‘She doesn’t want time with me—every time that I speak to her all she does is walk off,’ Nina said.

‘Because you get too upset.’