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“Evie, let go of Alex for a second,” Bear said. “Do you remember how to introduce yourself properly?”

The little girl released Alex from her surprisingly strong grip and stood up as tall as she could—which meant that she reached Alex’s hip.

“Hello,” the girl said in her most proper voice. “My name is Evelyn Louise Ronnigan. I’m five years old and I live here with my family. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Alex tried not to laugh when the child who had been wrapped around her a moment ago held out a hand to shake. Instead, Alex knelt down so they were at eye level and she formally took Evelyn’s hand in her own.

“Hello, Evelyn,” Alex said seriously, shaking the offered hand gently. “I’m Alexandra. But you can call me Alex.”

Evelyn beamed and bounced excitedly on her feet, causing her brown ringlets to swing wildly around her head. “You have to call me Evie! Evelyn is only for when I’m in trouble.”

“Evie it is,” Alex agreed, and the little girl smiled even wider. She then grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled her into the house, leaving the boys to follow along behind them.

“MUMMY!” Evie called out. “THEY’RE HERE!”

A middle-aged woman with light brown hair and piercing blue eyes walked into the hallway, wiping her hands on her apron. “Evelyn, remember what we said about not yelling in the house?”

Evie hung her head. “Sorry, Mummy.”

“I’ll let it go this time,” Mrs. Ronnigan said, “but next time you’ll be given a time-out.”

The little girl nodded eagerly, happy to get off with a warning. Then the older woman turned to the three newcomers.

“Sweetheart,” she said, holding her arms out for Bear.

Jordan was closer and he jokingly stepped into her embrace. “Hey, Dotti!” he said, hugging her fiercely while Bear tried unsuccessfully to swat him away. “I’ve missed you!”

“I’m sure you have, Jordan,” Bear’s mother remarked dryly, but she was smiling at him. “Or, rather, you’ve missed my cooking.”

“You’re a package deal,” he said cheekily, before Bear finally elbowed him out of the way.

“Hi, Mum,” Bear said, wrapping his arms around his mother. She was tall, but he still dwarfed her in his embrace. “It’s good to see you.”

“We’ve missed you,” she said softly.

Alex felt like she was intruding on what should have been a private moment, but no one seemed to mind her presence. Evie was happily swinging their joined hands as if they’d known each other for years.

Looking at the close-knit family, Alex’s heart gave a melancholic pang as she wondered about her parents and what they were doing for their Christmas holiday. Even though her life at the academy kept her busy enough not to feel too homesick, she still missed them. But she knew that even if she was back in Freya, they would still be half a world away from her. At least this way she was with her friends. She only hoped that wherever her parents were, they were enjoying themselves.

When Mrs. Ronnigan finally let her son go, she turned to Alex with a warm smile and said, “Bear has told us so much about you, Alex. We’re so pleased you could come and stay with us.”

She shocked Alex by hugging her tightly, as if she too was a part of the family.

“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Ronnigan,” Alex said. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ve opened your home to a complete stranger.”

“Nonsense,” the other woman said, waving away her gratitude. “The more the merrier, as we Ronnigans like to say. And feel free to call me Dorothy. ButnotDotti.” She said the last while directing a frown towards Jordan, to which he just smiled innocently in response.

“Bear, why don’t you take your friends upstairs and get them settled,” Dorothy suggested. “Knowing you boys, you’re probably hungry, so come back down when you’re done and Gammy and I will have something ready for you.”

“Apple pie?” Jordan asked hopefully.

“We’ll see,” Dorothy said, and she took Evie’s hand and walked back through the door she’d entered from.

“Let’s go,” Jordan said, eager to speed things along.

As they walked up the hallway towards the staircase, Bear played the courteous host. “There are three levels to our house,” he said. “Here on the bottom floor we have the kitchen, dining room, lounge room, and Dad’s office. He tries not to bring work home with him but sometimes that can’t be helped.”

Alex had absolutely no idea what Bear’s dad did for work, but before she could ask, he continued with the tour.