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“When was the last time you took a holiday, Beatriz?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Your dreamy look says you recall it vividly.”

“Anna talked me into a girls’ weekend with her sister not long after I met her. Kate has a hideaway a few hours outside Sydney.”

“Why wasn’t I told that?”

“Because it’s her bolthole. Probably her and Liam and Lily’s bolthole these days. When we visited, Kate was living full-time in the cottage.”

“I’ve only met Kate a few times, but she strikes me as a city girl.”

“She was hiding from some weird boyfriend who was hassling her.”

“Anna has more reasons than I thought to hate entitled men. Did Anna find her the bolthole?”

“Anna said she bought her apartment and Kate bought the cottage with a legacy from their maternal grandmother.”

“I loved my maternal grandmother. Still miss her.”

“You said the granny flat was built for her. What was the name you called her?”

“Jaddatee. I think I told you Grandpa died. Mum refused to leave Jaddatee behind. They delayed until Mum could convince Jaddatee to come.”

“What’s her actual name?”

“Wahida,” he crooned. Just saying her name made Casildo smile. “Do you know your grandparents?”

“For a long time it was letters and phone calls, then video calls. They live with family on the maternal and paternal sides. It’s the grandkids who handle the tech hook-ups these days. Mamá really missed her mum, especially when my sisters were little.”

“You picked up the slack. So, Beatriz Gomez, are you coming with me?”

“Try and stop me. I’m finding rebellion easier the more I practise.”

CHAPTER EIGHT