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“Right, boundaries,” Sophie said.

It was all very well giving advice, she thought as she finished her sandwich. But she didn’t see her family going for it. Still, there was no harm in trying. She’d give them a talking to tonight. After all, it wasn’t like she had a date or anything.

Chapter Three

“Have you got a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend? Or both?” The girl looked at Tilly with her head tilted and a curious face.

“Ag, we don’t ask questions like that,” said a woman with blue hair, presumably the child’s mother and Max’s wife.

“Why not?” asked Ag. “I want to know, and it must be better to ask someone than it would be to talk behind their back. Right?” She directed the last question to Tilly, who was already feeling very out of her depth.

“Maybe,” Tilly said carefully.

“See, I told you,” Ag crowed to her mother. “So, which is it? I don’t mind, if that’s what you’re worried about. My mum’s married to my dad. But my auntie Ant is married to my auntie Ad, and my teacher Mrs. Brooke is married to Jules at the pub, so really, it doesn’t matter. I think that when I grow up, I won’t have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, though.” She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “I’ll have a piano.”

“I see,” said Tilly, suddenly feeling like she was very unqualified to have this conversation.

“I’m sorry,” said the blue-haired woman. “I’m Mila, Max’s wife, and this is Agatha. She’s nine and precocious.”

“Am not,” Agatha said.

Mila ignored her and smiled at Tilly. “And you must be Tilly. We’re glad to have you.” Just as she was saying this, a small boy came rocketing into the kitchen.

“Mum, mum, mum, mum!”

“What, what, what, what?”

He stopped and then looked at Tilly. “You’re very pretty.”

“Um, thank you?” hazarded Tilly.

“You’re welcome,” he beamed. He turned to his mother. “Mum, I finished my lunch and I’m ready to go.”

“And this is Dash, Dashiell technically,” said Mila.

“But I can’t spell that,” put in the boy.

“Right.” Mila pulled a face at Tilly. “They should both be in school, but we had the dentist this morning. I’m just about to take them back. Where’s Max?”

“Right here,” Max said, coming into the kitchen. “Sorry, I just caught Dave outside. Have we all met?”

“Yes,” said Dash. “She’s pretty.”

“I think that might be verging on sexual harassment,” Mila said. “These two need to be back at school.”

“I’ll take them,” said Max. “You show Tilly where to put her things.” He turned to Tilly and winked. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

A tornado-like moment later and Tilly was left alone with Mila who sighed and smiled. “They’re a lot,” Mila said. “But they’re good kids, really. And I promise you won’t have to see them all the time. Come on, let me show you where you’re staying.”

Tilly, who was starting to get slightly concerned, followed Mila through the house. This was all starting to look far too much like some kind of school exchange trip.

“Here,” Mila said, opening up a door onto a small stairway. “There’s a small apartment here. You’ve got your own little kitchen and a bathroom as well. This door locks, so you’ll haveyour privacy, and there’s a door out back to the garden, so you won’t even have to come through the house if you don’t want to.”

Tilly lightened with relief. So she wasn’t actually going to be staying with her boss’s family. “Thank you,” she said.

“Not at all,” said Mila, starting up the stairs. “I’m sorry that you can’t be a bit more independent, but there just aren’t that many flats in Whitebridge. Property prices are getting quite impossible. But at least this way you’ll have a roof over your head.”

“It’s very kind,” Tilly said, lugging her suitcase behind her.