While indignantly huffing her way through helping me straighten my dining room, Ashley suddenly sprang bolt upright, her jaw hanging open.
‘What?’ I glanced outside, in case she’d mistaken the postwoman for a bestselling author.
‘I’ve had the most brilliant idea.’
‘What could that possibly be to do with?’ I stuck my hands on my hips.
‘I’m not going to tell you what it is because you’ll only try and talk me out of it. But it’s perfect!’
On consideration, I decided I didn’t want to know AT ALL.
‘Okay, I won’t interfere if you promise it isn’t illegal or stalkerish and doesn’t involve me or my house.’
‘It’s definitely not illegal and you and your lovely house don’t feature in the plan one bit. I promise.’
‘And?’
‘Oh, phooey,’ she puffed. ‘It’s not stalkerish if you only do it once.’
38
I was flopping about on Saturday morning, half-heartedly looking at paint colours on my phone, when it pinged with an email. Still a rare enough occurrence to warrant my immediate attention – I took a look.
I recognised the Hickleton Press logo straight away, thanks to the Hillary hunt. My first thought was one of panic, wondering what on earth Ashley had dragged me into this time, and whether the second person in under a year had taken out a restraining order against me.
But this was nothing to do with Hillary. I skimmed down, had to go back to the top three times to check I was reading it right.
Hickleton Press loved Squash Harris.
As in, enough to want to include it in their top children’s magazine. Enough to make an offer that made my ears pop. Not that the money mattered, but the faith in Squash Harris it implied did. A lot.
Iknewthat comic was bleepin’ brilliant.
I called Ellen.
‘’Ello?’
‘Hamish, is that you?’
‘Nope.’
‘Hamish, it’s Jenny. Can I speak to Mummy? Is she there?’
‘Not Hamish.’
‘Okay… well, whoever it is, please give the phone to Mummy.’
‘You have to guess.’ I could hear him wriggling with glee.
‘Is it… Superman? Batman? Admiral Nelson?’
‘No-o-o-o-o!’ Hamish squealed.
‘Well, then, you have to give me a clue.’
‘I once ate a whole camel ’cos I was hungry and then floated down a river and was looking for treasure and there was a big hole in the ground like a giant long slide that went down, down, down to an underground cave with a dragon what breathed ice instead of fire inside and… Oh, Mummy’s shouting I have to get my shoes on. Bye, Jenny.’
The phone beeped off.
