‘Is Eve coming back?’ asked Myles pointedly.
Both of them looked at him expectantly.
‘She’s calling Eve now,’ he said wishing he could fix their sad faces.
‘Will you have to sell Christmas?’ asked Flora, looking at the cat who was attached to a pink satin leash.
‘No, sweetheart, never.’ But he looked around the house.
If he had to buy back his catalogue, he could sell the house.
He dialled another number.
‘Tom? I want you to be prepared for what I’m about to tell you.’
Tom Keltner had been his agent since he started and Edward’s loyalty to him was legendary. Tom’s agency had grown with Edward’s success but they were, above all, good friends.
‘Okay,’ Tom said.
Edward explained the situation, as he watched Flora lie on the sofa, and put her head on Myles’s lap. He patted her head while he texted on his own phone.
Probably talking to the twins, Edward thought, but wouldn’t ask if he had heard anything about Eve. He didn’t want Myles being the go-between in the relationship. That wasn’t fair.
Tom listened and took down some notes.
‘Let me do some maths,’ he said. ‘I know anyone would be thrilled to have you and the detective novel sounds great. Send me over a copy. I know Kristin Scott Thomas’s agent is looking for something more gritty afterSlow Horses. She was great in that.’
Edward finished the call and looked at the children.
‘Well this won’t buy the baby a new dress,’ he said. ‘Let’s go and do something.’
‘What baby?’ asked Flora looking around the room suspiciously.
‘It’s a saying,’ said Edward with a smile. ‘Meaning we need to get on with the day instead of wasting time.’
‘Get on with what?’ asked Myles. His voice was tight and he looked as angry as he had ever seen him.
‘Whatever we want,’ Edward said, trying to keep his tone light.
‘Why? We never did anything before Eve came, and now she’s gone we’ll go back to it again. Stop pretending we’re a family. I’m not your kid and you’re not my dad and she’s not my sister.’ Flora sat up and looked at him.
‘You’re my brother to me,’ she said.
‘I don’t want to stay here anymore.’ Myles stood up.
Edward sighed. ‘I understand that you’re upset and so am I, and Serena and I’m working on trying to find Eve to explain but you don’t have anywhere else to go right now but here. So sit down and stop making things harder than they are.’
Myles held out his phone. ‘Actually I do have somewhere to go. I’m going to Eve’s parents’ house. They said I can stay as long as I like and I can go to school with Gabe and Nick.’
‘What? When did you talk to them about this?’
‘I spoke to Eve about it when she was in the tower with me, when Mom came to the house. She said she thought it would be good and I could live at the Pilkinses’ house.’
‘No, she said you had to ask Daddy,’ Flora corrected.
‘Shut up,’ Myles snapped.
‘Don’t speak to her like that,’ Edward warned.
