ankle boots.
‘What’s wrong with this? It’s called fashion, Dad. You know, the thing you were into about two thousand years ago?’ She swished her hair back. ‘I’m so misunderstood by this family!’
‘Well, maybe you’ll be better understood by your new family,’ Chris bantered back.
He said it lightly enough but Tiffany wondered if he felt insecure about the whole Angel situation. ‘No, I’m stuck with you, and that’s fine by me.’ She smiled at her dad, wanting to reassure him.
‘Me too,’ Chris replied, smiling back, then banished her and Sean out of the kitchen so he could cook in peace.
‘You’ve got a great family,’ Sean commented as he sat down on the sofa. Lily-Rose was upstairs playing and Marie was having a rest. Just as well, Tiffany thought. Who knew what else her hormonally charged step-mum would come out with …
‘Yeah, I love them to bits.’
‘Angel’s very close to her family as well.’
‘We both said how lucky we were not to be brought up by Tanya. I can’t imagine how we’d have ended up if we had been.’ Tiffany was sitting in her favourite chair – a comfortable scuffed brown leather armchair. She had kicked off her boots and tucked her long legs under her. She noticed that Sean was sitting up straight; he looked ready to spring into action at any moment.
‘You can relax now, can’t you?’
‘Yes, I guess. Force of habit.’ He sat back on the sofa. ‘Sorry if I gave you a hard time when we first met.’ He was staring right at her with those intense dark brown eyes. She could see part of a black dragon tattoo peeking out of his tee-shirt on his right shoulder. Tiffany did love a tattoo on a man’s shoulder … well, a hot man obviously, not on some flabby fat bloke. She imagined tracing her fingers around the design, and as she stared back at him she thought that he definitely did have a body she wouldn’t mind worshipping at. Whoah! She didn’t even have the excuse of being pregnant.
She hastily sipped her wine then said, ‘You seemed to think I was some kind of no-good slapper gold-digger when we met.’
He laughed. ‘No way as bad as that! I was only doing my job, and you have to admit that a letter coming out of the blue would set alarm bells ringing.’ He was actually apologising to her, but Tiffany wasn’t sure that she wanted to let him off the hook so easily; she still remembered how judgemental he had been.
‘Maybe you shouldn’t be quite so quick to jump to conclusions about people.’
She expected him to defend himself, and was disarmed when he said, ‘I’m sorry.’ A pause. ‘Forgive me?’ And she was rewarded with another smile.
Yep, Sean Murphy was definitely a hottie …
Sean had to make some work phone calls after that to sort out security arrangements for the rest of the week, so Tiffany left him to it and wandered upstairs to see Lily-Rose. She ended up playing Angry Birds with her on her phone, but halfway through one level Lily-Rose suddenly stopped and said anxiously, ‘If you’re Angel Summer’s sister, does that mean you won’t be my sister any more?’
It hadn’t even occurred to Tiffany that Lily-Rose would think this.
‘Oh, sweetheart! Of course I’ll always be your sister. Always, forever and forever.’ She gave her sister a quick hug, then Lily-Rose cheered up and said, ‘I’m going to whoop your ass on the next level!’
‘Don’t be so sure … and don’t let Marie catch you saying that. She’ll have your …’
‘… guts for garters!’ Lily-Rose finished with relish.
Neither Tiffany nor Lily-Rose knew what that expression meant, and Tiffany was pretty sure Lily-Rose didn’t even know what garters were, but it was one of Marie’s favourite expressions. Then Chris called them all to the table and the girls abandoned their game and headed downstairs.
Sean was already in the kitchen, insisting on setting the table, while Marie sat down. She still looked slightly embarrassed by her earlier
‘What’s wrong with this? It’s called fashion, Dad. You know, the thing you were into about two thousand years ago?’ She swished her hair back. ‘I’m so misunderstood by this family!’
‘Well, maybe you’ll be better understood by your new family,’ Chris bantered back.
He said it lightly enough but Tiffany wondered if he felt insecure about the whole Angel situation. ‘No, I’m stuck with you, and that’s fine by me.’ She smiled at her dad, wanting to reassure him.
‘Me too,’ Chris replied, smiling back, then banished her and Sean out of the kitchen so he could cook in peace.
‘You’ve got a great family,’ Sean commented as he sat down on the sofa. Lily-Rose was upstairs playing and Marie was having a rest. Just as well, Tiffany thought. Who knew what else her hormonally charged step-mum would come out with …
‘Yeah, I love them to bits.’
‘Angel’s very close to her family as well.’
‘We both said how lucky we were not to be brought up by Tanya. I can’t imagine how we’d have ended up if we had been.’ Tiffany was sitting in her favourite chair – a comfortable scuffed brown leather armchair. She had kicked off her boots and tucked her long legs under her. She noticed that Sean was sitting up straight; he looked ready to spring into action at any moment.
‘You can relax now, can’t you?’
‘Yes, I guess. Force of habit.’ He sat back on the sofa. ‘Sorry if I gave you a hard time when we first met.’ He was staring right at her with those intense dark brown eyes. She could see part of a black dragon tattoo peeking out of his tee-shirt on his right shoulder. Tiffany did love a tattoo on a man’s shoulder … well, a hot man obviously, not on some flabby fat bloke. She imagined tracing her fingers around the design, and as she stared back at him she thought that he definitely did have a body she wouldn’t mind worshipping at. Whoah! She didn’t even have the excuse of being pregnant.
She hastily sipped her wine then said, ‘You seemed to think I was some kind of no-good slapper gold-digger when we met.’
He laughed. ‘No way as bad as that! I was only doing my job, and you have to admit that a letter coming out of the blue would set alarm bells ringing.’ He was actually apologising to her, but Tiffany wasn’t sure that she wanted to let him off the hook so easily; she still remembered how judgemental he had been.
‘Maybe you shouldn’t be quite so quick to jump to conclusions about people.’
She expected him to defend himself, and was disarmed when he said, ‘I’m sorry.’ A pause. ‘Forgive me?’ And she was rewarded with another smile.
Yep, Sean Murphy was definitely a hottie …
Sean had to make some work phone calls after that to sort out security arrangements for the rest of the week, so Tiffany left him to it and wandered upstairs to see Lily-Rose. She ended up playing Angry Birds with her on her phone, but halfway through one level Lily-Rose suddenly stopped and said anxiously, ‘If you’re Angel Summer’s sister, does that mean you won’t be my sister any more?’
It hadn’t even occurred to Tiffany that Lily-Rose would think this.
‘Oh, sweetheart! Of course I’ll always be your sister. Always, forever and forever.’ She gave her sister a quick hug, then Lily-Rose cheered up and said, ‘I’m going to whoop your ass on the next level!’
‘Don’t be so sure … and don’t let Marie catch you saying that. She’ll have your …’
‘… guts for garters!’ Lily-Rose finished with relish.
Neither Tiffany nor Lily-Rose knew what that expression meant, and Tiffany was pretty sure Lily-Rose didn’t even know what garters were, but it was one of Marie’s favourite expressions. Then Chris called them all to the table and the girls abandoned their game and headed downstairs.
Sean was already in the kitchen, insisting on setting the table, while Marie sat down. She still looked slightly embarrassed by her earlier
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