Paddy looked a warning over at him and he giggled. ‘I’m not to use the grater,’ he explained, ‘in case I cut myself. You do it and I’ll order ye about.’
Mary-Ann glanced at the clock. ‘Is it not a bit early?’
‘Naw, go ahead,’ said Paddy. ‘We’ll be eating any minute.’
As she spoke she heard the key in the door and Pete leaped to his feet, bolting out to the hallway, and then he froze, standing framed in the doorway, staring at the front door.
‘Hiya,’ he said absently.
‘Hiya.’ The voice was deep and shy compared to Pete’s.
‘Right, wee man?’ Dub appeared, scooping Pete up and swinging him about a bit, dropping him to his feet and giving a mock stagger at the weight of him. ‘This is your cousin Callum.’
‘Hiya,’ said Pete again.
‘Hiya.’ Callum looked nervously around the hall until he spotted Paddy in the kitchen.
She blinked slowly and her smile widened. ‘All right, son?’
THE END
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to everyone who has helped me finish this book: to Edith, Marie and Monica for all their help and support, to Odie and Ferg for style tips and keeping me up to date with regurg-chic, to the Consies for the usual, and to Louise, Amy and Sam. Most of all, thanks to Selina Walker, who’s a bit of a genius and whose talent and sense of the rhythm of a story always leave me slightly stunned.
Rachel, Henry and Reagan: thank you for my house.
Ellie, Janey, Liza R., Karen D., Jules, Alison K., Becci, Chris C., Benny and Lorraine: I know where you live and you’re for it.
And Stevo: I am being nice to your ornaments.
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Copyright © Denise Mina 2007
Cover photo © Arcangel
Denise Mina has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published in Great Britain by Bantam Press in 2007
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library