Another shrug. “We were just messing around.”

“You could have put someone in serious danger, or worse. You could have been charged with a crime—” Thankfully, the school, as well as the harried teacher who had put out the fire, had chosen not to press any charges.

Zac blew out another breath, this time one of annoyance. “It was a joke.”

“Some joke.” Laurel shook her head, knowing she was hitting all the wrong notes with her nephew, as she seemed to have done since she’d come to London. She’d been intending to try so hard, and at first she had, but this was one situation where a smile and a determined attitude just wasn’t going to work. But what was?

Briefly Laurel closed her eyes. I can’t do this. She’d been trying not to say that since the beginning, but the drumbeat of defeat inside her head was becoming louder and louder. I can’t do this. I really can’t do this.

And yet she had to, because what other choice was there? She only had two and a half weeks to go. Even if she felt like a failure for not bonding with her nephew, she’d still manage to keep him fed, clothed, and alive. Hopefully. Maybe that was all she could expect from this situation...even if it made her feel like a failure, and worse, it made her feel sad. She wanted more for Zac. She wanted more for her relationship with him.

Although, Laurel reflected rather grimly, she could hardly swan off the second Abby came out of rehab, if she came out of rehab then, although perhaps Abby would want her to go. She’d certainly never seemed to want her around, in the last twenty-odd years. Laurel pushed away that bitter thought, because the last thing she needed right now was to remember all that old hurt.

Right now, she had to focus on Zac. She just wished she could manage it better, that they could get along instead of all this sullen silence and hostility, punctuated by sneers, insults, and eye rolls. And what was she supposed to do about his education? School broke up this week for Christmas, so at least she didn’t have to think about it until after the new year, and Abby would be back soon after that. Maybe she wouldn’t have to deal with it at all.

With a sigh, Laurel started the car and began navigating it out of the school car park, while Zac sat oblivious next to her, absorbed in his phone.

That was another thing she had no idea about, Laurel reflected as she drove the massive SUV down London’s streets, wincing every time a car veered too close. Phones. Did Zac have screen time rules? Should she take his phone away at night? She’d suggested it, rather tentatively, the first night, and Zac hadn’t even deigned to reply. Laurel had left it, as she had so many other things to deal with.

The trouble was, she thought, far from the first time, was that she had no sense of authority with her nephew; they’d had no relationship before ten days ago, and they still had no relationship as far as she could tell, despite her initial, admittedly rather paltry, efforts.