Yia-yia had woken her in the middle of the night to ask for her help. Pappou was in pain and not feeling well. Kat took one look at him and called the ambulance. She’d never witnessed anyone have a heart attack before but her first-aid training told her Pappou had the symptoms. She’d wanted to ring her uncle Tony while they waited, but Pappou had said no more fussing and she hadn’t wanted to cause him any extra distress.

They went inside as the ambulance drove away.

“I’ll ring Uncle Tony now,” she said. “He will want to know.”

“Yes, I want him to be there.” Yia-yia crumpled into a chair. “Oh, Katerina, I couldn’t stand to lose my Theo.” She wailed into her hands.

“You’re not going to lose him, Yia-yia. It’s just that he’s just not as young as he used to be.” Kat took her grandmother’s small wizened hands in her own and squeezed them. “Come on, we’ll go to the hospital and you’ll see, he’ll be fine.”

She smiled reassuringly to hide her own fear. Pappou held the family together. The thought of him dying was terrifying.

Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31

Keely had to stop and check she was in the right place. The mood in the Levallier house was the opposite to the happy scene she had walked out of with Flynn the night before. She could hear the anger in Euan’s voice even before she opened the sliding door.

“It’s crazy, Maggie, and thoughtless. You know what it’s like. Today will be our busiest day. You wait and see. Flynn just dashes off to that woman and leaves us to carry out what was his idea.” He waved his hand at Keely, who still hesitated in the doorway. “Keely is a visitor and she’s running the kitchen. It’s not fair.”

“Good morning, Keely.” Maggie gave her a quick smile. “Do come in if you’re brave.”

“Yes, good morning.” Euan’s face didn’t look very welcoming. “If you want to leave at any time, I will completely understand.”

“Is something wrong?” Keely wasn’t sure how she would cope with the day ahead, after a restless night imagining Flynn’s kiss over and over and turning it into something more than it was. She was terrified he would be able to read on her face what she imagined in her head. Thankfully he wasn’t in the kitchen.

“Flynn’s gone off to be with Kat,” Euan said.