‘I’ve been in touch with the children and they’re both coming tomorrow. Joss Junior, as we call him, is flying from Denver - that’s in Colorado. He works for a big drug company. And Natalie is driving up from Miami, she works for a cosmetics company there. She’s a buyer, you know. Wait until you see them, George. They’re beautiful.’

‘I wish Elaine and I had been blessed with children, but after the boy died . . .’ His voice trailed off and Edith looked at him with ready tears gathering in her eyes.

How could Elaine have left him? After all this time too. The woman was a heartless bitch and if she ever saw her again, which she admitted was unlikely, she would say so to her face. Poor George. He had no luck with women. First their tramp of a mother and now Elaine. She pursed her perfectly painted coral lips.

Joss’s loud, booming voice broke into her thoughts. ‘How about we take Georgie here into Orlando for a slap-up meal? We could go to the Mercado on International Drive.’

Edith smiled widely, displaying all her expensive dentistry. ‘Oh, let’s. George, they have thirty-two ounce steaks there.’

George was worried. ‘I don’t think I could eat all that, Edith.’

‘You old silly, we share it! Come on, let’s get ready.’

In the back of her mind, she hoped George had a decent suit with him. He looked so damned touristy.

Still, she reasoned, it was lovely to see him. She fought down the impulse to squeeze him to her again. She was so damned pleased to see him, she could take a big bite out of him. Instead she put her arm around him and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

‘It sure is good to see you, George. So good.’

‘And you, Edith, my dear. It’s been far too long.’

She accompanied him to the spacious guest room. She was amazed that her brother, whom she had honestly thought she would never see again, was actually in her home. Her beautiful home that she hoped he told their mother all about when he went back. That would be one in the eye for the old bitch!

‘How’s Mother, George?’ She sat on his bed, her face troubled now. Every time she thought of her mother, she thought of the child.

George sat beside her and took her hand. ‘The same as always, Edith. Spiteful, nasty. She hasn’t changed.’

‘I bet.’ Her voice was vehement. ‘Does she know about Elaine? Leaving you, I mean?’

George shook his head vigorously. ‘No. I was going to tell her, I visited her just before I flew out here, but we got into a bit of an argument.’

Edith’s eyebrows arched.

‘Don’t you mean she argued with you?’ The playfulness was back now.