‘They won’t,’ Edie said. ‘I’ve paid the money back and had a word.’

Gilly wasn’t sure she understood what Edie had said. ‘You… had a word?’

‘Yes,’ Edie said. ‘I’ve spoken to Social Services and the last foster parents you were with. That’s what the forms are about. I’ve applied to be your legal guardian.’

Gilly blinked. ‘What?’

‘If you agree it’s something you want, Social Services will come and do a site visit. They’ll want to talk to you, obviously, and make sure everything here is as it should be. I’ve already gone through all the background checks they needed to do on me. Once they give final approval – and I really can’t see why they wouldn’t, as long as you’re in agreement yourself – then the courts will make it official,’ Edie told her. ‘It’ll mean I’m responsible for you until you turn eighteen. This will be your official home address. And I’ll be able to sign the college papers for you.’

Gilly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘You want to adopt me?’

‘It’s not an adoption,’ Edie said. ‘I know how independent you are, how capable. I want to make sure that there’s someone looking out for you, that’s all. That you have somewhere safe to live, and that you can go to college.’

Gilly’s heart, which had begun to settle, plummeted. ‘I keep telling you. I can’t go to college.’

‘You can if we do this,’ Edie said. ‘As your legal guardian, I’ll be able to sign the papers. That’s what you were worried about, isn’t it?’

Gilly felt tears in her eyes and couldn’t blink them away. ‘I do want you to be my guardian,’ she said. ‘I do, Edie. But I’m still not going to college. I’m just not.’

‘Leave it with me,’ Ezra said later, once Edie had told him what had happened. ‘I’ll talk to her.’

‘I cannot for the life of me understand her,’ she said. ‘Are all kids this difficult?’

Ezra smiled. ‘No. I think we can pretty much guarantee that she’s one of the easier ones.’

‘What if I’m not what she needs, Ezra?’ Edie asked. ‘What if I can’t—’

‘You’re here, and you care,’ Ezra told her. ‘That’s what she needs. Everything else we can deal with.’

Ezra made his way up the narrow stairs and knocked on the door to Gilly’s room. ‘Hey,’ he called through the door. ‘Gilly. You in there?’

‘I’m not talking about it, Ezra,’ Gilly said, her voice muffled, as if perhaps her face was pressed against her pillow.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Give me one minute.’

There was a pause. Ezra thought she was going to ignore him, but then there came a rustling and the sound of sluggish footsteps from inside and the door opened. Gilly’s jaw was clenched, her chin jutting in defiance.

‘Hey, kid,’ he said gently. ‘What’s all this, now? What’s going on?’

‘Nothing,’ she said, looking behind him as if to check whether Edie was there too. ‘I don’t want to go to college, that’s all.’