‘I didn’t invent pies, Dad.’ Minnie pushed her hair back behind her ears. They were both egging her on now, making her think it might be possible. ‘Even if I could persuade some investor to come in, I’d need some seed capital myself. I’d have to be invested too.’

‘How much we talking?’ asked Dad.

‘How much what?’ said Minnie.

‘For this seeding capital?

Minnie shook her head. ‘At least ten grand, I don’t know. More than you’ve got lying down the back of the sofa, Dad, but thank you.’

She leant into his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. It didn’t matter if the new pie plan didn’t happen. Just talking like this with her parents, where they both listened, and believed she might be able to do something – that meant so much.

‘Come on,’ said her dad, removing her head from his shoulder so he could stand up.

‘We’re done, are we? You’re not going to help me dig that concrete base out?’ asked her mum.

‘Not today, my love, we need a drill to break it up first. Minnie Moo, I want to show you something.’

‘Take your shoes off!’ her mum cried as they made to go in through the kitchen.

Dad led Minnie through to the lounge and pointed up at her favourite clock, the one she had given him – Coggie. Minnie looked at him, perplexed.

‘I remember the day you bought this for me. You lugged it back in your school bag all the way on the bus, must have weighed a ton. I bet there were a million other things you could have spent your pocket money on back then.’ He looked up at the clock with rheumy eyes.

‘Well, it looked like a piece of junk then. You polished it up, Dad.’

‘Only four like this left in the world, according to the internet. Apparently it’s worth four thousand quid now I got it working.’

‘No!’ Minnie cried, flinging a hand over her mouth.

‘And there’s a few others around the house that collectors would like to get their mitts on.’

‘You can’t sell your clocks, Dad, not for me.’ Minnie shook her head slowly. ‘You spent so much time on them.’

Her dad nodded solemnly.

‘Maybe I spent too much time on them, didn’t spend enough time on what’s important.’ He stretched his large hand around his chin and squeezed his cheeks together. ‘No regrets though, hey.’ He paused. ‘I see so much of myself in you, Minnie Moo,’ he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. ‘If you’ve got a chance, I want you to have it.’

They stood watching Coggie for a moment.

‘Does Mum know they’re valuable?’

‘Does she heck!’ her dad laughed. ‘I always told her they were junk. She’s going to go category nine ballistic.’