Chapter 9

And if Luca’s sense of Tav-time was any indication…

The kitchen door banged.

* * * *

Tav hadn’t rung the doorbell at the Jensen house for years, but…just walking in seemed wrong after last night, and he dithered on the threshold for nearly five minutes before making up his mind and heading down the gated alley that ran down between the house and its neighbour. Both the communal iron gate and the private garden gate were open, and the kitchen door was ajar.

Tav hesitated, then banged on the frame. “Um. Hello?”

A curly head appeared around the living room doorway. “Oh.” Tomas, Luca’s sixteen-year-old yeti of a brother. He had more body hair than your average chimp, apparently. “He’s in his room.”

“Is he, um…”

“He’s driving Mamma nuts,” Tomas said helpfully, and Tav swallowed before toeing off his shoes, shutting the kitchen door with a bang, and padding across the tiles. He could hear Mamma Alessandra upstairs, actually, and she was singing. She didn’t sound nuts.