Page 118 of Take My Hand

My heart sank, because by the look of her mum I wondered if she was too far gone to get better without professional help. Then I remembered something.

“She messaged me the other day,” I told her. “Asking if you’d been to school. It didn’t seem like she was drunk.”

“Some days she’s worse than others.” Ana shrugged. “She thought I was sneaking off to see Dad instead of going to school. We had a huge row about it, and she downed a bottle of wine.”

Emma thrust her hands to her hips. “Okay let’s get to work.”

“Doing what?” Ana asked petulantly, like she’d tried everything that she could beforehand.

“Cleaning up for starters.” Emma raised an eyebrow, daring her to argue. “Maybe you could get your mum in the shower, and then we’ll make her some food and coffee.”

I admired Emma’s determination, but I couldn’t help thinking that all of it was too much for us—too big a situation for three teenagers to resolve.

“Ana,” I said tentatively, “if you won’t call your dad or Theo, can I please get my dad to help?”

She shook her head vigorously, giving me her back as she walked away. “No. Not happening.”

“Please, Ana,” I begged.

When Susan stirred again on the sofa, all three of our gazes whipped in her direction. She opened one eye and licked herlips, clearly unsure of her surroundings despite being in her own home.

“Mike?”

Ana groaned and stepped back in her mum’s eyeline. “He’s not here. He left, remember.”

Letting out a pained groan, Susan rolled onto her side to go back to sleep.

“Ana, let me call my dad.” I grabbed her hand. “He knows how to deal with this sort of thing.”

“Drunks, you mean.” Ana, reached for the empty drink bottle and snatched it from her mum’s arms.

The atmosphere became super awkward as Ana refused to give me eye contact. I wasn’t letting it go easily, though. A responsible adult needed to know what was happening and if she didn’t want her own dad to know then mine would.

“I mean it, Ana. You can’t be dealing with all of this. Your mum is clearly not coping, you won’t tell your dad or Theo and you have A-levels to think about.” Her fingers curled around mine, and I felt like maybe I was getting through. “So, please let me call him.”

When she opened her mouth, I had a feeling she was going to say no again. Instead, she slammed her lips shut and gave me a sharp nod.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I pulled my phone out and called his number. It only took a couple of rings and instantly he asked, “Hey, sweetheart, what do you need?”

He asked because I rarely called him when he was working, unless it was an emergency. And each and every time I asked, he said yes.

“Dad, I’m with Ana.”

“Okay...”

“We need your help.”

“Right, give me half an hour to sort some cover out to help Marcus, and I’ll be with you.”

And that was my incredible Dad. Always there when I needed him.

Chapter Forty-Two

Will

Susan hugged the mug of coffee to her chest as she sat opposite me at the breakfast bar in their huge kitchen. It smelled of lemon after Maddy had mopped the floor and cleaned all the work surfaces. There were two black bin bags at the back door waiting to be taken out, one of which included numerous empty booze bottles.

“You have to get it together, Susan,” I said, turning my attention back to her. “Ana needs you to be her support.”

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