Page 13 of Take My Hand

“Yes, she would. Whether you decide to go or not, I will always,” I tapped my finger on the table, “always be proud of you. You could clean the streets or become a brain surgeon and I’d be equally proud.”

“Dad.” Her voice cracked as she grabbed my hand. “I don’t want anything to change. I want to be seventeen forever. Live with you forever.”

I chuckled. “You’re not thinking straight. I think you’ll realise when you’re about eighty and wiping my arse that isn’t a good plan.”

Laughing, she swiped at her eyes. “Nice vision, Dad.”

“I’m right, though.”

Smiling, she picked up the letter with her free hand and gave it to me. “You might want to frame this, then, because it might be the last great thing that I do… besides wiping your arse.”

My daughter was beautiful, clever, funny, and she was going to rule the world, whatever she did with her life.

Chapter Six

Maddy

“Did you get the booze from your dad?” Emma asked as she opened the door to me, excitement shining in her eyes. “You said he’d give them to you from the bar.”

I shook my head. “No, you know that I didn’t. I told you that he said he wouldn’t. That I had to get them some other way, like every other teenager.”

Emma groaned quietly, and the look of excitement was replaced with one of irritation as she looked over my shoulder to my dad’s rear lights disappearing down her street.

“He won’t get us any even if I begged him.” I shrugged. “We’ll have to go to the shop.”

“Oh, like Mr Monroe will let us buy booze. He knows us, Maddy. He knows that we’re seventeen. Like he’s going to say, ‘Oh hey girls get whatever booze you like. It’s on the house.’”

“Now, you’re being ridiculous.” I put my hand against her chest and pushed her back into the hallway. “We can work something out.”

“Like what?” she demanded, putting her hands to her hips. “My mum locked all her booze away. Not that she has that much; she’s so boring.”

“Not so boring,” I offered with a raised brow. “She’s letting you have boys to a sleepover.”

Emma looked away and scratched the back of her neck while shuffling from one foot to another.

“Emma! Shit, your mum doesn’t even know that Zak and Liam are coming over, does she?”

“She’d have said no.”

“Yet you still invited them?”

“I did it for you.”

“Hah, really? Is that so? The fact that you’ve got the hots for Liam isn’t why you suggested it, then?”

Emma’s mouth dropped open, and she blinked slowly. “I do not.”

“You liar.” I laughed and punched her playfully in the shoulder. “It’s about time that you admitted that you’re so hot for him I could fry bacon on your stomach.”

“As a vegetarian, I find that offensive.” She gave a little shudder. “It doesn’t matter anyway why I invited them. The point is, they’ll be here in thirty minutes, and, like real lame dicks, we have no booze.”

“What about Ana and Liv?” I asked. “Aren’t they bringing any?”

“No, you and I were booze, and they are pizza and popcorn.” She dropped her face to her hands and made a noise like she were in pain. “I may as well have asked my mum to make sandwiches, cake and ice cream.”

“Christ,” I muttered. “Drama queen much.” I dropped my overnight bag to the floor and contemplated our options. “Do you have cash?”

Emma nodded. “About fifteen quid. Why?”

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