Page 38 of Short Stack 3

“Pardon?”

I gesture at the bed. “Our bunk for the night.”

“What about the pop-top bed?”

“I nearly decapitated myself up there earlier when I turned over, it’s surface-of-the-sun hot, and there’s no air. No wonder you had a bad dream. This will be better. In fact, let’s do this.” I slide the van door back, opening it a few inches. Fresh air immediately pours in sweetly from some night-scented flower that grows nearby. “Lovely.”

“Is that safe?”

“I really think we’re okay on this site. Most of the people seem to be in their seventies. If a violent pensioner attempts to break in, we’ll just set Bertie on them.”

“Is that the dog who’s currently snoring under a blanket?”

“He’s the sensible one in our family. I think we’ll sleep with our heads at the bottom of the mattress.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.” I slide under the duvet, and he joins me, curling up with a tired sigh that hurts my heart. “Come here,” I whisper, and he folds around me, clutching me close with his head on mychest. I stroke his hair back, letting the repetitive movements soothe him, and within minutes, his body relaxes against mine, the scent of his skin so familiar.

“Look,” I say softly, turning his face to look out of the van door.

He obeys, and then his eyes widen. “Wow. That isbeautiful, Henry.”

The sky is a dark blue velvet and full of stars so big and bright that I could reach out and pluck one from its sky nest. I would give it to Ivo like a flower, I think whimsically. “They’re so bright,” I murmur. “We don’t see this in London with all the light pollution.”

He peers at them, his eyes busy, and I’m pleased to see that the panic from his dream has cleared a little. “Can you name any?”

“Eh? Oh, I think that’s Orion’s Belt.” I point to the constellation I’m talking about. “That’s the only one I know, though.”

“I think that one is Perseus, and that one is Andromeda.”

I look at where he’s pointing. “How the hell do you know that?”

“Clash of the Titanswas on TV last week. At the end, they did the stars.”

“God, I remember that film. An actress got her boobs out.” I shake my head. “My father acted like he’d been cattle prodded.”

“I wish he had been.”

I snort and fall silent for a minute before stirring. “Did you know that Perseus turned Andromeda’s uncle to stone with the head of Medusa?”

“Accidentally?”

“No, deliberately.”

“Their family occasions must have been even more epic than ours.” I start to laugh, and he joins me before snuggling close.“This is nice,” he says, and I’m glad to hear sleep tugging at his words. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“And don’t worry, Henry. I will protect you from the ducks if they rampage through the van’s open door.”

My eyes fly open at his sly words. “Oh mygod, is that a thing they do?” I gasp, and he starts to laugh helplessly. “Twat,” I say with deep feeling, but it just makes him laugh harder.

Chapter Three

The van door opens, and I look up as Ivo stumbles out. He’s wearing pyjama shorts and a T-shirt, his skin golden and his blond hair tangled and wavy. There’s a pillow mark on his cheek, and his eyes are bleary.

“And a good morning to you,” I say cheerfully.

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