Page 15 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

‘What the hell are you doing?’ Maddie yelled. ‘My eyes!’

Relief flooded me. She didn’t sound scared so much as sounded shocked and horrified.

I stormed into the living room, ready to demand what the hell was going on—

Then I saw them.

Yanni and Ernie.

Naked.

On the sofa.

Ah.Thatwas the hell.

Chapter Ten

I squeezed my eyes shut whilst simultaneously turning around and covering my face with my hands to ensure I couldn’t possibly get another glimpse of what I’d just seen. Not that it wasn’t already burned into my retina and my memory. I had no issue with two consenting adults doing the rumba together, but this was my grandfather and the woman who was like a grandmother to me – and they were playing hide the snake. It really had taken me off guard because I hadn’t even seen a sizzle of attraction between them – though admittedly I hadn’t been looking for one.

‘On our sofa?’ Maddie yelled.

‘Do you think we could put some clothes on before we talk about this?’ Yanni said patiently, as she covered her generous bosom with one arm and her lady parts with her other. ‘If you insist on talking about this.’

‘Oh, you bet your exposed ass I insist,’ Maddie replied, folding her arms and glaring.

Fraser clearedhis throat. ‘I should probably get going.’ He’d been lucky enough not to step inside after he’d realised what the commotion was about. ‘I’ll go now, but I’ll be back later with food. And just so you know, Eva’s sitting out here, too.’

Of course she was. I’d bet the whole entire cottage that my dog had known exactly what we were going to walk into but had she warned us? She had not. No pigs’ ears for her for a week.

‘I’m giving you two minutes to get dressed and then I want an explanation!’ Maddie said, foot tapping. ‘Two minutes!’

‘Really, Madelyn, I’m sixty-four years old!’ Yanni exclaimed. Uh-oh: Mads was in trouble. I’d only heard Yanni call her Madelyn a handful of times and each time it had been a big deal. I guessed Yanni didn’t like being dictated to; I could relate to that.

‘Then you should know better than to play hide the sausage on our sofa!’ Maddie spat, moving from shock and settling firmly into horrified. ‘I’m going into the kitchen to get myself a very strong drink. You’d both better be dressed when I get back!’

She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me into the kitchen. ‘That’s something I’ll never be able to unsee,’ she muttered, pulling two glasses off the shelf. She opened thefridge to find it devoid of wine and swore darkly; without her first choice of alcohol, she opened the cupboards and rummaged around in the back of them until she found a bottle of rum. She poured a hefty measure into one of the glasses, gulped it down, then refilled her glass and poured some into mine.

I grinned. ‘I’m actually okay.’

‘How can you be okay?’ Her voice was still shrill. ‘They were banging onoursofa. That’s a fabric sofa – it doesn’t wipe clean like leather. I mean, what’s wrong with a bed?’

‘I don’t think it’s the location that’s riled you so much,’ I pointed out.

‘It definitely is.’ She knocked back the other rum.

‘Maddie, love, I think that you and Yanni are so close that the idea of her being in a relationship with someone else scares you.’

She opened her mouth to make a retort but Yanni called out, ‘We’re dressed, but I need to be back at the station in half an hour, so this will have to be quick.’

‘I wonder if that’s what she said to Ernie, too,’ I snickered.

Maddie stared at me with horrified eyes. ‘Donotsay another word. This is not funny.’

‘It’s a little bit funny,’ I disagreed, hoping to pull a smile from her.

‘No,it’s too soon for jokes. The scars are too fresh. Old people shouldn’t have sex.’

I snorted. ‘Now you’re being ageist. Firstly, age is just a number. Secondly, I plan to have lots of sex when I’m old. And thirdly, Yanni isn’t old – she’s a spring chicken.’

---