Page 151 of He's the One

“I don’t have a key.”

“Right.”

Col had just found some wood that would hold Isla when they heard a man laugh, then another man swore. The voices were coming from inside the garden.

“Sounded like my father,” Theo said quietly. “Let’s sneak in.”

Col caught his arm. “Er…really?”

“Well, just one look.”

“I don’t…”

But Theo was already crawling through and he could hear a grumbling Col coming behind him. Theo stayed low once he was inside, and a moment later, Col appeared on his knees beside him, not only with the carved Isla but the real one too.

Theo gaped in astonishment. Isla jumped onto, then off Col’s back, sniffed the stone, nuzzled the mouth, then sat next to the carving.

“Do you think she knows it’s her?” Col whispered.

“She’s probably saying her brush is bigger.”

Another laugh had Theo pushing to his feet. He quickly dropped back down again.

“My father and James are playing in the water maze.” Theo could barely believe it.

“We should leave them alone.”

“They have their clothes on. James must have got it working. I want a go. Bring Isla.” Theo stood up.

“Which one?”

Theo made his way through the garden. His father was soaked, James less so. James had already reached the summer house and was leaning on a balustrade, watching Theo’s father who stood on one of the slabs that made up the concentric path.

Theo bounded up to the edge of the maze. “Hello.”

“I suppose it’s too much to hope you remember which way from here,” his father said to him.

“You should have followed me,” James called.

“Left,” Theo guessed.

His father stepped left, got soaked by a jet of water, and leapt to the next step only to get blasted again.

“Maybe it was right.” Theo said.

His father cursed, kept walking through all the jets and finally stepped up into the summer house. He tried to hug James and James twisted away, laughing.

“If you two want to know what’s been happening, you have to join us,” his father called.

Col put the stone fox down and Isla settled next to it.

The first step wet Theo’s jeans. He jumped quickly to the next slab. Col chose a different route and was doing well for a time until he got caught and yelped. But he made it to James and Theo’s father while Theo was still dithering at a crossroads.

“This is the way.” Col pointed right.

“Are you telling the truth or pretending you’re the Mandalorian?” Theo called.

Then Isla jumped to her feet, wandered along the slabs until she reached Theo, turned left and moved safely to the summer house. Once she was there, she sat at Col’s feet.

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