Chapter 16 - Shane

We stop off for fish and chips after the walk and I notice the lights are still off in her house when we get back.

"Do you live alone?" She laughs, shaking her head.

"Pretty much. Mum's away a lot, she travels about the country most weekends now I'm old enough not to kill myself if I'm left alone for too long."

"What does she do?"

"Um… just teaches courses and stuff." I know she's being deliberately evasive, but there must be a reason she doesn't want to say and although I was only asking to be polite, now I'm actually interested in what her mum does for a living. I store it in my brain to ask about another time and hurry around to take the bag of food from her when she goes to carry it indoors.

"I'm not totally without manners." I say when she stares at me, pleasantly surprised when she leads me towards the living room. "I thought you'd be a meals at the table kind of girl." 

"I don't know how to respond to that." She switches on