Page 43 of Two Hit Wonder

"Good." There was genuine warmth in Glinna's voice, underneath the briskness. "Because if you weren't, I'd have to come down there and sort you out, and I've got far too much on at the moment. The sheep are lambing, Charity's got a cold, and Angus has decided he wants to be a vegetarian, which is going to be interesting given that we're a sheep farm."

"Angus is six."

"Five, actually. And very committed. He's been reading pamphlets."

"Where does a five-year-old get pamphlets?"

"The internet, I assume. Everything comes from the internet now. Hamish, if you throw that at your sister I will personally remove your Xbox privileges until you're forty!"

Maeve waited. The sounds of domestic chaos faded slightly, as if Glinna had moved to another room.

"Right," Glinna said. "So. The gig went well?"

"It went well."

"And the band?"

"They're fine. We're getting there."

"And Iona?"

Maeve's jaw tightened. Of course Glinna would ask about Iona. Glinna knew everything. She'd known Maeve for years, through the worst of it and the slow climb back, and she had an unerring instinct for the things Maeve didn't want to talk about. Which was sort of the point of being a sponsor, but still.

"Iona's fine," Maeve said carefully.

"That's not what I asked."

"Yes it is."

"I asked about Iona in relation to you. How is that going?"

Maeve stared at the terrible bridge painting on the wall. "It's different."

"Different how?"

"Different from before. Different from what I expected. Just… different."

Glinna made a noise that somehow conveyed both patience and skepticism. "And what about feelings? Are those different too?"

"I don't know."

"Maeve."

"I don't. I genuinely don't know." She pressed the heel of her hand against her eye. "She's not the same person. I'm not the same person. We're playing music together and it's good, actually good, and sometimes she looks at me and I…" She stopped. "I don't know."

Glinna was quiet for a moment. In the background, something else crashed.

"I miss Eejit," Maeve said suddenly.

Glinna laughed. "The sheep?"

"Don't call her a sheep. She's a nemesis."

"She broke into your garden again yesterday. Ate half your rosemary."

"Typical. The arsehole." But she smiled saying it. There was something grounding about Eejit's consistent awfulness. She was reliable in her chaos, unlike everything else in her life right now.

"Maeve," Glinna said, her voice gentling. "I'm proud of you. You know that, right?"