Change My Ticket by Detand Zarah

Author:Detand, Zarah [Detand, Zarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-29T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

T hey drop Patrick off at his parents’ house, just a block from where Ray grew up until the age of eleven. After that, it’s just Ray and Gabe in the car, and Ray is aware of that in ways he isn’t sure he wants to be.

Fortunately, jazzy Christmas tunes bridge the momentary silence that descends in the wake of Patrick’s departure, and it’s only a minute before Gabe clears his throat. “So, any words of advice?”

Well, that’s delightfully generic.

“If you put a tea bag in your whiskey, no one will judge you for daytime drinking.”

“You got that from Patrick,” Gabe guesses, quite accurately. “And I meant advice about meeting your family. Any dos and don’ts?”

Gabe sounds nervous. Which, well… Which would be perfectly natural given he’s about to enter a house full of strangers after his waste-of-space parents sold him out to The Daily Mail, of all things. Surely they could have picked some ultra-Christian church bulletin if it was all about getting the truth out there—except that would have meant leaving a nice paycheck on the table. Seems like moral righteousness only gets you so far when it’s time to pay the bills.

Anyway, advice. Ray tries to take a mental step back and assess his family objectively. There’s too much love woven into his perception, though.

“Ignore anything that comes out of Allie’s and Jazmin’s mouths, as much as you possibly can. Fay—Farah—is the oldest, so she’s less likely to embarrass me, herself, or you. Also, she’s a mum, so she probably has to be a bit more mature.”

“Two kids, you said?”

“Jasper and Jess, yeah. Their father decided he’s not a family man after all, so he’s not in the picture.”

A frown wrinkles Gabe’s forehead. “Isn’t that the kind of thing one should decide before having kids?”

“Amen, brother. Take a right here.” Familiar rows of semi-detached red brick houses glide by outside the window. Home. “As for my mum, don’t insult the royal family where she can hear you. I honestly think she believes in the Queen Louise more than she believes in Jesus, at this point.”

Gabe chuckles. “Not a problem. I actually like the royal family.”

“You’ve met them?” Ray doesn’t know why he’s surprised. Maybe because, for minutes at a time, he keeps forgetting that Gabe isn’t just Gabe; that he’s Gabe Duke, the kind of guy to make headlines.

“Only in passing. The prince’s husband is funny.”

“Of course he is.” Ray shakes his head, more amused than annoyed by how nonchalantly Gabe talks about people that most Brits will only ever see on TV. “So, anyway, I think that just about covers the dos and don’ts.”

“I didn’t bring any presents.” Gabe sounds as though he only just realised a gross oversight on his part.

“No one expects you to. Stop worrying, please.” Ray flicks his hand at the last house along the road, a two-story detached home with patchwork renovations done to it over the years. It sits right next to the train line, open fields beyond. “Number two, over there.

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