Free The Savages by Matt Whyman Page A

heading out, and promised not to let him down, he left the study to find Ivan outside the bathroom. The boy looked troubled, and reluctant to explain himself after Titus tested the door and discovered it to be locked from the inside. When Angelica, Kat and Grandpa joined them, Titus decided to force an entry. Nobody shrieked or screamed when he succeeded. Instead, the tragic scene that greeted the family was met by sighs and groans, before all eyes turned to Ivan.
    â€˜Does this mean I’m grounded?’ he asked just then. ‘What am I looking at here? A week?’
    Titus drew breath to suggest a lot longer when the sound of someone clearing their throat at the foot of the stairs caused them all to start.
    â€˜Hello? Anyone there?’
    â€˜Hi,’ said Angelica, as brightly as she could, while looking thoroughly panicked. ‘How can we help?’
    â€˜Just to let you know that we’ve wrapped.’
    â€˜Oh … oh, right!’ Gathering her wits, Angelica handed baby Kat to Titus and hurried out to the top of the stairs. ‘I hope everything went to plan.’
    She found the shoot’s director looking up at her from the hallway.
    â€˜It went better than expected,’ he said. ‘Our star did such a fine job that she’s already gone home. We’re just sweeping the place down to make sure we haven’t left anything behind.’
    Angelica looked blankly at him for a moment. When she did register what that meant, she brightened visibly.
    â€˜So, everything is back as you found it?’ she asked. ‘As per the terms of your contract with the agency?’
    â€˜As good as new,’ he assured her. ‘You won’t know anyone’s been here.’
    Jack Greenway lived a short walk from the Savage house. To get there, Sasha crossed the park towards the west gate. It was a broad expanse of grassland, tree-lined paths and bushes. Her parents used to take her to the playground near the rose garden or push her in a buggy around the lake. She’d learned to ride a bike here, too. Then, as she grew older, Titus worried that it was no place for a girl like her to be alone.
    One day, Sasha thought to herself on reaching Jack’s road, he would recognise that his eldest daughter could take care of herself. Thanks to her family way, it wasn’t as if she was an innocent in this world.
    â€˜Hey,’ said Jack, who opened the front door just as she reached for the buzzer. He was wearing a chef’s apron with a slim-fit T-shirt underneath. ‘Do you like tahini?’
    â€˜Oh. I’ve never tried it, actually.’
    Sasha was wearing a shift top, skinny jeans and ballet flats, with her hair pinned as she liked it. Jack checked her up and down, grinned and stepped aside to let her in.
    â€˜We’re talking food of the gods,’ he said, and invited her into the kitchen. ‘This evening might even turn you.’
    The first thing Sasha noticed was the smell of cooking. What struck her most was the complete absence of any meat aromas. This came as no surprise, but it was still something that failed to connect with her taste buds. She turned and smiled at Jack. He was so handsome it almost hurt her to make eye contact. Sasha still found it difficult to believe that he had just breezed up to her one day and asked her out. That had never happened to her before, though she knew she didn’t help herself. Being different from every other human being she had ever met outside her family made it hard to let just anyone into her life. That evening, she was looking forward to getting beyond the good looks to find out what made Jack tick. She saw it as a chance to talk and find out if his personality lived up to his appearance. Just then, what worried her was the possibility that she wouldn’t be able to stomach his meal. Aware that he was watching her closely, Sasha inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
    â€˜It smells delicious,’ she said.