Free The things we do for love. by Abigail Anderson

dare.” Luke replied. And it as true he really wouldn’t. Vera could be very ferocious when she wanted to be.
    “Good, cos I ain’t too old.” She told him sternly.
    “I said nothing.” He reminded her raising his hand to show that he was surrendering.
    “Huh. You were thinking it.” She accused him.
    “Not a single thought.” He promised.
    “I thought you might be in need of a pick me up.” She told him as she finally placed the tray down on his desk.
    She gave him one of her sympathetic motherly looks, which usually didn’t bother him but this evening it irked him.
    He said nothing, of course. His bad mood wasn’t his house-keepers fault after all, and she shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of Faye’s inappropriate behaviour.
    “Thank you.” Luke picked up the mug of steaming tea and rested back on his chair.
    “You’re not still thinking about the psychotic twin from perdition are you?” she asked knowingly. Luke almost laughed out loud but managed to rein it in, Vera didn’t need to be encouraged.
    “Vera, please don’t start.” Luke tried to warn but, but it appeared that Vera was just getting warmed up.
    “Me?” she touched a hand to her chest and tried to look innocent which did not work. “Go on with you.” She told him
    “I mean it Vera. I am not in the mood for this tonight.” Luke said hoping that she would take the hint. But as usual, she did not.
    “I don’t know what you mean I’m sure.” She shoved the plate of cookies at Luke and, he dutifully took one. “If you ask me though...”
    “... and nobody did.” Luke interjected but Vera carried on as if he hadn’t spoken.
    “If you ask me...” She repeated a little louder. “You spend far too much of your time thinking about little miss scoundrel when you should really be turning your attention to little miss nice sane one.” Vera gave Luke her biggest beaming smile.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Luke narrowed his eyes at his outspoken housekeeper. He knew he shouldn’t have asked and regretted it the moment the words were out. But, he hadn’t been able to help himself.
    “You know what it means.” She told him.
    “Vera.”
    “No, someone has to get you to get a grip of yourself.”
    “Get a grip of myself?” Luke asked amused. He tried to stop the small little smile curve his lips but he failed completely.
    “Yes well,” She looked him up and down. “Someone needs to get a grip of you.” She told him. “Or perhaps you need to get a grip of someone.”
    “Vera, please.” Luke begged her.
    “Well, you have been trouncing about the place like a zombie on sedatives ever since that day in court.” What a way with words she had, Luke thought to himself.
    “Really?”
    “I saw the way you were looking at her.”
    “Did you?” he did not doubt it. Nothing slipped past the eagle eyes of Vera.
    “Oh come on, a blind man could have seen the way you were looking at her.” Vera smiled warmly. “I swear it was like watching the wolf sizing up little red riding hood, whilst trying to decide what to do with granny.”
    “Trouncing?” Luke asked raising an eyebrow and his face softened into the slightest hint of a smile. Luke decided it was better to get her off her tangent.
    Little red riding hood? An apt description for Cassie that was for sure. Granny? Luke knew when to leave well enough alone. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of being likened to a wolf though. Then again maybe he did. He brushed it aside.
    “It’s a word.” She assured, “Anyway we’re not talking about my vocabulary we’re talking about the twins, or at least one half of them. The nice half.”
    “I think I’ve heard enough about this for one day.” Luke tried to sound firm but didn’t quite make it. Vera’s heart was in the right place she just didn’t know when she was working on a lost cause and, this was definitely a lost cause. Luke felt that painful stab in his chest again. If only.
    “Oh no you don’t,