When Ben told Taj to paint over the mural in the bedroom, Abbey turned goggle-eyed in horror. She tugged at her mother’s shirt.
‘That painting stays.’
‘Buyers want a blank canvas,’ said Ben, examining the window frame.
‘Well, they can’t have one.’
He turned around, hands on hips, looking totally nonplussed. Taj’s serious mouth curved into an amused smile. It softened his features, took some of the wildness away.
‘Ben . . . I appreciate your help, but I want to go through the rest of the repairs with Taj myself.’
Jake ran in. His eyes lit up when he saw Ben. ‘Did you win the match yesterday?’
‘Sure did, champ.’
‘Did you take any wickets?’
‘I took the one that counted. Bowled their tail-ender out with a few runs to spare. Shame our juniors had to forfeit though. We couldn’t round up
