Babysitting

[Ariadne Ellingham]

So, it didn't take a genius to guess her brother's intentions when he had turned up out of the blue, dumped her nephew under her supervision and taken off again, presumeably to go back to Mel and to prove Ari's suspicions correct. Which was what had led her to be here, sitting on the floor in the centre of her living room, playing with Alexander with a beam on her face.

She loved her nephew, she really did, but it was getting sort of boring without someone else there to keep her company. So maybe it was mad, but that was how Ari had come to the decision she had come to now. Which could either be a very good decision or a very big mistake.

Hey Matthew!

She stopped, biting her lip. Before deciding to continue.

How are you? I'm babysitting our nephew at the moment. I was wondering, if you wanted to come over that would be totally cool. Come over.

Oh, she sounded about twelve years old, didn't she? Never mind. Deciding to be brave, she took in a deep breath, attached the paper to her owl's foot and sent the letter, before running back into the living room, swallowing a little squeal of... what was it? Nervousness? Should she write him another letter? Say he was under no obligation to come? Would he come? Was she being childish about this? What was the matter with her?