Sensing my rage as I got into the car and tossed the tape onto the back seat, she kept quiet until I'd done about four miles at a ridiculously dangerous speed and calmed down a bit.
"Danny?"
"What?" it came out almost as a growl and I regretted it instantly.
"Sorry Jen" I forced a smile and laid my hand on her leg, "What is it sweetheart?"
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks Jen, I regret hitting him though."
"What was said that made you snap like that?"
"Nothing really, it was just the way he said it, like you were some kind of tramp or something!"
"Tell me Danny" she put her hand on mine,
"He just gave me the tape and said, "Here, this is what your fucking sister's really like" and sneered."
"Oh."
We spent the rest of the journey in a companionable silence and spent most of the day sorting her things out.
"How long do you intend on staying Jen?"
She looked at me as if she hadn't thought about it until then.
"Not long, I'll get a paper and see if I can get a flat, why, fed up with me already?"
"No I'm not fed up at all, I'm actually looking forward to having you around for a while, it's just that, well you know the sleeping arrangements and all that!"
She laughed softly and gave me that coy look of hers that used as a kid when she wanted something from dad, it always worked on him and the crafty bitch knew it! I was expecting her to suggest that I slept on the couch, but she surprised me!
"Well, we've managed all right so far haven't we?"
And I couldn't think of an answer!
"Hey what about the cottage?"
"What about it?" she looked at me in surprise, "It hasn't been lived in since mum and dad died, the damn place must be falling apart by now!"
"Wrong again little sister" I laughed, "One of the things I was going to tell you at our never to be forgotten meeting, was that I'd been working on it at weekends and holidays, it's nearly back to how it was before, we could go down there and finish it off couldn't we?"
"Well yes, I suppose so, but what about work?" she asked doubtfully.
