She bounced out of bed, toes curling from the cold of the floor despite the small gas fire that tried and failed to warm her room every night. Then she raced toward the kitchen in a desperate effort to get the call she knew was her brother. No one else would dare wake her this early. “Hello, who’s this?” Lily answered in a fake sleepy tone as she snatched up the phone. “Cut the crap, sis. I’ll be surprised if you slept much at all after last night,” Matt responded, his tone mocking. Lily thought of a hundred and one different things to say to her annoying brother, but went with her favorite and remained silent until the waiting got the better of him. “Listen, I don’t have long while your white knight’s out of the room. We aren’t charging him and he’ll be free to go as soon as we’re done with the paperwork.” “How long is that going to take?” “Ten minutes. Why?” Hanging up without responding always drove her brother crazy, but this time, Lily did so in her haste to get ready, not her usual sisterly teasing.
