"This is a concoction of Luke of the Ritz," he declared, lining up a selection of other fruits like a general inspecting his troop. "Sour cream," he added briskly. "That cupboard over there."

Josie moved fast and brought the cream, just right.

"Now some honey. That one."

She repeated the action, practically standing to attention when she'd delivered the honey.

"Who was Luke of the Ritz?" she asked. "You?"

"No, but I nearly was. Can you open that door next to the sink, please?" She did so, and he took out his electric blender.

"Why nearly?"

"Because your mommy thought people would die laughing. She was right, too." As he spoke he was washing the strawberries, then preparing to stem and halve them.

''I can do that,'' Josie said, taking a knife.

"Hey, no! That's too sharp for you." But he fell silent as he saw how efficiently she got to work. "Done it before, huh?"

"I help in the kitchen at home. Mummy says don't touch sharp knives, but I can handle them, so I do, anyway."

"Guess you do," he murmured, watching the neat little fingers flying and recalling another child who'd done what he wanted rather than what his mother said. "And what does she say about that?"

"Well-" Josie stopped for a moment to consider "-she starts to say things like, 'Do as I tell you,' and 'Josie, did you hear me?' But then Jake puts his head around the door and says, 'Hey, Pip, I'm on early shift. Is it ready yet?' Or Harry gets upset because he's lost something important. Harry's always losing things that he says are important. Or Paul comes in covered in axle grease-Paul restores old cars-or Derek-"

"Whoa, hold on there! Who are all these guys?"

"They're our boarders, only they're friends, as well. They're all terribly fond of Mummy. I've done all the strawberries. What's next?"