Katy was on the stall the next day when Tyler came walking towards her from the direction of the lock-up that was being used as the new premises of Moon and Sons. He had his arm around the waist of another guy; one who was dark and good-looking. The other guy's arm was around Tyler's shoulders. As they passed, Tyler glanced at her and Katy raised her eyebrows questioningly. Tyler just winked.
Shaking her head slightly, Katy turned to the woman waiting patiently to be served. When that customer had been dealt with there was another. And then another. While it was good for business, having a constant stream of customers throughout her shift meant that by the time Whitney appeared to take over Katy was absolutely exhausted.
"Can you do me a massive favour, babe?" Whitney asked, tying the money belt around her waist. "I said I'd meet Lauren at mine, before I remembered I was supposed to be here. My phone's died and I can't get hold of her. Can you tell her where I am?"
"Course…" Katy said, pulling her bag out of one of the empty cardboard stock boxes that was stacked underneath the stall. "Catch you later."
She made her way through the gardens towards the row of houses where all three girls lived. As soon as she looked towards the Butchers' house she spotted Lauren. The younger girl was crouching on the ground beside Ryan. Before Katy could speak or even step towards them, they kissed. The pregnant teenager's mouth dropped open and she turned quickly, not wanting them to see her.
Rather than going to tell Whitney what she'd just witnessed – and being yelled at for her trouble – Katy headed into the Vic. Tyler was sitting in a booth just inside the door with the dark guy from earlier, Eddie and Michael. He glanced up as she walked inside and their eyes met. Katy looked between him and Michael, her eyes filling with tears. Turning quickly she went back outside.
Ryan and Lauren had vanished, so the teenager made her way to the flat and turned off her mobile, leaving it on her bed and going upstairs to see Roxy. Ronnie was presumably out with Jack and James because there was no sign of anyone in their flat.
As Katy started up the stairs, there was a loud banging on the front door. Nervously she opened it, revealing Tyler standing on the doorstep. Reluctantly, Katy let him in, leading the way into the flat she shared with her older sister's family and leant against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed.
"What?" She asked bluntly.
"Katy… my Dad and Anthony want me to make an effort with Michael. I can't say no because my secret girlfriend hates his guts, can I?" Tyler reasoned with her, putting his hands on her waist and bending slightly so that he was looking into her eyes.
"Girlfriend?" Katy asked, slightly distracted. Then she shook her head. "Who's Anthony?"
"That guy you saw me with earlier. He's my brother."
"Oh…"
"Yeah…" Tyler nodded. "You need to get used to seeing me with Michael. As much as I dislike him most of the time – especially after what you told me – he is my brother."
Grudgingly the teenage girl nodded. "I suppose. Listen, d'you wanna hang out here for a bit… my sister and Jack won't be back for a while I shouldn't think."
Tyler grinned. "Go on then."
x-x
The next afternoon Katy was watching TV when she got a text from Tyler.
'Junk shop launch party if you fancy it? Ty x'
Smiling, Katy pulled herself to her feet and got ready. As she left the flat, she bumped into Carol, Liam and Tiffany who were heading in the same direction. The small red-head held Katy's hand, talking non-stop about the baby. The teenager grinned at Carol who rolled her eyes.
"She's so excited. You'd think she was actually related to it." The woman said laughing.
Katy grinned. "Tell you what, Tiff, you can be an honouree Auntie if you want? I mean, if Whit's gonna be a Godmother, that technically makes you a God Auntie anyway, right?"
The little girl beamed and squealed excitedly. Katy laughed and let go of her hand as she jumped onto the sofa outside the lock-up.
"Steer clear of that lot." Jack warned Carol and Katy as they approached.
"Thanks for the brotherly advice," the older woman said, "but I've got two bored kids to keep occupied. You'd be amazed at the power of a free balloon and a burger."
"Well what are you doing here?" Jack asked Katy. She shrugged.
"It's better than hanging around the flat all day." She told him causally. "Besides, I'm giving Carol a hand with the kids."
"Hmm…" Jack said, walking away. Carol gave Katy a little look, but the teenager just smiled innocently and went to sit between Liam and Tiff on the sofa. The boy, in the awkward early teenage stage, moved slightly further away, but Tiffany put her hands on Katy's stomach, feeling the baby kicking.
"Welcome to our launch party!" Eddie announced, only looking at Carol. Katy raised her eyebrows at the woman, who shot her a look. The teenager grinned.
"Yeah, well, these two wanted to come." She said quickly, pointing at her grandchildren. "I've had to leave Morgan with Pat to stop them killing each other."
"Younger generation… what are they like?" Eddie asked, glancing at the three of them on the sofa.
"We don't know we're born!" Tiffany said, obviously repeating something she'd been told. Katy snorted with laughter, as did Eddie.
"Right, Liam," he said decisively, "d'you wanna light the barbeque?"
"Too right!" The boy said, jumping up quickly. Apparently he was glad to have an excuse not to sit next to Katy anymore. She grinned as he almost tripped over her feet and then went bright red as he put a hand on her knee to steady himself. "Sorry…" He muttered.
"And you can help me cook." Eddie told Tiffany, who grinned.
"Yes!"
Eddie walked over to talk to Carol. "Seeing as you're responsible for us being here you can be the guest of honour." He told her. Behind him, Katy winked at Carol who's face twitched as though she was about to glare at the teenager.
Instead, she smiled at him. "Well, I can't refuse then."
As he wandered away, Carol moved to sit beside Katy on the sofa. She raised an eyebrow at the girl who gazed back blankly.
"What?" Katy asked.
"So… why are you really here?"
Katy shrugged. "Like I said, it was boring in the flat."
"Alright…" Carol said shrugging as well. "Whatever."
She watched as Tyler walked out of the lock-up and glanced over to where they were sitting. He grinned as he spotted Katy, who smiled back, before returning her gaze to her lap. Then she looked back up at Carol who was smiling knowingly.
"What?" The teenager demanded, working very hard to keep the grin off her face. Carol just shook her head.
