Grouse Thicket king of the road

At first it sounded like she was saying no, and he hesitated a step. The more he listened the more it sounded like Niamh was trying to talk him out of it. Was this what Bruges expected? Had he been keeping tabs for a while, then, and assumed Ambrose couldn't even make it in the front door? The boy's spinal fur prickled in a wave as he considered this, coinciding with a feeling of irritation.

It's a lot of hard work, Niamh drawled.
He raised his brows at that.
Of course it is, but we've always been good at the hard stuff.

He wasn't going to be told off, or made to run for the hills, and she knew it. Ambrose wasn't going to accept anything aside from a warm welcome. I'll do whatever it takes. Red Rock didn't work out for me — those idiots were too young, too stupid, and all about the party. That isn't me, not really. And you know that. It made him feel weird having to convince his own sister, his best friend, that it would be worth a shot.