(Author's Note - I realised I had missed out an important plot point but, since I cannot edit these posts, I am putting it here. Please see this scene as taking place on the last Sunday mentioned. On Pixiv, it has been added in the correct place)

***

Looking at each other in shock, Josh and Laura both heard the loud shriek from upstairs. Panicking that someone had got hurt, their parental instincts going into over-drive and not caring which girl it was for the moment, they raced up the stairs and burst into Samantha’s room where, far from the scene of devastating injury they had feared, they found the girls hugging each other gleefully and dancing in a circle, both emitting high-pitched squeals of joy.

“What happened?” Josh asked, still confused. “Is everyone okay?”

“Remember the raffle at the fair?” Amelia broke off the hug and turned to him, eyes sparkling with excitement. “With the two school girls? Where you could win one of them for a private meal at Sidney’s?”

“Vaguely!” Josh teased, amused at the suggestion that it would be possible to forget such a thing.

“I won Sarah!” Amelia exclaimed in delight, clearly still processing the news of her good fortune herself. “The pretty blonde one! I won her! She called to tell me just now!”

“Oh wow!” Josh grinned. “Well, congratulations!” He reached out to hug her and she pressed against him, resting her chin on her chest as she looked up. “I want to eat her on Valentine’s Day!” she told him. “And I want you to come with me!”

“Just the two of us?” Josh chuckled a little nervously. “That’s a lot of meat for just…”

“No, silly!” Amelia giggled. “You and Laura, and my Mum and Dad too! And maybe some other friends. Pretty sure Sarah had as much meat as Sam!”

“Nice boobies too!” Samantha added with a giggle.

“Yeah! We can have one each!” Amelia promised Josh, immediately making the meal sound more like a date again. “And I will share her fillet with you!”

“Are you sure you want to share your prize with us?” Laura asked, feeling that it was the polite response, even if inside she was just as excited at the prospect as anyone else. “You don’t want to take your sister and her husband?”

“They’re getting me for their Christening barbecue!” she reminded them. “That will be a big family event. I do want my Mum and Dad to come, of course, but mostly I want this to be a meal with friends! It’s not like I’ve going to get another birthday party after all,” she observed, simply stating the fact rather than sounding in any way upset about it, “so this will be a sort of last party just for me!”

“It sounds lovely!” Laura agreed, joining in the hug and beckoning for Samantha to do likewise. “Definitely something we can all look forward to!”

“I do want to sit next to you, ‘though!” Amelia grinned slyly at Josh. “Don’t worry, your wife can sit on the other side!”

***