Behind a Closed Door (The Estate, Book 2) by Mel Sherratt

into her thoughts.
    ‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ Kelly told her with a smile. Emily had become obsessed with a set of pink teddy bear books that Dot had given to her.
    It took them another ten minutes to walk to Mitchell Academy. Once she’d found the right way along the corridors, Kelly pushed open a door. The room was as bright as you would imagine: toys piled high, spilling out of red and green plastic boxes. Above them hung a colourful collection of alphabet letters made out of cardboard and screwed up pieces of crepe paper. Kelly spotted roughly fifteen children walking around in a circle, singing and shouting ‘ring-a-roses’ before stooping down on the floor. Emily’s eyes lit up as one of the leaders let go of a child’s hand and beckoned for her to join in. Immediately, her coat was unzipped and pressed into her mother’s arms.
    Feeling like a spare part as her daughter jumped up and down and pretended to sneeze, Kelly moved to the side of the room where there were four other women standing in a huddle. The one nearest to her nudged one of the others and they all turned to look. Kelly felt her stomach somersault until one of them smiled at her.
    ‘Hiya, I’m Leah Bradley, Samuel’s mum,’ she said. Like most of the women in the room, Leah was in her early twenties. She had red hair tied in a ponytail and a freckly complexion. Kelly turned to look at the children, instantly recognising Samuel among the many blondes and brunettes.
    ‘And I’m Sadie, Kurt’s mum,’ her companion said loudly over the shouting, as the children moved on to other things. On first glance, Kelly couldn’t tell which boy would be Kurt. Sadie was at least six foot tall, with three inch heels that made it painful for Kelly to look her in the eye. Her thin arms stuck out from the end of rolled-up sleeves.
    Kelly smiled back shyly. ‘My daughter’s name is Emily and she’s four. I’m Kelly.’
    ‘Where are you from?’
    ‘I’ve moved into Clarence Avenue.’ Kelly caught the look of disgust that shot from Leah to Sadie. ‘I used to be in Patrick Street, at the bottom of the estate,’ she added quickly.
    ‘Did I see you with Jay Kirkwell the other day?’ Sadie’s bird-like eyes flitted down to Kelly’s toes and back up to her face before she nodded, now convinced. ‘Yeah, it was you. At the DIY shop – he was carrying some boxes.’
    ‘How come you moved out of Patrick Street?’ Leah asked, before Kelly had time to reply to Sadie.
    ‘It’s a long story.’
    ‘I’ll bet it is.’ In a flash, Leah had turned to the others and filled them in on her thoughts. Suddenly, they all turned away. Kelly was left to look awkward again.
    ‘Who do I have to pay my money to?’
    ‘I shouldn’t think someone who lives in Clarence Avenue would have the money to pay,’ said one of the other women.
    ‘I always pay my way, you cheeky cow!’ retorted Kelly.
    ‘Hmm… and how do you manage that, I wonder?’ Leah laughed snidely. The other girls laughed with Leah so she continued. ‘Did Jay Kirkwell want paying too? What did you do for him in return for a favour?’
    Kelly wasn’t going to be judged by people who didn’t know her. She moved to a chair at the far end of the room. While Emily had a waterproof apron popped over her head, she took off her coat and pretended to be interested in some of the paintings on the walls.
    When they left the room an hour later, they stopped at the small coffee bar by the entrance. While they waited for their drinks, Kelly grabbed a prospectus. For the next fifteen minutes, with Emily engrossed in one of the books she’d brought along for her, she sipped her coffee and flicked through the pages. There was so much to choose from.
    Basic computer skills – she had those, surely. She knew how to surf the net and navigate around search engines. IT courses – no, she wasn’t technical.
    Cookery courses wouldn’t earn her any money. She’d never be able to rustle up anything