moment if he was assessing her in the same way.
‘I just thought I’d pop by and check you were settling in OK.’
‘Thanks,’ Laurie said, smiling. Then she remembered the blackened mess of the kitchen walls. You could faintly smell the smoke from the doorway.
‘Could you just wait here for a second?’ she said, her heart racing. She ducked back into the kitchen, leaving Aiden open-mouthed in surprise on the front step of his own home as she closed the door on him.
She dashed into the kitchen and scanned the shelves, then flung open the kitchen cupboards – eventually she located some air freshener under the sink and sprayed it liberally around the kitchen and into the living room. The blackened walls glared at her accusingly and the smell lingered. In the open-plan living area they were impossible to hide. Shit. She’d have to fix that, but there was no time now.
Laurie returned to the front door. ‘Sorry about that,’ she said. ‘I thought I heard the phone, but I must have imagined it.’ She stood blocking the doorway so that Aiden couldn’t see past her.
‘So I spoke to Rachel this morning,’ Laurie said, trying to divert attention. ‘Sounds like they are settling in well.’
‘Yes, she’s finding her feet, I think.’ Aiden was peeking behind her, presumably looking for an invite in and away from the freezing temperature outside.
‘Can I …?’ Aiden said. Laurie’s mind raced.
‘Give me a tour of the neighbourhood, and show me Bea’s cottage? I’d love that!’ Laurie said, grabbing her coat. ‘No time like the present, eh?’
CHAPTER 10
Thursday 30th November
‘Slow down, Zak,’ Rachel called out, as her son hurtled through Green Park on his bike, towards a group of elderly Japanese tourists. A delicate-looking lady with a white parasol clung on to her husband in fear as Zak whizzed past. ‘So sorry,’ Rachel called out. They smiled politely, but looked a little traumatised.
‘Zak!’ Milly called out, picking up pace on her own bike and catching up with him, holding the back of his bike to slow him down.
Rachel had had the idea for their outing on her way home from an early visit to Bea at the hospital. It had been a difficult morning – Bea looked tired and drawn, and the white, sterile ward was quieter than usual. The first batch of tests had proved inconclusive, so the doctors had booked Bea in for an MRI scan later that morning. As she approached the block Rachel thought of Zak and Milly cooped up in the flat. They’d perked up when she’d given them their Advent calendars to open the following day – but they were due an outing, they’d hardly seen London beyond the hospital and flat yet.
‘Morning,’ Bill called out as she passed. He was in his front yard, putting a bike chain back on.
‘Morning,’ she’d replied.
‘Are you staying next door?’ he asked, readjusting the striped woolly hat on his head slightly. ‘In Lily’s block?’
‘This one here,’ she pointed at it. ‘Yes. Yes we are.’
‘Tell her Bill says hello,’ he smiled. ‘It’s been a while.’
‘Sure – when I meet her,’ Rachel said. Laurie had mentioned a Lily, hadn’t she? ‘Actually, Bill, could I ask you a question?’
‘Of course you can,’ he said, getting to his feet slowly. ‘What can I help with?’
‘You look like the local expert. Is there anywhere I could rent bikes around here, so the kids can see a bit of the city?’
‘You can borrow those blue ones in town, pretty handy. But they’re just for grown-ups. You’ve got a little one, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, Zak. He’s six.’
‘Borrow this one for him.’ Bill hauled over a small BMX from a stack of bikes behind him. ‘It’s my grandson’s, but he’s at school today, won’t be needing it.’
‘That’s really kind,’ Rachel said, imagining how Zak’s face would light up on seeing it.
As Zak bombed down in the direction of Buckingham Palace, out of his sister’s reach, Rachel
‘I just thought I’d pop by and check you were settling in OK.’
‘Thanks,’ Laurie said, smiling. Then she remembered the blackened mess of the kitchen walls. You could faintly smell the smoke from the doorway.
‘Could you just wait here for a second?’ she said, her heart racing. She ducked back into the kitchen, leaving Aiden open-mouthed in surprise on the front step of his own home as she closed the door on him.
She dashed into the kitchen and scanned the shelves, then flung open the kitchen cupboards – eventually she located some air freshener under the sink and sprayed it liberally around the kitchen and into the living room. The blackened walls glared at her accusingly and the smell lingered. In the open-plan living area they were impossible to hide. Shit. She’d have to fix that, but there was no time now.
Laurie returned to the front door. ‘Sorry about that,’ she said. ‘I thought I heard the phone, but I must have imagined it.’ She stood blocking the doorway so that Aiden couldn’t see past her.
‘So I spoke to Rachel this morning,’ Laurie said, trying to divert attention. ‘Sounds like they are settling in well.’
‘Yes, she’s finding her feet, I think.’ Aiden was peeking behind her, presumably looking for an invite in and away from the freezing temperature outside.
‘Can I …?’ Aiden said. Laurie’s mind raced.
‘Give me a tour of the neighbourhood, and show me Bea’s cottage? I’d love that!’ Laurie said, grabbing her coat. ‘No time like the present, eh?’
CHAPTER 10
Thursday 30th November
‘Slow down, Zak,’ Rachel called out, as her son hurtled through Green Park on his bike, towards a group of elderly Japanese tourists. A delicate-looking lady with a white parasol clung on to her husband in fear as Zak whizzed past. ‘So sorry,’ Rachel called out. They smiled politely, but looked a little traumatised.
‘Zak!’ Milly called out, picking up pace on her own bike and catching up with him, holding the back of his bike to slow him down.
Rachel had had the idea for their outing on her way home from an early visit to Bea at the hospital. It had been a difficult morning – Bea looked tired and drawn, and the white, sterile ward was quieter than usual. The first batch of tests had proved inconclusive, so the doctors had booked Bea in for an MRI scan later that morning. As she approached the block Rachel thought of Zak and Milly cooped up in the flat. They’d perked up when she’d given them their Advent calendars to open the following day – but they were due an outing, they’d hardly seen London beyond the hospital and flat yet.
‘Morning,’ Bill called out as she passed. He was in his front yard, putting a bike chain back on.
‘Morning,’ she’d replied.
‘Are you staying next door?’ he asked, readjusting the striped woolly hat on his head slightly. ‘In Lily’s block?’
‘This one here,’ she pointed at it. ‘Yes. Yes we are.’
‘Tell her Bill says hello,’ he smiled. ‘It’s been a while.’
‘Sure – when I meet her,’ Rachel said. Laurie had mentioned a Lily, hadn’t she? ‘Actually, Bill, could I ask you a question?’
‘Of course you can,’ he said, getting to his feet slowly. ‘What can I help with?’
‘You look like the local expert. Is there anywhere I could rent bikes around here, so the kids can see a bit of the city?’
‘You can borrow those blue ones in town, pretty handy. But they’re just for grown-ups. You’ve got a little one, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, Zak. He’s six.’
‘Borrow this one for him.’ Bill hauled over a small BMX from a stack of bikes behind him. ‘It’s my grandson’s, but he’s at school today, won’t be needing it.’
‘That’s really kind,’ Rachel said, imagining how Zak’s face would light up on seeing it.
As Zak bombed down in the direction of Buckingham Palace, out of his sister’s reach, Rachel
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