‘because this isn’t going to be a regular thing.’ It felt right to be back in his arms again.
‘The kids are upstairs,’ Rachel said, ‘they can’t wait to see you either.’
‘Great,’ he said. ‘Could you give me a hand with the bags?’ Aiden asked. ‘Milly’s weighs a ton.’ Rachel picked up a suitcase and shoulder bag and made her way to the stairs.
‘So how’s Mum?’ Aiden asked. ‘Any more news? I mean, I’ve talked to her on the phone, but she didn’t give much away. You know what Mum’s like.’ Rachel gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and touched his arm.
‘I saw her this morning,’ Rachel said. ‘They’re still doing tests, and a …’ She’d tell him about the MRI scan later. ‘Come upstairs and we’ll get you warmed up. Milly made a cake last night. Lemon drizzle.’
A glow started to return to Aiden’s cheeks. ‘Now you’re talking,’ he said, looking almost carefree for a moment.
‘How’s work been?’ Rachel asked, as they neared the front door. The lightness disappeared from his face.
‘Not great,’ he said. ‘All the structural stuff is done, but the interiors are a nightmare. Some of the builtin cabinets and shelves finally arrived from Italy, but a lot of the pieces were water-damaged in transit.’ He shook his head, an anxious expression on his face. ‘They’ve offered us a refund, but we’re running so close to the deadline on this. I haven’t let the client know yet. I’m just hoping we can sort out a replacement.’
Rachel stopped on the landing and put her hand on Aiden’s arm, giving him a gentle squeeze. ‘You’ll do it,’ she said. ‘You always find a way.’
‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘Anyway, what’s the place like?’ he asked. ‘Laurie never really struck me as the domestic type.’
‘It’s nice,’ Rachel replied. It was nice – just not really how she would have decorated. With the white walls and monochrome furniture, lack of cushions and curtains and no photos of friends and family up on the walls, the flat was a little bare. Aiden caught the hesitation in her voice. ‘It’s very stylish but not much like the cottage,’ Rachel said, tucking back a stray strand of her hair.
‘You’ve always been so different,’ Aiden said, with a gentle laugh. ‘Funny how you ended up being friends. Mind you, she’s changed a bit, hasn’t she? I stopped by at the cottage and we went back to Mum’s house and had a glass of wine there, had a chat, talked about old times and all that.’ A faint smile came back to Aiden’s face. ‘She’s really glamorous now, isn’t she? She looked like she was going to a club, walking along in her high heels … If those blokes who picked on her at school could see her now, they’d be sorry, wouldn’t they?’
Rachel suppressed a pang of jealousy. It was true – Laurie was the archetypal swan. Back at Hawley Comprehensive, she was the half-Spanish girl who’d turned up in a baggy pink tracksuit with a gold scrunchie holding her hair back. Nowadays, poised and elegant, it was as if she were cut from a different cloth. Rachel concentrated now on turning the key in the lock.
‘Skipley won’t know what’s hit it,’ Aiden added.
Rachel pushed open the door and could already hear Zak dashing over. ‘Dad!’ Zak called out, rushing into the hallway, his hands and apron colourful with paint. Milly followed, stepping into her father’s welcoming arms and hugging him. Zak joined in the hug, grabbing hold of his dad and leaving colourful handprints all over his white shirt.
As they got ready to go to the hospital, Rachel grabbed some bananas from the fruit bowl for them to eat on the way.
‘We’ll have a proper family dinner when we get back,’ she said to Aiden. ‘I made some shepherd’s pie.’
‘Great,’ Aiden said, zipping up Zak’s anorak.
As she glanced back at the fruit bowl, Rachel spotted a beige fruit with an uneven surface.
‘What’s this?’ she asked,
‘The kids are upstairs,’ Rachel said, ‘they can’t wait to see you either.’
‘Great,’ he said. ‘Could you give me a hand with the bags?’ Aiden asked. ‘Milly’s weighs a ton.’ Rachel picked up a suitcase and shoulder bag and made her way to the stairs.
‘So how’s Mum?’ Aiden asked. ‘Any more news? I mean, I’ve talked to her on the phone, but she didn’t give much away. You know what Mum’s like.’ Rachel gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and touched his arm.
‘I saw her this morning,’ Rachel said. ‘They’re still doing tests, and a …’ She’d tell him about the MRI scan later. ‘Come upstairs and we’ll get you warmed up. Milly made a cake last night. Lemon drizzle.’
A glow started to return to Aiden’s cheeks. ‘Now you’re talking,’ he said, looking almost carefree for a moment.
‘How’s work been?’ Rachel asked, as they neared the front door. The lightness disappeared from his face.
‘Not great,’ he said. ‘All the structural stuff is done, but the interiors are a nightmare. Some of the builtin cabinets and shelves finally arrived from Italy, but a lot of the pieces were water-damaged in transit.’ He shook his head, an anxious expression on his face. ‘They’ve offered us a refund, but we’re running so close to the deadline on this. I haven’t let the client know yet. I’m just hoping we can sort out a replacement.’
Rachel stopped on the landing and put her hand on Aiden’s arm, giving him a gentle squeeze. ‘You’ll do it,’ she said. ‘You always find a way.’
‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘Anyway, what’s the place like?’ he asked. ‘Laurie never really struck me as the domestic type.’
‘It’s nice,’ Rachel replied. It was nice – just not really how she would have decorated. With the white walls and monochrome furniture, lack of cushions and curtains and no photos of friends and family up on the walls, the flat was a little bare. Aiden caught the hesitation in her voice. ‘It’s very stylish but not much like the cottage,’ Rachel said, tucking back a stray strand of her hair.
‘You’ve always been so different,’ Aiden said, with a gentle laugh. ‘Funny how you ended up being friends. Mind you, she’s changed a bit, hasn’t she? I stopped by at the cottage and we went back to Mum’s house and had a glass of wine there, had a chat, talked about old times and all that.’ A faint smile came back to Aiden’s face. ‘She’s really glamorous now, isn’t she? She looked like she was going to a club, walking along in her high heels … If those blokes who picked on her at school could see her now, they’d be sorry, wouldn’t they?’
Rachel suppressed a pang of jealousy. It was true – Laurie was the archetypal swan. Back at Hawley Comprehensive, she was the half-Spanish girl who’d turned up in a baggy pink tracksuit with a gold scrunchie holding her hair back. Nowadays, poised and elegant, it was as if she were cut from a different cloth. Rachel concentrated now on turning the key in the lock.
‘Skipley won’t know what’s hit it,’ Aiden added.
Rachel pushed open the door and could already hear Zak dashing over. ‘Dad!’ Zak called out, rushing into the hallway, his hands and apron colourful with paint. Milly followed, stepping into her father’s welcoming arms and hugging him. Zak joined in the hug, grabbing hold of his dad and leaving colourful handprints all over his white shirt.
As they got ready to go to the hospital, Rachel grabbed some bananas from the fruit bowl for them to eat on the way.
‘We’ll have a proper family dinner when we get back,’ she said to Aiden. ‘I made some shepherd’s pie.’
‘Great,’ Aiden said, zipping up Zak’s anorak.
As she glanced back at the fruit bowl, Rachel spotted a beige fruit with an uneven surface.
‘What’s this?’ she asked,
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