Ethan? I’m dying to know how you’re getting on.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Riley pouted. ‘You haven’t even told me wonder boy’s name. I’m beginning to suspect that you’ve made him up.’
‘I haven’t!’ Ash shook her head. ‘It’s just early days yet. His name is Warwick.’
‘Warwick? That sounds . . . young.’
Ash threw a cushion at her and stood up. She walked across the room on her tiptoes, hips swaying, bottom sticking out, shoulders held high. She swivelled as a model would do and walked the few paces back to Riley, her right hand sticking up.
‘This is what you need to be concentrating on,’ she said, keeping her face straight until they both burst into laughter.
S adie stretched out her arms and yawned. She lifted her head up off the pillow. The room was fairly light as she glanced at the clock beside her. With a groan, she sat up quickly. She flicked the switch on and off but there was no power. Unexpected tears dropped down her face. This was all she needed after another night tossing and turning.
She checked her watch and shot out of bed.
‘Damn,’ she cursed. It was 8:30 a.m., the alarm hadn’t gone off and for some reason Esther had slept through, too. Most mornings Sadie would find her awake in her room, reading a book or playing on her tablet. Christine and Paul had treated her to one for Christmas. Esther loved taking photos and putting them into folders. She was getting quite good at it – although, when Esther wasn’t looking, Sadie had removed a few dodgy ones of herself that her daughter had taken.
‘Esther.’ She went into her room quickly. ‘Come on, poppet. The alarm didn’t go off and we’re late.’
Esther’s eyes opened. Just like her mum, she stretched her arms above her head and then sat up. ‘Is it a school day, Mummy?’ she asked.
‘Yes, it is.’ Sadie raced across to the wardrobe and took out a clean school uniform, laying it on the bottom of her bed. ‘Get dressed quickly.’
‘Why isn’t the electric on?’ Esther wanted to know.
‘I don’t know,’ Sadie replied patiently. ‘I’ll have to ring Cooper to see if he can sort it out for us.’
‘Yippee! Can Cooper take me to school?’
‘No, poppet. He has to go to work.’
‘But he is his own boss. That’s what he tells you, doesn’t he, Mummy?’
Sadie raised her eyes to the ceiling. It was exactly what Cooper kept telling her. When she worried that she was taking up too much of his time whenever she asked him to do anything for her, he would say he could work as he chose. She didn’t want to rely on him too much but this was one of those occasions when she had to ask for help. She missed her dad as much as Ross when there was something she couldn’t sort out for herself. And she certainly couldn’t afford to get an electrician out. There would be an astronomical emergency call-out charge, and what if it was something as simple as a blown fuse, that she could fix herself if she knew how? Cooper would show her what to do if the problem was easy to solve, in case it happened again.
Tears pricked her eyes − would she always feel this helpless?
By the time Cooper’s van pulled up outside the house, Sadie had managed to get in touch with Riley and explain that she would be late, praying that Suzanne wouldn’t choose this morning to do a spot check, as she often did. It seemed that the electric had been off for a few hours. If Cooper could get it back on soon, everything in the freezer might possibly be safe.
Esther was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal. Sadie was putting together a sandwich for her lunch box as Cooper knocked on the back door and came in.
‘You rang, madam?’ he spoke with a cheerful tone. Too cheerfully, for Sadie. Honestly, wasn’t the man ever miserable? Pushing her self-pity to one side, she greeted him with a smile.
‘Cooper!’ shouted Esther as she spotted him, getting down from the table and running at his legs. She
‘I don’t think so,’ Riley pouted. ‘You haven’t even told me wonder boy’s name. I’m beginning to suspect that you’ve made him up.’
‘I haven’t!’ Ash shook her head. ‘It’s just early days yet. His name is Warwick.’
‘Warwick? That sounds . . . young.’
Ash threw a cushion at her and stood up. She walked across the room on her tiptoes, hips swaying, bottom sticking out, shoulders held high. She swivelled as a model would do and walked the few paces back to Riley, her right hand sticking up.
‘This is what you need to be concentrating on,’ she said, keeping her face straight until they both burst into laughter.
S adie stretched out her arms and yawned. She lifted her head up off the pillow. The room was fairly light as she glanced at the clock beside her. With a groan, she sat up quickly. She flicked the switch on and off but there was no power. Unexpected tears dropped down her face. This was all she needed after another night tossing and turning.
She checked her watch and shot out of bed.
‘Damn,’ she cursed. It was 8:30 a.m., the alarm hadn’t gone off and for some reason Esther had slept through, too. Most mornings Sadie would find her awake in her room, reading a book or playing on her tablet. Christine and Paul had treated her to one for Christmas. Esther loved taking photos and putting them into folders. She was getting quite good at it – although, when Esther wasn’t looking, Sadie had removed a few dodgy ones of herself that her daughter had taken.
‘Esther.’ She went into her room quickly. ‘Come on, poppet. The alarm didn’t go off and we’re late.’
Esther’s eyes opened. Just like her mum, she stretched her arms above her head and then sat up. ‘Is it a school day, Mummy?’ she asked.
‘Yes, it is.’ Sadie raced across to the wardrobe and took out a clean school uniform, laying it on the bottom of her bed. ‘Get dressed quickly.’
‘Why isn’t the electric on?’ Esther wanted to know.
‘I don’t know,’ Sadie replied patiently. ‘I’ll have to ring Cooper to see if he can sort it out for us.’
‘Yippee! Can Cooper take me to school?’
‘No, poppet. He has to go to work.’
‘But he is his own boss. That’s what he tells you, doesn’t he, Mummy?’
Sadie raised her eyes to the ceiling. It was exactly what Cooper kept telling her. When she worried that she was taking up too much of his time whenever she asked him to do anything for her, he would say he could work as he chose. She didn’t want to rely on him too much but this was one of those occasions when she had to ask for help. She missed her dad as much as Ross when there was something she couldn’t sort out for herself. And she certainly couldn’t afford to get an electrician out. There would be an astronomical emergency call-out charge, and what if it was something as simple as a blown fuse, that she could fix herself if she knew how? Cooper would show her what to do if the problem was easy to solve, in case it happened again.
Tears pricked her eyes − would she always feel this helpless?
By the time Cooper’s van pulled up outside the house, Sadie had managed to get in touch with Riley and explain that she would be late, praying that Suzanne wouldn’t choose this morning to do a spot check, as she often did. It seemed that the electric had been off for a few hours. If Cooper could get it back on soon, everything in the freezer might possibly be safe.
Esther was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal. Sadie was putting together a sandwich for her lunch box as Cooper knocked on the back door and came in.
‘You rang, madam?’ he spoke with a cheerful tone. Too cheerfully, for Sadie. Honestly, wasn’t the man ever miserable? Pushing her self-pity to one side, she greeted him with a smile.
‘Cooper!’ shouted Esther as she spotted him, getting down from the table and running at his legs. She
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