The Startling Inaccuracy of the First Impression

by A. E. Radley

  “He adores you.” Katie smiled kindly.

  “I adore him,” Verity agreed, “but I never wanted to be a parent. Or a grandparent. I love him with all my heart, but I need time away from him so I can continue to be the person he wants me to be. Too much time and I get overwhelmed.”

  “He is quite a lot,” Katie agreed.

  “He is.”

  “I have to ask,” Katie continued. “Callum is your great-nephew… so he is your…?”

  “Mary is my older brother’s only child. He had Mary when he was young, became a grandfather when he was forty-eight. But he died two years later.”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. He had heart problems. He had a heart attack and was in hospital for about a year before he passed. He—John—and Mary and her husband all lived up near Watford. When John passed, Mary decided to move down here. She wanted a change, and she wanted to ensure that Callum had family nearby. So I had to step into a sort of grandmother role, which I’m terrible at, but I’m aware I’m the closest thing Callum has got.”

  “You’re a fantastic grandmother figure,” Katie argued. “Far too young to be one, but you’re a good one. What happened to Mary’s mum? Your sister-in-law?”

  “Oh, she died many years ago when Mary was seven. It was John and Mary for a long time. Now I’m trying to be a mother figure to her, with varying results.” Verity looked down at her phone. “Anyway, as I say, she has plenty of people who can pick Callum up.”

  “Bring him here,” Katie suggested.

  “Here?”

  “Why not? I like talking gibberish with him; you can look after both of us. Two birds, one stone.” Katie grinned.

  Verity considered it for a moment. It wouldn’t take long to pick Callum up from the school and bring him back. Katie would definitely be okay on her own for that length of time, and Callum would no doubt love to talk more with Katie.

  “Very well, but I warn you, he’s in a phase where he finds much humour in calling people ‘poo’, and I don’t mean as in Christopher Robin’s friend.”

  Katie snorted a laugh.

  “But I see you’ll both get on just fine,” Verity added with a small shake of her head.

  19

  From the Upstairs Ogre to a Lifesaver

  Katie forlornly looked at eBay, scrolling through listings of bikes on the off chance she saw her own. She knew it was extremely unlikely, but she felt as though she had to look.

  She was almost over the shock of what had happened and was now firmly in the anger part of her recovery. She was angry that someone had attacked her, angry that someone had taken her bike, angry that someone had taken so much more from her than just a vehicle, and furious that someone had almost taken her life.

  She’d never been seriously injured before. Of course, she’d suffered all the usual childhood cuts and bruises, but she’d never even broken anything. She’d never had a hospital stay, never had an operation.

  Some random stranger had put her through the worst experience of her life, and they presumably had her bike.

  She continued to scroll through the many, many bike listings. In some ways she wanted to see her bike up for sale so that she could inform the police and have the person arrested and get her property back. In another way, she really didn’t want to have been mugged by someone stupid enough to put the bike on eBay and get caught.

  She closed the lid of her laptop and let out a sigh.

  It was better not to dwell on it, she knew that. She had to look forward to what she would do next, not back at what had happened. She’d never be able to move on if she kept checking sales listings on the very rare chance she’d see her bike again.

  She looked at her watch. Verity had been gone for around thirty minutes; she’d be back within another ten.

  Verity Forsyth had undergone a complete transformation in Katie’s mind, from the upstairs ogre to a lifesaver.

  Katie didn’t know how she would ever repay her. If such a thing was even possible.

  The first two days had been very hard for Katie. She was scared, confused, and in pain. Everything she did or thought about seemed sluggish. Her body hurt—not just the stab wound but everywhere, from bruises caused by the attack, to muscles attempting to take the strain of the new way she was forced to walk.

  Of course, her healing wasn’t helped by the fact that Katie wanted everything to go faster and had pushed herself too soon. She hated feeling useless and took on more than she should time and time again in the hope that mind over matter would eventually kick in.

  It hadn’t.

  Each time she pushed herself too far, she ended up in more pain and utterly exhausted.

  And each time, Verity was there to help.

  Verity, who Katie had wanted to leave on the first evening. Had expected to leave on the first evening.

  But she hadn’t. She’d kept coming back, cooking meals, helping Katie to sit up or lie down, walking with her in small laps around the living room to get her strength up.

  Katie dreaded to think what kind of state she’d be in if Verity hadn’t been there to help.

  As the cloud of pain medication and exhaustion started to lift, Katie realised Verity wasn’t the person she thought she was.

  She was warm, caring, and stubborn as a mule, which was exactly what Katie needed. Every time Katie said she was fine, Verity looked at her with a raised eyebrow and made no move to leave.

  Even after Katie had groceries delivered the day before, Verity hung around. The kitchen was fully stocked and Katie could technically manage on her own, but Verity insisted she stay a little while longer.

  No timescales were ever mentioned.

  Katie liked and disliked that fact in equal measure. She enjoyed the hope that Verity would be there the next day, but she also worried that day would be the last.

  It had surprised Katie how quickly she had come to rely on someone, and she was positively shocked that person was Verity.

  She heard distant chatter and realised that Verity and Callum were walking up the garden path. A few moments later she heard the key in the lock and then the sound of little feet barrelling through the hallway.

  “Katie!” Callum called out.

  Katie chuckled, holding her side with a wince.

  He burst into the living room and looked at her with a big smile.

  “Auntie Vere said we are keeping you company because you’re sick,” he informed her.

  “Wow, that’s great news,” Katie replied.

  He hesitantly walked closer to the sofa, eyeing her with suspicion. “I’ve got to be careful.”

  Katie gestured to her side. “Yes, I’ve hurt myself, so I have to be careful how I sit. And I’m not allowed to laugh, so don’t tell any funny jokes.”

  Callum’s face creased into laughter. “Poo!”

  The word exploded from him as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard and he just couldn’t contain it a second longer. He collapsed onto the floor in giggles.

  “Callum!” Verity chastised him, walking into the room. “What have I told you about saying that?”

  Katie got a hold of herself and stopped chuckling. In her defence, it had been pretty funny.

  “Sorry,” Callum said, clearly not at all sorry.

  Verity folded her arms and glared at them both. Katie assumed it was supposed to be authoritative, but it was actually quite sexy. She definitely wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end of that look in the future.

  She stopped smiling and felt her cheeks heat up.

  Where did that come from? she wondered.

  Verity was an extremely attractive woman, but Katie hadn’t thought of her in that way before. It was a bolt from the blue.

  “Whoa, what are those?” Callum asked, still rolling on the floor, but looking up at the huge shelving unit that towered above him.

  “Shelves,” Katie told him.

  “Why are they empty?”

  Katie didn�
��t have an answer for that. She was aware that the room probably looked a little silly with the enormous, barren shelving unit, but she had no idea what to put on them, and so they remained empty.

  “Callum, go and wash your hands,” Verity told him. “You touched every wall on the way home, and we don’t want to get Katie sick.”

  He picked himself up off the floor with a grumble. Verity told him where the bathroom was, and he stomped away.

  “Yes, Auntie Vere,” he said as he departed.

  “How come he calls you Auntie Vere?” Katie asked, desperate to take the focus off of her no doubt fuchsia cheeks. She was still thinking of Verity’s authoritative manner and how it would definitely make her weak at the knees in the right situation.

  “Because Aunt Verity makes me sound like I’m a hundred years old. All my friends call me Vere.”

  “I don’t call you Vere,” Katie said.

  “Maybe you should start?” Verity suggested.

  “I’ll give it a trial run,” Katie agreed with a grin.

  Callum walked back into the living room, his hands still dripping with water. “Washed them,” he announced.

  “Wonderful. Now go and dry them,” Verity told him.

  Callum heaved another hard-done-by sigh and turned around.

  “And then get some tissue to dry the floor, and then wash your hands again,” Verity told him. “And then dry them. Or we’ll be here all day.”

  Katie found herself watching Verity with a curiosity she hadn’t felt before. She briefly wondered at her sudden interest in the woman. Was she still under the influence of the mentally debilitating pain medication? Or had the medication been hiding the interest behind the haze it produced?

  “Are you okay?” Verity asked, concern etched on her face. “Can I get you something? Is it time for your medicine?”

  Katie shook her head. “I’m fine. Sorry, just daydreaming.”

  Verity looked at her for a few seconds, checking the validity of her words. Eventually she nodded and turned to watch Callum cleaning up the mess he’d made.

  “I’m so very happy with my life decisions,” Verity muttered to Katie as she watched the boy grumpily clean up.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think a little Verity running around would be cute,” Katie replied.

  Verity shivered. “No, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t know what to do with her.”

  “I think you would,” Katie said. “I think you’re the kind of person who can rise to any challenge.”

  Verity looked at her with a tight smile, and Katie instantly knew there was something behind it. It wasn’t the right time with Callum around, but Katie filed away a mental note.

  “Callum, Katie is terrible at Monopoly. How about we play a game of that and take all her money?” Verity asked.

  Katie laughed. “Excuse me, I was drugged and in a lot of pain when we played.”

  “I’ve never seen anyone attempt to sell a sock to buy a house on a street they don’t own, when it wasn’t their go. Are you up for another round?” Verity asked, a playful twinkle in her eye.

  “Yes, and this time I won’t take any prisoners,” Katie promised.

  “Good, sounds like fun.”

  20

  Mary Finds Out

  “Why are we running?” Callum asked.

  “We’re not running, darling, we’re… keeping warm,” Verity lied.

  She’d completely lost track of time, something which rarely, if ever, happened to her. She was so engrossed in the fun and games she was sharing with Callum and Katie that she didn’t even think to check her watch.

  It was Mary’s confused phone call that broke the mood. Not that Mary was upset, just worried that something had happened. Verity hated putting her in that situation. If she’d kept track of time, as she always did, then Callum would have been home by now.

  Instead, they were dashing along the streets.

  “I’m already warm,” Callum argued. “My arm hurts.”

  Verity blinked, realising that she was almost dragging the boy. Her long strides were no match for his little legs. She immediately slowed down.

  “I’m sorry, Callum.”

  “Are we very late?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, only about forty minutes.” She belatedly realised that her nephew had no idea what that meant; time wasn’t yet a construct that he entirely understood or cared about.

  “Are we in trouble?” he tried again.

  She stopped walking and crouched down in front of him. She smiled warmly and shook her head. “We’re not in trouble, and we’re not that late. I’m just being silly. Don’t you worry.” She tapped his nose with her finger to prove the point.

  He grinned and nodded.

  She stood up, took his hand again, and continued walking at a normal pace. The urge to speed along was still there, but she buried it in order to keep Callum happy.

  Verity was well aware that there were two reasons she wanted to hurry. Firstly, she was surprised that she had lost track of time. She’d always been an excellent timekeeper and loathed it when other people weren’t.

  Secondly, she wanted to get back to Katie. She wasn’t above admitting that. Even though Katie was getting better every day, she still needed her support. And Verity was happy to give it.

  “Can we play games with Katie again?” Callum asked.

  “Maybe,” Verity said, not wanting to make any promises she may have to break.

  While she was getting on tremendously well with Katie, she didn’t know how long that would last. There was a real possibility that Katie was only able to suffer her presence because of the strong pain medication she was on. When that cleared, maybe Katie would see sense and kick Verity out again.

  She didn’t think she could stand a return to their previous hostilities. Too much had happened. Katie was no longer the irritating, loud woman who lived downstairs. She’d become a friend in a very short amount of time. Verity was still processing what that meant and how it had come about.

  “Katie isn’t very good at Monopoly,” Callum said.

  “True. And she cheats.”

  “She still doesn’t win, though,” Callum pointed out.

  “That’s because cheats never prosper,” Verity said, happy for the excuse to insert an important life lesson into the conversation.

  “And tigers poo up trees,” Callum replied with a giggle.

  Thankfully, they had arrived, and Verity was close to being able to hand over her nephew to his mother. She could deal with the poo obsession that had firmly taken hold over the last two weeks.

  The door opened, and Mary gestured for them to both come in.

  “Callum, put your shoes away and then go and wash your hands for dinner,” Mary told him.

  Verity stood in the hallway. She didn’t make a move to remove her coat in order to demonstrate that she wouldn’t be staying.

  “So sorry we’re late.”

  “It’s not a problem. Sorry I interrupted whatever you two were doing,” Mary said, clearly fishing for information.

  “I wasn’t wearing my watch,” Verity lied.

  “Katie cheats at Monopoly,” Callum announced as he sat on the bottom step and pulled off a shoe.

  “Katie?” Mary asked.

  Damned child, Verity thought.

  “Auntie Vere’s friend downstairs,” Callum said.

  Verity’s cheeks heated at the fact she’d been caught out and at the questionable phrasing Callum had used.

  Mary looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

  “My neighbour,” Verity explained.

  “The one with the bike?” Mary asked.

  “Someone stole her bike,” Callum said.

  Mary gave Verity a very pointed look.

  “Not me!” Verity cried. “She was mugged.”

  Mary looked shocked. “Around here?”

  “Yes, on the corner of Beech Road. They ordered a McDonald’s Happy Meal, of all things. When she got there, they attacked her.” Ver
ity looked at Callum to check he wasn’t listening. She lowered her voice. “She was quite badly injured, so I’ve been helping her.”

  “I thought you hated her,” Mary said.

  “No, of course not,” Verity denied. Hate was a strong word.

  “She stole money from the bank,” Callum said as he walked into the downstairs bathroom to wash his hands.

  “In Monopoly,” Verity hastened to add.

  Mary kept her eyebrow raised as she regarded her aunt. “I see,” she said, a playful smile on her lips.

  “I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that,” Verity said.

  Mary continued to grin. “Just interesting that you’re playing Monopoly with your downstairs neighbour, who you used to dislike. A lot.”

  Verity kept quiet. She knew Mary was trying to get more information out of her, and she wasn’t about to fall for that trap.

  Mary was nosy and protective, a deadly combination. The less Verity told her, the better.

  “I better get back and let you get on with your evening meal,” Verity said.

  “You’re welcome to stay,” Mary offered.

  “Thank you, but no. I have something in the oven.”

  It was a blatant lie. The truth was she was going to prepare a meal that she suspected Katie would enjoy, but sharing that nugget of information with Mary seemed unwise.

  “Okay, thank you for picking him up and watching him,” Mary said. “What do you say to Auntie Vere, Callum?”

  “Thank you,” his voice floated from the bathroom. She’d long ago told Mary to stop forcing her son to give hugs and kisses whenever someone was leaving. Callum wasn’t all that touchy-feely, and Verity hated watching the poor boy struggle. A simple goodbye was enough.

  “No problem, see you both soon,” Verity said, already turning and putting her hand on the door handle.

  “Auntie Vere’s sandwich maker is in Katie’s kitchen,” Callum told his mother.

  Verity didn’t stop to defend the location of her kitchen equipment.

  21