by Sarah Hope
‘It would still be nice to make friends here and get to know people though, wouldn’t it? Otherwise, school is going to be a very boring place. Why don’t you just go in tomorrow with an open mind and try to get to know people?’
‘Umm, I guess.’
‘Good, I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better about it all.’ Looking over at Lauren, she squeezed her arm. ‘I’m proud of you, you know that, don’t you?’
‘I’ve not done anything yet.’ Pulling her arm out from Molly’s, Lauren chewed her fingernail. ‘Look, Ellis has found a dog.’
Shielding her eyes with her hand, Molly focused in on Ellis, who was now kneeling down and stroking what looked like a golden Labrador. ‘Oh, so he has. However many times I tell him to ask the owners before petting a dog, he doesn’t listen.’
‘That one looks friendly enough, and I don’t know if there’s an owner around. He might be lost.’ Picking up her pace, Lauren jogged towards Ellis, bending down next to him and fussing over the dog.
Hanging back, Molly watched as Ellis and Lauren fussed over the dog, who by the looks of it was in his element, wagging his tail and circling them both. Maybe they should get a one? They’d always wanted a dog. Especially Ellis. And now with the countryside just outside their front door and her not going out to work, it could be perfect. She could get a baby gate on the shop’s kitchen door and have the back door open into the courtyard for it to roam in the courtyard and kitchen. It wasn’t as though she was selling food or anything. Yes, she was making tea and coffee for the Knit and Natter group but surely that would be fine. Yes, maybe a dog would complete their little family and make this place feel like home.
‘Rocco!’
Walking towards Lauren and Ellis, Molly watched as a man holding a lead ran towards them. Pausing in her tracks, she realised it was Richie. Richie must be the dog’s owner. Walking slowly up to them, she hoped the blush she could feel creeping across her cheeks wasn’t noticeable and cleared her throat. ‘Richie, hi.’
‘Molly!’ Clipping Rocco’s lead onto his collar, Richie straightened his back and indicated Rocco. ‘Hi, I’m so sorry that Rocco ran up like that. He’s not learnt to respect people’s personal space yet, have you, Rocco?’
‘It’s okay, Lauren and Ellis love dogs.’
‘Even so, he needs to learn. He’s my daughter’s dog, really. We got him from a rescue a couple of months back so I’m trying to complete his training but, unfortunately, when he’s off the lead and sees someone interesting he tends to go deaf. Hence why I take him out here rather than letting him off at the park with the other dogs.’
‘He’s lovely.’ Bending down, Molly patted Rocco as he put his front paws on her knees.
‘We think so. Even if he can be a bit of a pest.’
‘Aw, he’s not a pest, are you, Rocco?’ Ellis looked up at Richie. ‘Is that his ball?’
‘Yes, yes, it is. Do you want to throw it for him?’ Richie looked across at Molly. ‘If that’s okay with you, of course?’
Molly nodded. ‘Yes, that’s fine.’
‘Right, let me take his lead back off then and you can throw the ball for him. I’ll warn you though, he’s quite fast, you won’t get much rest between throws!’
‘That’s okay.’ Grinning, Ellis took the ball and waited for Richie to unclip Rocco’s lead.
‘There you go then.’
‘Ready, Rocco?’ Bringing his arm back, Ellis propelled the ball forwards, watching as Rocco chased it. Running ahead, Ellis took the ball again as Rocco retrieved it.
‘Take turns with Lauren, please.’ Molly grinned as Lauren jogged forwards and took the ball from Ellis.
Matching Molly’s pace, Richie walked alongside her. ‘You okay, then?’
‘Yes, thanks and thanks for sorting out that poster. I only noticed after you’d gone.’ Pulling her hair over her shoulder, she glanced at him.
‘You’re very welcome.’ Grinning, Richie touched her briefly on the elbow. ‘If you ever need anything, just shout.’
‘Thank you. That means a lot.’ Looking down at the ground in front of her, she felt the heat rising to her cheeks again.
‘So, are the kids looking forward to starting their new schools tomorrow?’
‘Ellis seems okay about the whole thing. I think he sees it as a bit of an adventure now. Lauren, on the other hand, isn’t looking forward to it one bit.’
‘I suppose it’s probably a bit more intimidating being the new kid in a secondary than it is a primary. Plus, I guess at that age, friends are a massive part of her life.’
‘You’re right. That’s what has upset her most, I think. It hasn’t helped that another girl has seemed to just take her place in the group she used to hang around in. It just makes me feel so guilty for taking her out of a school she loved, but I just couldn’t have made everything work back in Tipston.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be fine. My daughter goes there, and she loves it.’
‘I hope so.’ Swallowing, she tried to stop imagining everything that could go wrong tomorrow. It was such a big day for both Lauren and Ellis. ‘I really do hope we can make a life for ourselves here. A happy life. One that’ll make all the upheaval worth it.’
‘As parents, we have to make some tough calls, don’t we?’ Pulling a plastic boomerang out of his back pocket, he threw it to Lauren. ‘Hey, Lauren, Rocco likes to play with this too.’
‘Okay, cool. Thanks.’ Catching it deftly in her right hand, Lauren immediately threw it in front of her and watched as Rocco bounded forwards, jumped and caught it between his teeth.
‘We sure do.’
‘My daughter has decided she wants to come and live with me and now I have to decide whether to say yes and annoy her mother or say no and break both her heart and mine. I want to say yes, and, of course, I will. I’ve always wanted her to live with me anyway and want her to know I’m always there for her, but I’m not looking forward to the fallout from my ex.’
‘Ah, you’re in a bit of a tricky position then.’
‘I sure am. She’s coming to stay with me this week anyway because Diane, my ex, is off to Spain with a couple of friends until Friday but I don’t think Diane has a clue that she might not be going back to live with her.’
‘What do you think she’ll say?’
‘I’m not sure. It will be for the best thing for our daughter because Diane spends most evenings out with her mates or latest bloke. So it makes sense for her to come and live with me. It will mean that she won’t be spending the evenings on her own and, in truth, it will make Diane’s life easier, but I don’t think she’s going to take it well and I think it’s me that’s going to get the blame.’
‘I can understand how devastated she’ll be. It’s every divorced parent’s worst nightmare, but it’s not your fault. Ultimately, it’s your daughter’s decision.’
‘She’ll be hurt, sure, but I don’t think she’ll be devastated. She’s never had much patience with our daughter. Diane’s always treated her more of an inconvenience than anything else. Obviously, I’ve never, and would never, say that to Diane or our daughter, but this has been coming for years now.’
‘Will she go to her mum’s at the weekends?’
‘Yes, she’ll probably go every weekend, to begin with at least. And, to be honest, that’ll probably suit Diane quite well.’
‘That’s something then. I’m sure it will all work out.’ Looking across at him, Molly could see he was frowning. Even though he never spoke very highly of his ex, he obviously still cared about her. Cared enough that he was worried about upsetting her by letting their daughter move in with him.
‘The things we go through for our kids, hey?’
‘Umm.’ Had she done enough to fight for what Lauren and Ellis had wanted? Had she done enough to try to stay in their old home? She’d certainly tried. Yes, the solicitor she’d hired to fight Trevor in court hadn’t been great, but he’d been the best Molly had been able to afford at the time. Pinching the top of h
er nose, Molly watched Lauren and Ellis as they walked ahead of them, running to pick up Rocco’s ball and boomerang while the dog darted in and out of the crops, probably chasing birds. She’d done what she could have at the time and she’d made the best decision available to her. They’d had to move, and that had been out of her control. What she could do now, though, was to make sure she built a happy home and life for them here.
‘Mum, watch how fast he can go!’ Running back to them, Ellis raised his right arm and threw the ball, watching as it propelled through the air before bouncing across the ground. ‘Rocco! Come and fetch the ball!’
‘He’s disappeared!’ Laughing, Molly held her hand to her face, shielding her eyes from the sun.
‘He’ll come. Keep watching, Mum! Rocco!’
Pausing, Molly turned her head as the corn to the side of her waved from side to side. She watched as Rocco bounded out from the crops and, in a flash, ran to grab the ball before carrying it back to Ellis.
‘See!’
‘Well done, mate. You’ve got him better trained than me already.’ Laughing, Richie gave him the thumbs up. ‘Now, just to get him to realise that not all farmers appreciate a big lump like him racing through their crops and flattening them.’
‘Oh, that’s a point.’
‘Yep, it’s just a good job I happened to retrieve some farm equipment for Dave, the bloke who owns the farm, last summer, so I hope he’s not going to chase me and Rocco off his land.’
Smiling, Molly looked across at Richie. ‘I see it pays to be a police officer then!’
‘Sometimes, yes.’
‘Right, kids, we’d better get a wriggle on and turn back for home now.’
‘Oh, can we come for a walk with Rocco again another time?’ Ellis dragged his feet as he walked back towards them.
Molly looked across at Richie. ‘You’ll have to ask Richie.’
‘Can we, please?’
‘Yes, of course, you can. Anyone who likes to play fetch with Rocco is always welcome to come for a walk with us.’
‘Yay! Thanks, Richie. When? When can we come on a walk again?’
‘Ellis, give Richie a break.’ Lauren walked back towards them, pulling her mobile out from her back pocket.
‘It’s okay. It would be lovely to go on another walk with you all.’ Richie grinned and winked at Molly. ‘Look, I’m going to pop into the pub for a quick pint on the way back. Did you want to join us? They do a mean fruit smoothie for the kids.’
‘We’d better not, thanks though, but we’ve still got quite a bit to do to get ready for school tomorrow.’ Avoiding eye contact with Ellis, Molly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
‘Maybe another time then. I’m going to keep heading forwards to the pub then. I’ll hopefully see you soon. Bye, kids. I hope you both have a great day at school tomorrow.’
‘Thanks. Bye.’ Turning around, Molly led the way back along the bridleway.
‘Why did you say no? Why couldn’t we go and get a smoothie?’ Running to keep up with his mum, Ellis’ lip wobbled.
‘We’ve just got a lot to do when we get back, that’s all.’ Why had she turned him down? It might have been nice to meet some other people from the village and it would have been nice to spend some more time getting to know Richie. Molly shook her head. She still had the dinner to make, the school uniforms to iron. It would no doubt take a long time to get the creases out of them after being shoved in a box for the move.
‘Oh.’ Looking down, Ellis kicked at a stone.
‘We’ll go another time. I promise.’ Ruffling Ellis’ hair, Molly bit down on her bottom lip.
Chapter Eleven
‘Have you got your bottle?’ Grabbing the car keys from the hook, Molly glanced behind her.
‘I’ll buy one there.’ Looking in the mirror, Lauren brushed her hair for the fiftieth time that morning.
‘Why? Please take your bottle, Lauren. I can’t afford to give you money to buy a bottle of water every day, especially being as we have perfectly good water here. Plus, think about all the plastic you’ll be saving by taking your own bottle.’
‘Okay, okay. I’ll take the thing if it means so much to you.’ Slamming the hairbrush down on the shelf, Lauren stomped up the stairs towards the flat.
‘Hurry up, Lauren. You’re going to make me late for school.’ Pulling his shoes on, Ellis looked up. ‘Mum, she’s going to make me late. I don’t want to be late, not on my first day.’
‘No, she won’t. We’ve got ages yet.’ Looking at her watch, Molly grimaced. As long as they left in the next three minutes, they’d be fine.
LEANING ACROSS, MOLLY patted Lauren on the arm. ‘You’ll be fine. Remember, keep your head up and your shoulders back and smile!’
‘Whatever.’ Shrugging her mum’s hand from her arm, Lauren opened the car door and slipped out.
‘Are we going now?’
‘Yes, one moment, Ellis. I just want to make sure she gets in okay.’ Peering across the layby, Molly watched as Lauren weaved through the groups of teenagers loitering on the path, through the tall green gates and into the waiting crowds on the playground. Head up, Lauren, keep your head up. Fake the confidence.
‘Mum, can we now, please? I really don’t want to have to walk into my new class late.’
Molly shook her head and clicked the indicator on before pulling out into the road. ‘Are you excited?’
‘A bit. I want to see if they have art clubs. Do you think they have clubs I can go to? I really liked the art club at my old school. Do you think they’ll be an art club I can join?’
‘They might do, do you want me to ask at the office?’
‘No, it’s okay. They might tell us in assembly or something. If not, I’ll ask the teacher.’
‘Good idea.’ When had he grown up so much? As the traffic slowed down, Molly indicated and pulled onto a side road. ‘Here we go, this is the closest I can get so we’ll have to walk the rest of the way.’
‘Oh, but I’ll be late.’
‘We would have been if we’d stayed in that traffic jam. Look, it’s hardly moving. It looks as though everyone’s trying to get as close to the school door as possible. We’ll be much quicker walking from here.’ Pulling the sun visor down, Molly checked her reflection in the small mirror. Damn, she’d forgotten to put her makeup on. She rolled her eyes. Of all the days to forget. ‘Right, come on then.’
BACK IN THE CAR, MOLLY ran her fingers through her hair. They’d be fine. She knew they would be. Loads of children moved schools. It wasn’t really as big of a deal as she’d made it up in her head to be, was it? Children were resilient, that’s what everyone said. They’d be fine.
Turning the ignition, Molly swallowed the bile rising to the back of her throat. They’d make friends. They’d enjoy it. They’d both always been quite sociable children. They’d always enjoyed school and clubs they’d been to. They’d be fine. Now, to get through the next six hours until she could pick them up and find out how their days had gone.
LOOKING UP, MOLLY CHECKED the time on the clock above the button shelf. It was half twelve – lunchtime would be starting. Tapping her pen against the top of the counter, Molly picked up her mobile. There were no messages. She hadn’t had even one text from Lauren to say school was going okay. She’d text her now, though, wouldn’t she? Now it was lunchtime, she would let Molly know how it was going.
Scrolling through to Lauren’s name, Molly rolled her eyes. No, she would not call her. She couldn’t. If she was with people, Lauren would never forgive her, not for embarrassing her on her first day at her new school. It wasn’t worth the risk.
‘Afternoon, Molly.’
‘Hello again, Gladys.’ Looking up, Molly smiled. ‘How are you today?’
‘I’m just fine, thank you. I’ve just popped in for a couple of crochet hooks. I’ve got my two grandkids coming for dinner tonight and I thought I’d teach them crocheting but I can’t for the life of me find my crochet hooks. I know I have some becau
se I remember putting them somewhere thinking they’d enjoy learning how to make something but...’ Shrugging her shoulders, Gladys tutted to herself.
‘Let’s have a look. I’m sure there’s some over there by the window. If you find the ones you’ve lost, you can always bring these ones back.’ Slipping her mobile into the back pocket of her jeans, Molly came around from the back of the counter.
‘Thanks, love. Although I’ll probably just keep them, even if I find the others today, there’ll only be another day when I lose them.’
Laughing, Molly led the way to the shelf holding the crochet hooks and numerous sizes of knitting needles. ‘Here they are.’
‘Thanks, love. How’s business been today?’ Taking the crochet hooks, Gladys patted them against her other hand.
‘Quiet, to be honest. Very quiet. I definitely haven’t had even half the number of people through the door as I did last Monday. I guess the novelty of checking out a new shop in the village must have worn off.’ Frowning, Molly rearranged a display of cotton reels on the next shelf.
‘You had a couple of customers this morning during the Knit and Natter group.’
‘Yes, they’ve been the only ones though.’
‘Don’t worry, love. You wait until Saturday, the Spring Fete will bring a lot of curious folk into the shop and you’re bound to collect some loyal customers.’
‘I hope so.’ The last thing she wanted was to have to sell up and try and find a full-time job somewhere. She wouldn’t ever be able to face Trevor again. Not that she really cared what he thought, but after him and Jessica belittling the place, she didn’t want to fail. Plus, Lauren and Ellis really didn’t need another upheaval.
‘Good afternoon, Gladys. Hi, Molly.’
Jerking her head up, Molly looked towards the door as Richie closed it behind him. ‘Hi, Richie.’