Fitting In

by Amanda Radley

  * * *

  Scarlett got off the train and looked around the station. It was small, just two long concrete platforms and a tiny ticket office.

  To one side of the train tracks lay fields; the other held a newly built housing development. Unlike London stations, there were no ticket barriers, staff, or many other passengers.

  She saw Heather strolling towards her; she wore light blue jeans and a thin, checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her hands were in the back pockets of her jeans, and she looked casual and relaxed, very different to the centre director that Scarlett was used to seeing.

  “You look younger and more relaxed in casual clothing,” Scarlett told her.

  Heather burst out laughing. “Thank you, I think.”

  “It was a compliment,” Scarlett assured her, unsure why the comment had caused Heather to laugh or doubt her sincerity.

  “You look lovely too,” Heather said. “Shall we get to the car?”

  Scarlett looked down at her black jeans and plain white T-shirt and wondered what was lovely about her outfit. It was what she wore any weekend she wasn’t working, but she’d never had a compliment on it before.

  Rather than question it, she followed Heather down a series of wheelchair-accessible ramps. They arrived at an old Jeep that was caked in mud that looked like it had been building up for years.

  “My dad doesn’t believe in cleaning cars,” Heather explained. “He says they’ll only get dirty again.”

  “He’s right.”

  “Oh, he’s going to like you.” Heather laughed and got into the car.

  Scarlett also got into the car and mentally reminded herself of her conversation starters she had prepared for Heather’s parents.

  Social interaction was often a difficult process for her, and so, at age thirteen, Scarlett had started preparing topics and jokes before she met new people.

  She wondered if she should attempt the jokes on Heather first, to check that they were appropriate. The website had declared they were clean and inoffensive, but Scarlett had been burnt in the past.

  She decided to take the risk rather than have Heather hear the jokes twice.

  “It’s only five minutes away,” Heather said, starting the engine and driving off.

  “Why did you invite me?” Scarlett asked. The question had been on the tip of her tongue since Heather had done so. This had been the first opportunity to actually ask and put any fears to rest.

  “It’s what friends do,” Heather replied.

  “We’re friends?” Scarlett asked, surprised but delighted at the news.

  “I think we are, or at least we will be,” Heather said.

  Scarlett smiled at that.

  She turned to watch the housing development change into rolling fields and farmland. She didn’t know when or how she had become friends with Heather, but she was glad of the fact. It allowed her to relax a little and try to enjoy whatever the day was to bring.

  It was nine, nearly ten, minutes later when they arrived at farm. Scarlett made a mental note to ignore Heather’s future time estimates.

  There was a large building which Scarlett assumed was the main house, and then there was a barn which seemed to house equipment rather than animals. In the distance she could see a few other buildings and assumed they were the kennels. The sound of distant barking certainly indicated that was the case.

  An older man and woman came out of the house, and Scarlett felt herself freeze with nervous anticipation. She’d sucked in a deep breath as the Jeep came to a stop.

  The man opened her car door and smiled warmly at her.

  “Hello, you must be Scarlett. I’m Mike. Welcome!”

  “Thank you,” Scarlett said, getting out of the car.

  Mike gestured to the woman beside him. “This is my wife, Sue.”

  “We’re so pleased you could come,” Sue said. “Can I get you a drink? I’ve just put the kettle on.”

  Scarlett nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

  She followed Sue towards the house, and Mike came up beside her.

  “So, do you like dogs, Scarlett?”

  “I do. I had one when I was younger,” Scarlett said. The older rescue dog had only been with them for a few short years before she became ill and had to be put to sleep, but Scarlett remembered her fondly.

  “Excellent. We have eighteen dogs onsite at the moment.” Mike held the farmhouse door open and gestured for her to go inside. “Plenty of walking and cuddling to be done.”

  “She’s a guest, Mike, not a worker,” Sue told him.

  “It’s hardly work,” Mike replied.

  “I’m happy to do it,” Scarlett said.

  “Don’t let my father bully you. Before you know it, you’ll be re-roofing the old kennel block,” Heather whispered a tad too loudly for Mike to not be able to hear.

  “That would be a mistake. I don’t know how to install a new roof,” Scarlett told her.

  Everyone chuckled, and Mike tapped Scarlett on the shoulder. “I like you.”

  Scarlett didn’t know what she had done to be deserving of Mike’s praise, but she felt a small flame of happiness flickering in her stomach.

  She sat at the large dining table while Sue made drinks and Mike and Heather playfully bantered with one another.

  Adjusting her glasses, she looked around the kitchen. It was clean, comfortable, and looked like the hub of an active, happy family. She didn’t know how she knew that, but everything radiated a warmth that she’d never seen or felt before.

  She looked at the floor; it was worn flagstone, which indicated a lot of family traffic. The worktops were equally well used, loved, and maintained, but still not new.

  Scarlett considered that maybe it was the lack of perfection that made the kitchen seem a homely place. She’d often struggled with the concept of homeliness. Her apartment was her home, and therefore should be thought of as homely, but she never felt that way, and now, in someone else’s house, she did.

  “Scarlett?”

  She blinked and looked at Heather who was looking at her, obviously waiting for a reply.

  “Sorry?”

  “Mum asked if you wanted tea or coffee?” Heather repeated.

  Scarlett looked at Sue apologetically. “I’m sorry, I was distracted. Water is fine.”

  Sue looked scandalised. “Water?”

  “Mum, if she wants water—” Heather started.

  “Of course, you can have water if you like,” Sue said. “But we have a variety of teas. We have juice, we have milk, cola, cocoa, and sparkling water with raspberry.”

  “You have cocoa?” Scarlett asked in surprise. It was unusual to be offered cocoa, her favourite beverage.

  Sue smiled. “Do I have cocoa? Come here.”

  Scarlett stood up and followed Sue into a large pantry. Sue pulled a light cord, and the shelves were illuminated by a single bulb that swung precariously over their heads.

  The older woman pointed to the top shelf, where Scarlett saw at least eight different kinds of cocoa, including her preferred brand.

  “Help yourself. It’s usually only me that drinks it,” Sue said, a friendly hand on Scarlett’s arm. “I need the help to get through that little lot!”

  “Thank you.” Scarlett reached up and picked up a sachet of her favourite cocoa.

  “Now, I make it with milk. How do you like it? Or do you want to make it yourself? Cocoa is a bit of a personal thing, isn’t it?” Sue said, turning the light off again.

  “It is,” Scarlett agreed readily. “Would I be able to make it myself?”

  “Of course. I know the feeling. No one can ever make it how I like it either.”

  Sue gave Scarlett the pick of the mugs from a large cupboard. For a house of supposedly only two people, there were an extraordinary number to choose from.

  Scarlett picked the one that appeared to be the most usual in size and shape with industry standards to ensure heat management. She hated cold cocoa and would be able to judge the best sp
eed at which to drink if she knew the mug resembled her own at home.

  A few minutes later, she was sitting at the table again. Everyone had a drink, and Mike and Sue were discussing some of the rescue dogs who had recently come in, as well as their plans to redecorate the living room.

  Heather coaxed them to not do anything too drastic and playfully nudged her father in the ribs as she reminded him of his age. Mike seemed very aware of his age but didn’t seem to think that had anything to do with his ability to apply fresh wallpaper.

  Scarlett watched in fascination as the family interacted with each other, and with her, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  While she didn’t feel completely relaxed, she didn’t feel as stressed as she normally did when meeting new people. The Baileys were a kind and welcoming family, and Scarlett was very pleased that she had accepted Heather’s offer to spend Saturday with them.

  That didn’t mean she didn’t hold reservations about what the rest of the day would bring, but things were starting out surprisingly well.

  29

  Angus the Adorable Dachshund

  Heather watched as Scarlett and her mother walked a dog each along the footpath from the farm to the cliffs. She had her own dog, Monty, on the leash and had fallen behind while he did his business.

  Her father and Angus, an adorable Dachshund that could easily have been rehomed but seemed to stay with her parents month after month, waited with her.

  “She’s a little young for you, isn’t she, Pumpkin?” Mike asked with a playful grin on his face.

  “Dad!” Heather admonished him. “There’s nothing going on.”

  “I can tell. But the way you look at her…”

  “Dad!” Heather repeated, swatting his arm to punctuate her message.

  Mike laughed at her scandalised reaction. “How long has it been since you dated?”

  Heather felt her cheeks heat up. “I’m not discussing that with you.”

  “Well, I’m going to guess it’s since you and Aurelie went kaput.”

  Heather didn’t say anything. She bent down and cleaned up Monty’s mess, much preferring that task to talking to her father about her non-existent love life.

  “I was just joking about the age thing. She’s nice,” Mike continued.

  “She is,” Heather agreed. She thought back to a couple of times over the course of the morning where Scarlett has said something that could have been considered rude or inconsiderate. Both times her parents had laughed it off, as was their way. “She can be a little difficult to talk to sometimes.”

  “Some eggs are harder to crack than others.” Mike casually shrugged his shoulders. “She’s a lovely young woman.”

  Heather realised in that moment that she was growing to think the same. Which was a little problematic as she had only intended to try to get through to Scarlett and show her that socialising with others wasn’t all bad.

  Instead she had demonstrated to herself how enjoyable she found Scarlett’s company. Which was bad. And extremely unprofessional of her.

  But she couldn’t help it. It was happening no matter how unprofessional she knew it was.

  “Her mother… stepmother… thinks she might be autistic,” Heather said as they started walking again.

  Mike looked at Heather as if she had recently come from another planet. “I think that’s quite obvious, Pumpkin.”

  Heather chuckled. “Oh really? And what do you know about autism?”

  “Pete, next door’s boy, is autistic. Of course, there’s all different kinds of autism. But Scarlett, well, she sees things differently, doesn’t she?”

  Heather looked up the track to where Scarlett and her mother walked side by side. Scarlett certainly did see things differently, sometimes more clearly than others and sometimes in a way that suggested she was completely confused by the world around her.

  Those differences were a breath of fresh air to Heather. She really didn’t have a clue what Scarlett would say next, and that was kind of exciting.

  “You like her,” Mike stated. “I can tell.”

  “I do not,” Heather denied. “Besides, I can’t. She’s a member of staff.”

  Mike chuckled and shook his head.

  “What’s so funny?” Heather demanded.

  “In one breath you tell me you don’t like her; in the next you tell me why you can’t like her. People who don’t like people don’t justify why they shouldn’t in the very next sentence, Pumpkin.”

  Heather opened her mouth to argue but realised she didn’t have much to say. He’d caught her out and she knew it.

  “Come on, you two!” Sue called out.

  Heather realised her mother and Scarlett had stopped in order to allow the two stragglers to catch up. They picked up the pace, and the four of them were soon walking together again.

  “Scarlett, would you like to stay for dinner?” Sue asked.

  Scarlett looked at Heather questioningly, waiting for an answer.

  “Do you have other plans?” Heather asked, not wanting to push Scarlett in any particular direction. On one hand she knew Scarlett liked to eat alone; on the other she wanted her to feel welcome if she did wish to stay.

  “No.”

  “What time is your train back?” Mike questioned.

  “I have an open ticket,” Scarlett said.

  “Well, that’s that settled. You’ll stay for dinner,” Sue said before turning and continuing her walk along the path.

  Mike quickly joined her, grinning at Heather as he passed her.

  Heather glared at him and then turned to Scarlett and whispered, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you have to get back, or…”

  “Or?” Scarlett asked.

  “Or, well, anything…”

  “Would you like me to stay?” Scarlett cocked her head to the side and regarded Heather curiously.

  “I… would like that,” Heather allowed. “If you want to?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great.”

  “Heather, I don’t understand why your parents are having difficulty rehoming Archie,” Scarlett said seriously. “He is very well trained and would be considered very cute by most people. I would have thought that rehoming him would be simple, and yet they are struggling?”

  “They want to keep him,” Heather explained, watching her father scoop the small dog up off the ground and hold him like a baby in his arms.

  “But they have both said that they have been unable to rehome him. Why not simply admit that they wish to keep him?”

  “Because they don’t want to admit that they are pushovers. When they set up the dog rescue, they made a promise that they would never adopt any of the dogs for themselves. They agreed that if they started to do that, they’d end up with far too many dogs.”

  “So, they are lying to each other?” Scarlett looked confused.

  “No, they both know. They just haven’t admitted it to themselves yet.”

  “They don’t know?” Scarlett seemed stunned by the possibility.

  “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. Maybe they don’t want to admit it to one another. It makes things real, when you admit to them.”

  “I don’t understand people,” Scarlett confessed.

  “That’s okay,” Heather said.

  “Is it?” Scarlett looked at her in surprise.

  “Sure. People can be confusing, and we’re all very different. It’s not easy sometimes.”

  Scarlett seemed to take a moment to process this before she nodded. It appeared that the conversation was over.

  “Come on, you two. So slow!” Mike called out over his shoulder.

  Scarlett picked up her pace to catch up with Mike and Sue. Heather stopped and let out a sigh. Monty felt the lead stiffen and turned to look up at her curiously.

  “I think I’m in trouble, Monty,” she whispered. “I think I like her.”

  * * *

  For the first time in living memory, Heather watched as her mother hap
pily accepted a complete stranger into her kitchen.

  Heather had been tasked with setting the table and was taking as long as possible to do so in order to watch the interesting scene taking place in the kitchen.

  Scarlett had been adorned with her mother’s second-best apron and was happily chopping and preparing items. Sue and Scarlett moved around the kitchen like a team who had been working together for years. Heather realised that it was probably because Scarlett exactly followed the instructions given to her.

  As the day had progressed, Scarlett seemed to become more relaxed and even a little playful at times. She had even jested with Mike and his ridiculous dad jokes.

  Heather was surprised how different Scarlett could be when she was away from work and relaxed. She suspected the relaxed part was the real key, as she’d seen Scarlett at Audrey’s birthday party and that was nothing like the Scarlett she was seeing now.

  Which meant that in all the time Scarlett had been working at Silver Arches, she had never settled in. Never eased into a pattern as people so frequently did at their places of work.

  “Pumpkin?” Mike called out from another room in the house.

  “Coming!” Heather called back.

  “It’s amusing that he calls you that,” Scarlett informed her.

  “Hang around long enough and you’ll get your own amusing nickname,” Heather replied.

  She exited the kitchen area to search out her father. It had only been a few hours, but her perception of Scarlett had completely changed. She felt closer to her and somehow understood her a little more.

  There was still a mountain to climb before Heather fully decoded Scarlett’s mysterious persona, but she looked forward to it as she now realised there was a lot hidden behind the supposed robotic exterior she had been warned about.

  30

  A Warm Hug at the End of The Day

  Scarlett couldn’t believe how time had flown. Social engagements were usually long, laborious tasks that seemed to last forever. It wasn’t unusual for Scarlett to feel utterly exhausted after even a short period of socialising, even with people she knew well.