my muddled mind. He’s my friend’s little boy. I babysit for her sometimes. To Ollie and his future happiness,’ she said, settling down at the table and raising her glass.
Scanning her face, Sarah hesitated for a second, then pulled herself up. It was a slip of the tongue, that was all. Perfectly understandable. Even she forgot Ollie’s name when he was up to something that made her heart somersault. She’d called him Steve by mistake numerous times. She’d even called him Spot once – the name of one of the rescue dogs she’d been thinking about – when he’d charged from the bathroom behind her, heading for the stairs. She’d been so paralysed with shock she’d been completely unable to spit his actual name from her mouth.
‘To Ollie,’ she said, clinking her glass against Laura’s.
Laura had barely taken a sip when the doorbell rang. Frowning, she glanced towards the hall. ‘It will be a salesperson probably. We get loads at this time in the evening. Even when I tell them I’m renting, they don’t get that I don’t want my garden landscaped, or new windows. Hopefully they’ll go away if I ignore it.’
Renting? Sarah had got the impression she owned the property. Hadn’t Steve said she had her own place? She’d misinterpreted, obviously.
‘Or possibly not.’ Laura sighed, getting to her feet as the doorbell rang for a second time. ‘I’d better go and see who it is. Won’t be a tick.’
‘Actually, do you mind if I use the loo?’ Sarah asked, pushing her chair back.
‘No problem.’ Laura led the way back into the hall. ‘It’s that one.’ She indicated the door under the stairs and Sarah slipped inside.
She couldn’t help overhearing the exchange as Laura answered the front door. ‘You’re still alive then,’ said an unfamiliar voice, sounding peeved. ‘I’m assuming you’ve changed your phone number, since the old one’s suddenly no longer in service?’ The voice was now directly outside the loo door.
‘No,’ Laura answered. ‘I mmmean, yes, ages ago. I … M-M-Mum, where are you going?’
‘To make a cup of tea, darling,’ replied the woman – Laura’s mother. ‘I swear I’ll die of thirst if I don’t have one soon.’
‘But M-M-Mum, I have company,’ Laura protested.
‘And what company would this be that’s more important than the mother you haven’t seen in months?’ The woman now sounded hurt.
‘A friend,’ Laura said, her tone agitated. ‘You can’t just turn up when you feel like it. I—’
‘But I’ve been worried to death about you, Laura. I’ve taken a taxi all the way here from the airport. You might at least look as if you’re pleased to see me.’
Oh dear. It sounded as if the mother/daughter relationship really was strained. Inching the loo door open, Sarah glanced towards the kitchen. The kitchen door had been pushed to, and she hesitated, wondering what she should do. Her gaze flicking to the stairs, she hovered in the hall for a second, and then took a tentative step towards them. She shouldn’t, but … Curiosity got the better of her. No one could blame her for wanting to check where her little boy slept when he was here, could they? She would just poke her head around the bedroom door, that was all. She’d been going to ask Laura to show her anyway, but with her mother arriving unannounced and Laura clearly otherwise engaged, she might as well utilise the time to have a quick peek now. She would be up and down again in a flash.
Climbing the stairs quickly, she gathered which was Ollie’s room from the dinosaur-themed name plaque on the door, which was remarkably similar to the one he had at home, she realised, somewhat disconcerted. Had Steve chosen it? But … he hadn’t long moved in. Surely they hadn’t been planning the theme for Ollie’s room before that? Pushing the partially open door wider, she glanced inside, feeling somewhat reassured as she noted the high-sided toddler bed in the shape of a racing car, which had undoubtedly been Steve’s choice. He’d chosen the similar bed at home, which was one of the all-important ‘boys and their toys’ decisions he’d made. Perhaps he was trying to replicate Ollie’s bedroom? He had mentioned he was concerned about him being homesick.
She was less reassured when she glanced towards the dinosaur toy box – also similar to the one Ollie had at home – on top of which Bunny was noticeable by his absence. Listening to make sure Laura hadn’t emerged from the kitchen, she