in the mornings. Burying a sigh, she accompanied him to the bathroom.
After encouraging him to use his Batman toothbrush in all the right places, she was following him down the stairs when Becky arrived. ‘Hiya, gorgeous little man,’ she said, stepping in and immediately crouching to pull Ollie into a hug. ‘And how are we today? Smiley or sad?’
‘Smiley,’ Ollie said with an assured nod. ‘I’m going to meet Daddy’s new lady friend.’
‘Oh yes?’ Straightening up, Becky took hold of his hand, raising an eyebrow at Sarah as she did.
Sarah rolled her eyes. ‘Talk later,’ she mouthed. Becky knitted her brow. Obviously she’d gathered that Steve was in a new relationship.
‘Mummy said she’s a nice friend,’ Ollie went on as Becky led him to the kitchen.
‘Did she?’ Becky cast Sarah a surprised glance over her shoulder. ‘Well, that’s good, isn’t it? We wouldn’t want him to have a nasty friend, would we?’
‘No.’ Ollie shook his head in agreement. ‘That would make Daddy sad.’
Suppressing another despairing sigh, Sarah left Ollie in Becky’s capable care and grabbed her mobile from the hall table. She’d made a decision. She’d been planning to call Steve later, but as she was running late anyway …
‘It’s just a quick call,’ she said when he picked up. ‘About your text.’
‘Right.’ Steve sounded wary, as if girding himself for an argument. Sarah wouldn’t go there. Ollie would only be caught up in the middle of it, and she didn’t want that.
‘I’m okay with your girlfriend meeting Ollie,’ she said, making sure to keep any emotion from her voice, ‘on one condition.’
‘Which is?’ Steve asked cautiously.
‘I meet her first. On her own.’
Four
Laura
Realising that Steve was on the phone, Laura tried not to too obviously eavesdrop as she came into the bedroom to get changed out of her PJs ready to go to work at the hospice. She’d wanted to tell him she’d rearranged her wardrobe to make a bit more room for his clothes, but he seemed deep in conversation. Squeezing past where he sat on the end of the bed, she collected her uniform from its hanger, grabbed a scrunchie from the dressing table and hitched up her hair, giving him a smile through the mirror as she did.
Steve reciprocated and then furrowed his brow as he turned his attention back to his phone. ‘No, no problem,’ he said to whoever he was talking to. ‘I’m sure she’ll be fine about it. It’s just, wouldn’t it be better if you brought Ollie along to meet the two of us together?’
Halfway into her uniform, Laura paused, her stomach somersaulting. He was talking to his ex. They were obviously discussing her meeting Ollie with a view to him coming here. Steve was desperate to maintain regular contact with his son, for him to start visiting now he was moving in, hopefully staying alternate weekends. Laura was desperate to meet him. With Steve’s help, she’d been busy turning the box room into a little boy’s dream room. But now, realising a meet-up might be imminent, she felt a chill of trepidation run through her. What if he didn’t take to her? She couldn’t bear that.
‘Yes, I get you’d want to check her out …’ His expression awkward, Steve’s gaze flicked again to Laura.
She turned away on the pretext of slipping her feet into her shoes. She was aware of her hands shaking as she fastened her buttons. She’d mentally prepared herself for this, or thought she had, trying to eliminate anything that would turn her into an incoherent fool, namely stress. She’d forced herself to remain calm, practising talking out loud when she was on her own. She’d even tried recording herself. Running through what she wanted to say beforehand, she was fluent. As soon as she started recording, though, her lips would jam and she would stammer and stutter, finding it almost impossible to spit the words out.
She so wanted their first meeting to go well, to put little Ollie at his ease and welcome him into her life. She was determined to look after him as if he were her own. She didn’t intend to say that to his mother, of course. It would be bound to bring the woman’s maternal instincts out and make her protective. That was only natural. Laura would quite understand if Sarah didn’t immediately trust her, but she hoped she might like her. She and Steve had been separated such a short time, though. It was more likely she would hate her. Laura was,