said lightly. Her heart dropped like a stone, though, as Ollie’s little face fell. ‘We might be going somewhere else,’ she added quickly. ‘Somewhere exciting.’
Ollie brightened. ‘With Joe?’
‘Maybe,’ she said, her throat catching. ‘We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?’
‘Are we going to the seaside?’ His eyes widened with excitement.
‘It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?’ Sarah tickled his tummy playfully. She would have to call Joe. Swallow her pride and ask him if he would go out for the day with them. If he wasn’t on duty or otherwise engaged, she knew he would agree. He would do that for Ollie. ‘Sleep now, little man,’ she said, wearing her serious face, ‘or you’ll be tired in the morning.’ She smoothed his fringe back and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. ‘Sleep tight, sweetheart,’ she whispered, reaching to turn on his night light.
‘Night, Mummy.’ He snuggled down. ‘Mummy?’ He stopped her at the door. ‘Can I have a lamp like the one at Laura’s?’
For an instant, she couldn’t breathe. ‘Possibly,’ she managed. ‘I’ll ask her where she got it from.’
Going out, she eased his door to and wondered what on earth she was going to do. She felt like crying. Like sitting on the landing and sobbing. She felt so alone, so completely on her own. How could she keep her baby safe from a threat she could feel but not see?
Finding her phone in the hall, she went to the kitchen and closed the door. Please pick up, Steve, she willed as she called him. Please be working late. If he was in the house in earshot of Laura, he would have to ring her back. And she so needed to talk to him.
‘Steve, can we talk?’ she said as soon as he answered. ‘In private, I mean?’
‘I’m good,’ he replied, that wary edge to his voice that seemed to be there constantly lately. ‘Laura’s taking a bath. What was it you wanted to talk about? As if I didn’t know.’ Now he sounded definitely guarded.
‘The boy on her Facebook profile,’ Sarah responded, her own tone guarded. She didn’t want to argue with him. She never had. She needed him on her side, on Ollie’s side, not dead set against her. ‘I spoke to him.’
Steve didn’t say anything for a second. Then, ‘Where?’ he asked, as if girding himself up for the very argument she didn’t want.
‘At his school. Becky asked around and—’
‘You went to his school?’ he asked, astonished. ‘What? Just turned up there?’
‘Yes,’ she confessed. ‘I didn’t have any choice. His father wouldn’t talk to me on the phone.’
‘Christ, Sarah. You can’t just approach kids at school. You above all people should know that.’
‘I do,’ she assured him, growing frustrated. ‘Look, Steve, that’s not the point. I spoke to his father too. He told me she was dangerous.’
‘Dangerous?’ Steve laughed, astounded. ‘Laura?’
‘Yes, Laura.’ Sarah suppressed a sigh. ‘He meant it. There was something—’
‘Dangerous how, exactly?’ he interrupted flatly.
His defences were going up. She couldn’t quite believe it. Surely knowing what he already did, he couldn’t condemn her for wanting to know more? ‘I … don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me,’ she admitted. ‘But he was worried. Very. I could tell. He—’
‘And did he tell you why they’d split up?’ he enquired, clearly irritated.
Sarah’s heart sank. He was siding against her. Why? She wasn’t the enemy, out to get Laura. She was his son’s mother, for God’s sake. ‘No,’ she replied tightly. ‘He was reluctant to say very much. Liam was there, so obviously he would be.’
‘I see,’ Steve said, and paused. ‘So it didn’t occur to you that this man might feel that he’s the injured party? That he might be bearing some kind of grudge?’
‘Of course it did,’ she snapped. ‘But you weren’t there. You didn’t see the look in his eyes. I’m worried, Steve. I’m scared for Ollie. You must be able to see why I would be.’
Again he went quiet. ‘I’m scared, Sarah,’ he said after a second, his voice terse.
Thank God. ‘You need to talk to her,’ she started. ‘I can’t possibly allow Ollie—’
‘For you!’ he growled.
‘What?’
‘You’ll stop at nothing, will you, trying to discredit her?’
‘Steve?’ Sarah’s heart slid icily into her stomach. ‘That’s not fair. I’m not—’
‘It’s you who’s not being fair. You’ve just accused her of being dangerous, for fuck’s sake,’ he seethed furiously. ‘That’s dangerous, Sarah, slurring someone’s character with no basis other than some pathetic comment from some bloke who’s clearly bitter for