car with several takeaway bags. Good; he didn’t forget. Although I don’t feel remotely hungry.
‘Hello, you two.’ Nathan nods at the boys. ‘I picked us up a Chinese takeaway, so I hope you’re hungry – there’s a lot of food here.’
‘Thanks,’ they mumble.
Nathan looks questioningly at me, over the top of their heads. And then he frowns. ‘What the hell are you wearing on your feet?’
‘Huh? Oh, they’re Kelly’s trainers. I got blisters so I had to take off my sandals.’
‘Well, they look awful.’
‘I know, sorry.’ I turn back to the boys. ‘Let’s go inside. I’ll show you to your rooms… unless you’d prefer to share?’
Ryan shrugs and Sonny doesn’t respond so I decide to take charge and put them together in one room in case they feel strange or homesick during the night.
Nathan opens the front door and disables the alarm. ‘I’ll get plates and put the food out while you settle them in, Fi.’
‘Okay, great. Come on boys, kick off your shoes and follow me.’ I lead them up the wood and glass staircase, deciding to give them the best guest suite, which has views over the lake.
‘Wow,’ Sonny says, his eyes drawn to the balcony.
‘Be careful out there,’ I warn. ‘No leaning over the balcony – I don’t want any accidents.’ I open the sliding doors. ‘Let’s get some fresh air in here.’
Both boys step outside and stare out across the water.
‘Why don’t you take a few minutes to get washed and changed and I’ll meet you downstairs, okay?’
They look at me, their expressions still dazed.
‘Okay?’ I repeat, trying to sound as comforting and kind as I can.
They nod.
I leave them on the balcony, wondering whether they’ll actually do as I asked. Nathan won’t be too happy if they come down to dinner still sweaty and crumpled from a day’s racing. Taking heed of my own advice, I make my way up to our master suite on the top floor, which sits above the boys’ room. I shower quickly and change into a loose-fitting linen dress. A couple of my blisters have already split, so I apply some antiseptic before forcing my feet into a pair of raw-silk mules which are the least painful option after bare feet. But I don’t want to risk Nathan’s disapproval by going barefoot to dinner, not when he seems to be in such a good mood.
Fifteen minutes later, the four of us are seated on the deck with a mountain of Chinese food laid out in the centre of the table. Thankfully, the boys took up my suggestion of getting showered and changed, and they sit next to me with damp hair and pink cheeks, smelling of Bamford shower gel.
Nathan’s given us all chopsticks, but I notice the boys are struggling with theirs, so I nip back into the kitchen to fetch them each a fork, avoiding Nathan’s eye.
‘It’s a great Chinese, right?’ Nathan says. ‘It’s from an award-winning place just out of town. You should try some of the noodles; they’re amazing.’ He holds out the carton, and I watch Sonny attempting to scoop a portion onto his plate, but most of them end up slithering onto the table.
I get to my feet again. ‘Let me…’ I help him dish out a portion, then use a napkin to scoop the runaway noodles off the table and wipe up the stain. I don’t dare look at Nathan. Sloppy eating is one of his bugbears.
Nathan tuts at me. ‘Leave it, Fi, it’s just a bit of sauce. Nothing to worry about.’
Surprised and relieved at my husband’s new laid-back attitude, I sit back down and take a small mouthful of egg fried rice.
Sonny puts his fork down. ‘Mum said we were going to have pizza tonight. Do you think they’ll give her any supper at the police station?’
‘Of course they will.’ I shoot a worried glance over to Nathan. ‘She’ll be having a lovely dinner there; don’t you worry about that.’
‘How do you know?’ Ryan asks.
‘Because Ash will be there making sure your mum’s okay,’ I reply.
‘Why did they take her to the police station anyway?’ Sonny asks, his chin trembling. ‘She didn’t do anything wrong. Is it because of Sophie?’
Ryan glares at his brother. ‘You weren’t supposed to tell anyone.’
‘Who?’ I wrack my brain to think of anyone I know called Sophie, but my mind comes up blank.
Sonny’s cheeks flush. ‘But—’
‘She’s Mum’s friend,’ Ryan says through a mouthful of food. ‘She’s been staying with us.’