‘What’s this?’ Daniel got into the car and shut the door. ‘Ben, don’t tell me you’re already trying to pass your homework on to Anna? You know you need to do it yourself.’
‘It’s worth a try,’ Ben said, grinning, and Anna realised she could very easily get to like this little boy.
‘Dad, Mum said she’d meet us there, and Axel too when he finishes band practice.’
‘That will be nice,’ Daniel said, and Anna could tell he was trying to keep the hostility out of his voice. She knew Lucinda used to be a model and, from her photos, was incredibly glamorous. Anna hadn’t even had time to check her make-up since she’d slapped it on early this morning and goodness knows what her hair looked like. What would the lovely Lucinda make of her in all her scruff, she thought — but then banished it to the back of her mind. What did it matter what Lucinda thought of her? Anna was a work colleague and probably wouldn’t even meet the woman again. She’d have to push her feelings of inferiority away if she was going to be part of this world, as it looked like she might be.
The car park to the athletics ground was already filling up by the time they reached it and Anna realised this was no run-of-the-mill village competition.
‘Wow,’ she said before she could stop herself. ‘I didn’t realise how big this event was.’
‘It’s an annual thing,’ Daniel said. ‘There’ll be lots of scouts here for the county teams. It’s a big deal.’
‘I really want to get picked for the county running team,’ Ben said. ‘But I’ve only got a chance if I win all my heats. It’s a bit scary.’
‘Well, you sound to me as though you love running and that’s all that matters,’ Anna said, feeling guilty that her words might have added to his nerves. ‘Go out there and enjoy yourself, and if it’s meant to be the rest will follow.’
Ben nodded seriously as he took in her words. ‘Thanks, Anna. Yes, I’ll do that.’
‘And whatever happens,’ Daniel added. ‘Me and your mum are proud of you. It’s a big achievement to make it here in the first place.’
As they got out of the car and walked to where the rest of Ben’s schoolmates had congregated, Anna hung back. Ben rushed over to a woman, who was obviously Lucinda, and gave her a big hug. She bent down to hug him back, her long, glossy dark hair falling over him in a curtain. As she stood up, she casually brushed it behind her ear to reveal her face — high cheekbones, enormous eyes and perfect smiling lips. Anna looked from Lucinda to Daniel as he gave his ex a brief kiss on the cheek. She could see what a glamorous couple they had made. It was a shame it hadn’t worked out for them. But at least they were both supportive of Ben.
As Ben’s teacher herded the children off, Daniel turned round and motioned for Anna to join them.
‘Lucinda, this is Anna — she’s my new assistant. We’ve overrun on a project, so she’s going to stay for the weekend to help me meet the deadline.’
Lucinda held out her hand and said coldly, ‘Pleased to meet you.’ Anna shook her hand but noticed that Lucinda withdrew it as quickly as she could. Lucinda turned to Daniel. ‘I hope this doesn’t mean you’re going to spend all weekend working. If you’d let me know, we could have swapped.’
‘You know I don’t like doing that. It only upsets Ben and I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.’
‘All the same, it’s no good to him if you spend all weekend huddled up in your darkroom.’ Lucinda threw what Anna considered to be a hostile glance in her direction.
‘We don’t use darkrooms anymore,’ Daniel said, obviously annoyed. ‘And, besides, that’s why Anna’s here, so she can do most of the work while I spend time with Ben, then when he’s asleep we can finalise the submission.’
‘How very cosy.’ Lucinda looked at Anna as though she had just crawled out from under a stone.
‘Does anyone fancy a coffee? There’s a van over there,’ Anna asked, wanting to make her escape.
‘No, thanks,’ Daniel and Lucinda replied in unison.
* * *
Anna hoped that the queue for the drinks would be very long, so that she could delay her return. The less time she had to spend with Lucinda the better. Fortunately, by the time she got back, Axel had arrived and Lucinda was making a show of draping herself around him while Daniel stood at a distance.
‘I’m sorry about before,’ Daniel said quietly when she approached him. ‘Lucinda can be a bit . . . territorial.’
‘It’s okay,’ Anna said, trying to sound upbeat. ‘It’s understandable, really. I am going to be spending the weekend with her son.’
Anna lapsed into silence as she feigned an interest in the races that had now started to take place. The atmosphere was electric, but it was difficult to get involved as she didn’t know any of the participants. Until she spotted Ben’s race, and then she cheered as loudly as the rest of the parents, feeling inexplicably proud as he raced first over the finish line. She was so elated she almost turned to hug Daniel, but stopped herself just in time. The grin on his face was enough to show how proud he was of his son.
Ben was in another two races and then had to stay to the end to take part in the finals, where he came second. By the time they left, Ben was literally bouncing with adrenaline and Anna wondered whether they’d get a chance to start work tonight — she didn’t think he would ever go to sleep. Thankfully she’d managed to avoid Lucinda for the rest of the afternoon and felt a wave of relief as she buckled up her seatbelt and Daniel drove them home.
‘My teacher said the scout for the county team was interested in me joining the club. He’s going to speak to Mum later in the week. Is that okay with you, Dad?’ There was no doubting the joy and pride in Ben’s voice, which was matched in equal measure by Daniel’s.
‘Of course, you did really well today. Mum and I are very proud of you.’
‘Thanks, Dad,’ Ben said. ‘What’s for tea?’
