“Me?”
“You could take her shopping,” Alex said, clearly having a lightbulb moment, and Lucy’s jaw dropped.
“Alex, I met her yesterday. I’m a complete stranger—”
“She told you more than she’s told me or any other adult,” Alex cut her off, his voice taking on that steely, determined quality she was coming to recognize. “Why not you?”
“Surely there’s someone else who is closer to her,” Lucy protested, but Alex shook his head.
“We—we don’t have people like that in our life.”
She eyed him with both curiosity and an insuppressible compassion. “No one?”
“Her grandmother would do it, but she lives down near London and we’re not going down there until half term. This sounds urgent.”
“It is urgent,” Lucy said firmly.
“Well, then?”
It was ironic, really, that for three years she’d tried to insinuate herself into Thomas’s sons’ lives, only to be continually pushed away. And here she was, not long in Hartley-by-the-Sea, determined not to make the same mistake again . . . going bra shopping with a preteen she wasn’t sure she even liked. “Fine. I’ll do it. When is she going back to school?”
“Thursday.”
“I’d go tomorrow, but I think the shops close at four.” She’d learned last week, to her amazement, that Whitehaven emptied out by late afternoon.
“Country hours,” Juliet had informed her. “All part of the West Cumbrian charm.”
“You can have the afternoon off, fully paid,” Alex said quickly. “I’ll ask Maggie—”
“She’s in Newcastle.”
“We’ll manage,” he said firmly. “If you’re here for the morning rush of calls, we should be fine. I don’t mind taking my own calls. I did it at the start, you might recall.”
“Hey, I don’t drop that many calls anymore,” Lucy protested, and Alex gave her a small smile.
“There has been some improvement,” he allowed.
“Well, thanks for that. But back to Bella.” Lucy leveled him with a look, or tried to. “You need to be able to talk to her about these things, or find a woman in your life who can. She’ll probably get her period soon—”
Alex winced but met Lucy’s gaze. “I have actually thought of that,” he told her. “A little.”
She gazed at him; his ears and neck were a normal color now, but he still looked pretty uncomfortable. Lucy was half-amazed at all the things she’d said. What on earth had possessed her?
Just a scorching memory of her own middle school years. If she could save any girl that misery, she would. “I’ll talk to her now,” she said, and Alex eyed her with undisguised relief.
“Thank you, Lucy. I really do appreciate this.”
“I bet you do,” she retorted, and he smiled again, just a little quirk, but it still made Lucy grin back. She turned away from him and went in search of Bella.
Lunch had finished and so she headed out to the school yard, where Years Five and Six were playing. She scanned theplayground, and caught sight of Oliver Jones tussling with a boy a lot smaller than him.
“Hey, Oliver.” She waved at him and he loosened the headlock on the other boy. “Easy there, okay?” She softened the scolding with a smile; if she could keep Oliver out of trouble and reassure him at the same time, she’d consider it a job well done. He needed somebody in his life to look out for him. He let the boy go and scuffed his shoes along the ground, and Lucy dared to ruffle his hair for a millisecond before she went in search of Bella.
She found her hunched against the brick wall, her arms wrapped around herself. Lucy had decided on the way there that she’d speak as plainly to Bella as she had to Alex. She knew Bella would see instantly through any kindly meant ploy, and she imagined how scathing the girl’s incredulous scorn would be.
No, better to just lay it all out there. Bella already had, whether she’d meant to or not.
“Hi,” she began brightly, and Bella gazed at her with the same narrowed look at which her father was so adept. “Look, Bella, I’m just going to say this,” she said, keeping her voice upbeat with determination. “I think I know why you got suspended—” Bella raised an eyebrow. “I mean I think I know why you skipped PE,” Lucy amended. “Because you didn’t want to get changed. Because you’re being bullied.”
