‘I have, don’t worry.’ Laura rolled her eyes knowingly. ‘I’ve warned him I’m not going to move his stuff for him when Ollie wants to ride his Wheelybug down the hall. I’ve ordered him the Wheelybug tiger. I hope that’s okay?’
‘You’ve ordered it?’ Sarah eyed her quizzically. ‘But didn’t Steve mention I was going to get him one?’
‘Oh no. You weren’t, were you? I’m so sorry.’ Laura looked mortified. ‘Typical Steve, he forgot, obviously.’
Had he?Sarah scanned her eyes guardedly.
‘I can always cancel it,’ Laura offered quickly. ‘I can do it now if you—’
‘No, don’t do that.’ Sarah reprimanded herself. Her suspicion was going into overdrive. Knowing Steve, he probably had forgotten to mention it. Presumably he wasn’t aware that Laura had decided to get one. She was trying to buy Ollie’s affections, that was what this was. Sarah couldn’t blame her for that, but she would have to have a word with her at some point about what toys she did buy Ollie. He would end up being spoilt otherwise, which wouldn’t endear him to other children. Perhaps today wouldn’t be the best time to mention it, though. ‘I can always get him something else,’ she assured her. ‘I’ll let you know what,’ she added, trying not to sound as if she were making a point.
‘I probably should have asked you first, shouldn’t I?’ Laura’s expression was a mixture of apologetic and guilty, telling Sarah she’d got the point nevertheless. ‘I’ll make sure to next time.’
‘That might be an idea. He could end up with two of everything otherwise.’ Sarah relaxed a little, then, noting Laura’s downcast eyes, felt even more guilty. After their conversation earlier, Laura probably thought she was here to give her a list of do’s and don’ts. ‘He really enjoyed his visit,’ she said, attempting to put her at her ease.
‘Good.’ Laura brightened. ‘I want him to be happy here, obviously, but I’d hate it if I’d done anything that might have upset you.’
‘You haven’t.’ Sarah couldn’t help but feel for her. She was plainly trying hard to get things right, possibly trying too hard, bearing in mind her abundant purchase of toys, but her heart was clearly in the right place. ‘Although …’ She hesitated, reluctant now to bring it up. On the other hand, it was something she felt strongly about. ‘I was a bit perturbed when I heard you’d swapped his bedtime bunny for a new snuggle toy.’
Laura’s face fell.
‘But when I saw how thrilled he was with Mr Whale, I realised it didn’t really matter that much,’ Sarah backtracked, though quietly she despaired of herself. If she really did have an issue she needed to tackle with Laura or Steve, she would have to be a bit more assertive.
‘He loves it, insisted on taking it to bed with him.’ Laura looked pleased as she turned to lead the way down the hall.
‘I can see he does. It looks like Bunny will have to bow out gracefully.’
In the kitchen, Sarah glanced around, taking in the decor. There was a high-tech coffee machine, and a breadmaker, a freshly baked loaf filling the air with mouth-watering aromas on a cooling rack next to it. The kitchen itself was light and airy, with patio doors onto a small terrace, white cupboards with apple-green splashbacks. It was bold, bright and cheerful. Was this who Laura was under the anxiety? Someone she was striving to be maybe? It was likely the kitchen had come with the house, but still, it was definitely warm and homey, which was reassuring. ‘Where is he?’ she asked.
Laura knitted her brow. ‘At work,’ she said, clearly misinterpreting Sarah’s distracted question. ‘He has to finish a plumbing job on the Redwood estate. The carpenters are going in tomorrow, so—’
‘No, sorry. I didn’t mean Steve. I meant Bunny,’ Sarah clarified. ‘It’s just that Ollie’s had him since he was six months old, and … Well, he means a lot to me and I’d like to keep him.’
‘God, of course. I should have thought.’ Laura squeezed her eyes closed. ‘He’s upstairs, guarding Ollie’s toy box. I’ll go and fetch him.’
‘No, don’t worry.’ Sarah stopped her as she headed back to the hall. ‘Ollie’s obviously happy with him being on guard, and he’ll probably feel more secure with him here when he stays over. Could you make sure to let me have him eventually, though? I’d rather he didn’t just end up languishing in the bottom of the toy box.’
‘Absolutely. I understand completely. It would be like giving away his first tooth or a precious lock of his baby hair. I’ll make sure to keep him safe,’ Laura promised.
‘Thanks.’ Noting her earnest expression, her eagerness to please, Sarah smiled, now definitely feeling more at ease.
‘No need to thank me. I would feel exactly the same,’ Laura assured her. ‘Take a seat, and I’ll grab us some wine … assuming it’s not too early for you?’
‘I’d love one.’ Sarah thought she actually would. It might be just what she needed to unwind. ‘It’s been a full-on day. We had three dogs returned before lunchtime,’ she explained. ‘I do wish people would understand that many rescue dogs need a lot of input. We try to educate them, but too many adopters imagine that once the dog has a nice comfy home, it will be so grateful at being rescued that it’ll turn into the perfect pet. Sadly, it often takes more time and a lot more patience than new owners have. Then there was a half-starved puppy-farm dog brought in by the dog warden. It took me ages to settle her down. I think I’ve just about won her confidence, though, poor thing.’
Nodding her towards the small table and chairs, Laura headed for the fridge. ‘I don’t know how you do it. I’d be tempted to bring them all home. I’m not sure I’d do very well working outdoors in all sorts of weather either. At least I get to keep warm and dry, even if my job can sometimes be heartbreaking.’
‘Yes, it must be.’ Sarah looked her over thoughtfully as she turned from the fridge. ‘I honestly don’t think I could do what you do either.’
She’d been horribly wrong about Laura, assuming that because she didn’t have children of her own, she wouldn’t be up to the task of looking after Ollie. She hated to admit it, but there was possibly a part of her that had been hoping her worries might be justified, because she couldn’t bear for Ollie to bond with Laura and end up seeing her as a mother figure. Taking a breath, she steeled herself to do what she’d come for. Laura obviously was a caring person, and clearly Sarah had made her feel uncomfortable, insisting on scrutinising her before allowing her to even meet Ollie.
‘I know you’re wondering why I’m here,’ she started awkwardly. ‘It’s just … Well, I felt I owed you an apology.’
Fetching glasses from one of the cupboards, Laura glanced back at her, surprised. ‘An apology? What on earth for?’ she asked, her expression communicating to Sarah that she hadn’t come home in floods of tears, telling Steve his ex-girlfriend was the biggest bitch she’d ever met.
‘Judging you. Pre-judging you,’ she admitted. ‘I shouldn’t have asked to meet up with you on your own. It was really pointed, and you must have found it stressful.’
Laura nodded. ‘I did a bit,’ she confessed. ‘I thought you’d think I was a complete idiot, stumbling and stuttering over my words – I do that when I get nervous – but I understand why you wanted to get to know me before allowing Ollie to come and stay. It’s only natural. Sensible, too. I was a complete stranger, after all, and as I said before, you never know, do you?’
