Chapter 1
Carrie Worsley smiled at the sight of her daughter, Poppy, hurrying across the infant school’s playground. The six-year-old’s wild, curly blonde hair, inherited from her mother along with her deep green eyes, was looking particularly unruly; a sure sign that she’d had a good day. She was laden down with what appeared to be every piece of art she’d produced during the entire school year and had some sort of papier mâché hat balanced on her head. Where would they put it all in their shoebox of a flat? Carrie had no idea but knew Poppy would want to keep everything she’d created.
Carrie said goodbye to her best friend, Davina, who’d also spotted her daughter, Sophie, among the hordes of children coming out of the large, grey concrete school building Carrie also worked in. Poppy and Sophie, just like their mums, were best friends, affording many opportunities for the mothers to chat.
“Hey, Pumpkin! All ready for the summer holidays?” Carrie asked, relieving her daughter of three bags of paper and card creations.
“Sophie’s going to Disney World for two weeks!” Poppy announced.
“I know! I was just talking about it with her mum. Lucky Sophie. I bet she’s so excited!” said Carrie, feeling her stomach sink. She felt so bad that her teacher’s assistant salary didn’t stretch to being able to take Poppy to the far-off places a lot of her daughter’s friends got to visit.
“Can we go on an aeroplane sometime?”
“Maybe one day.” Carrie struggled to keep a smile on her face. She knew a happy childhood didn’t amount to how many exotic holidays a child went on, but being a single parent was hard, and it was impossible not to feel guilty about, well, practically everything.
They walked out of the school gate companionably, their relaxed chatter a sharp contrast to the busyness of everyone around them who all seemed to be hurrying off somewhere in their cars, honking their horns at anyone who took too long.
“Shall we get a treat to celebrate the start of the holidays?” Carrie suggested as she spotted the ice cream van.
“Yes, please!” Poppy was so easy to please.
Carrie ordered them two 99s with strawberry sauce and they found a bench to sit on just inside the little park opposite the South London school.
Carrie turned her face up to the sun and relaxed as Poppy explained her top ten ice cream flavours in some detail.
It would be nice not to be working for the next six weeks and to hang out with Poppy. Though, of course, she could do with earning some money... Maybe she’d look again for something online to bring in a little extra...
“Can I go in the playground, Mummy?” Poppy asked. “Charlie and James are in there.”
“Of course,” said Carrie, having already noted Poppy’s classmates in the enclosed play area. She smiled and waved at Charlie’s mum and James’s dad before pulling a pack of wet wipes out of her bag. “But give your face a clean first, you’re a bit ice-creamy. I’ll watch you from here with all your stuff.”
Poppy wiped the ice cream off herself and ran over to join her friends as Carrie’s mobile rang. It was Auntie Mary. Carrie’s eccentric Cornish aunt didn’t often call, and Carrie’s first instinct was to worry there was something wrong.
“Hey, Auntie Mary. Is everything OK?”
“Carrie, dear! Yes, everything’s absolutely fine! I just have a little favour to ask.”
“How can I help?” Carrie kept her eyes on Poppy, taking turns to go down the slide with her friends.
“Do you remember June? Used to work in the library here? Well, she was supposed to be going away with her sister, Sarah... I don’t know if you’ve met her... But Sarah’s daughter, Miranda, has been having a terrible time with her husband and one of her boys, the younger one I think, is being assessed for...something... one of the letter things, A-something...”
Carrie waited patiently for her aunt to get to the point.
“Anyway, Sarah has pulled out, so I’ve been invited to go on a cruise! For a month! We leave in two days. We’ll be going all over the Mediterranean, and the food’s supposed to be amazing. The ship has a theatre and a cinema. And three pools!”
“That sounds fantastic.”
“So, you’ll help?” asked Mary excitedly.
“Sorry?” said Carrie.
“To look after the shop while I’m away. You and Poppy!”
“You want me to run your bookshop for you?”
“Yes! It’s the perfect solution. I need someone to look after the place, and your mum was just telling me that school’s broken up for the summer and you’re not going away.”
Carrie was speechless. Her beloved aunt was a force of nature, but this was out of the blue even for her. She managed to say, “It’s lovely of you to think of us, Auntie Mary, but I can’t just come to Cornwall for a month...”
