“No,” Carrie replied. “There are a few from secondary school I keep in touch with, mainly via social media, but none before that.”
“In my opinion, knowing someone from when they used to accidentally pee their pants is the key to a wonderful friendship,” said Dylan.
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Carrie grinned.
They cleared the table and Carrie went to check on Poppy. The sitting room was on the first floor of the building. One window looked out over the high street and the other the back garden, and there were two beaten up brown leather sofas perpendicular to each other with a coffee table in between. The girls were stretched out on a sofa each watchingInside Outwhile Monty snored in his basket in the corner.
“Hey, Pumpkin. Everything OK?” Carrie said as she entered the room.
“Yes, thanks, Mummy.” Poppy’s eyes didn’t leave the screen. “Guess what? Layla’s birthday is only three days after mine! She’s going to be sixteen.”
“I think August birthdays are excellent because you never have to go to school on your special day. Would you two like some cheesecake in a bit?” Carrie asked.
“Yes, please,” they said in chorus.
“We’ll come down and get it in a few minutes,” said Layla. “Dad doesn’t let me eat on his sofas without covering them up. It’s a whole big thing. He says I’m a spiller.”
Poppy giggled.
“OK, see you in a bit then.” There was something rather sweet about Michael not letting his teen eat on the sofa. Such a sensible dad thing to do.
Carrie helped load up the dishwasher and dry up the stuff that needed to be hand-washed then Michael served up cheesecake, declaring they needed to finish the lot as it was not going back in the fridge. Nobody needed telling twice.
* * *
Carrie and Poppy went back home through the garden still feeling rather full. “Let’s get you bathed quickly so we can finishThe Enchanted Woodand start the next in the series, yeah?”
“OK! I’ll be super quick,” said Poppy running ahead into the bookshop’s back door.
“Oh, Pumpkin, you left the back door open earlier when you went to get your drawing pad. Try to make sure you close it behind you if we’re going out, OK?” said Carrie. They could never have got away with that in London. As it was, not only was this a really safe area but the garden walls were high, they’d only been next door and the garden gate had been shut.
They went up to the flat, and Poppy was as good as her word getting bathed quickly. They finished reading the last few pages ofThe Enchanted Woodbefore deciding to call it a night; Poppy could barely keep her eyes open.
Carrie went over to the window to close it and looked down into Michael’s garden. Layla had gone in, but the two men were still sitting outside putting the world to rights. They made an unusual pair. Dylan was so confident and social, and obviously found conversation easy which made him good company. Michael was that bit more reserved, but she liked that he was more thoughtful. You knew that he meant what he said and wasn’t just saying it to get a reaction or to just continue aconversation. It was a very good trait. She took one last look at Michael before closing the curtains.
Chapter 9
Carrie and Poppy came downstairs to open up the shop on Tuesday, to find Michael waiting outside.
“Is everything OK?” Carrie asked, opening the door.
“Where’s Layla?” asked Poppy, looking behind him in hope of seeing her friend.
“She was picked up by her mum a while ago,” said Michael, answering Poppy first. “They’ve gone out shopping for the day. I’ll pick her up this evening.”
He turned his attention to Carrie. “Tabitha didn’t come home last night. You know what wanderers cats can be, but Tabitha likes her home comforts and it’s not like her. I don’t suppose you’ve seen her?”
“No, I haven’t, but I’ll call you if I do. She’d normally be round here as soon as we open to take up her position in the armchair. She’ll be back soon.”
“Do you think she’s lost?” asked Poppy, her little face falling.
“I bet she’s just been out wandering around and having a great time, and she’ll be home as soon as she’s hungry,” said Carrie.
“She’ll probably walk in the door any minute now, extra grumpy because she hasn’t had her breakfast,” Michael added. It was so sweet of him to be comforting her daughter when he was worried about his pet.
“Tabitha will be starving. Have we got some food for her, Mummy? She’ll need her breakfast straight away if she comes here!” Poppy worried.
“How about I bring some of her favourite cat food round in case she turns up here?” offered Michael.
