‘Thank you, but we could have shared a bed or a room. We don’t mind.’
‘If there’s one thing we are not short of here, it’s space,’ Vera said with a wave of her hand. ‘Besides, I thought Poppy might enjoy having her very own room,’ she said, smiling down at the little girl.
They stopped outside the far door and Vera pushed it open, revealing a large, sunny room separated into two parts,a bedroom up one end and a playroom at the other. There was a play kitchen, a shopfront, a huge dollhouse, a table and chairs with paper and pencils set out invitingly, as well as an easel and paint pots.
‘Wow,’ Poppy gasped, her eyes wide as she turned in a circle, taking it all in.
‘This is amazing,’ Kenzie said.
‘Some of these things belonged to my children when they were growing up, but we’ve updated now that we have grandchildren to play in here when they visit.’
‘I bet they love visiting,’ Kenzie said with a bemused chuckle. ‘Do they stay often?’
‘Occasionally they sleep over, but usually, they just pop in for a visit whenever Floss is passing by. They live in the house next door.’
‘It must be nice to have them all so close.’ She wished she lived next door to her mum; she could vividly picture the coffee catch-ups and sleepovers.
‘It’s the best. I can’t imagine them not being here now.’
‘Can I play with the toys?’ Poppy asked, looking completely in awe of all the things around her.
‘Of course you can. They’re all here for you to play with.’
‘Thank you.’ She beamed up at Vera, and Kenzie saw the woman blink rapidly before she smiled.
‘You are most welcome, my darling,’ she said gently.
In that touching moment, Kenzie was so glad she’d agreed to bring Poppy to meet her new family.
‘Can you draw with me?’ she asked Vera.
‘Well, I was going to take your mum in to see her room—’
‘I can do it.’ Ewan’s deep voice sounded from the doorway, where he stood with their suitcases, startling Kenzie, who hadn’t heard him approach. ‘You stay and draw.’
‘Well, then, I’d love to.’ Vera didn’t have to be told twice. ‘What are we going to draw?’
Kenzie smiled at the two bowed heads as they selected their coloured pencils and began their artwork, ignoring her and Ewan. ‘I’ll just be next door,’ Kenzie said.
‘Okay,’ Poppy called, clearly not fazed by her mother’s departure. And just like that she was dismissed. She was used to it with her own mother and Poppy. They shared a special bond that was beautiful to witness, but her mother had been in Poppy’s life from the beginning. Seeing her so relaxed in the presence of Ewan’s mother, so soon, was unexpected. Was it some kind of weird DNA recognition type of thing? Did Poppy somehow sense Vera was connected to her? Or was it simply that she felt safe enough in this new environment, knowing her mother was nearby and that was enough for a four-year-old?
‘They seem to have hit it off,’ she said as they walked into the hall.
‘Possibly has something to do with the fact my mother probably took her to the kitchen and filled her with lollies after their trip to the bathroom.’
Kenzie smiled wryly. ‘That’s going to be fun when she has to go to sleep later.’
‘I’m sure by bedtime, she’ll have used up all that extra energy—if my mother has anything to say about it.’
‘She must have been a fun mum,’ Kenzie said as he opened the door to her room, ushering her in before him.
Ewan barked a laugh. ‘Grandparent rules,’ he said. ‘Fun wasn’t really something that was high on the list of parenting priorities when I was a kid.’
‘Why was that?’ she asked curiously as she took in the antique cast-iron bedframe and pretty floral cover. There was a single-seat sofa beside the window with a delicate, pink throw draped over its high back. Kenzie was already picturing herself relaxing there with a book later.
‘Mum and Dad were working day and night to get this place up and running. I guess everyone was tired and stressed. Family time wasn’t a big priority in those early days. Don’t get me wrong,’ he said, ambling across to the window to look outside, ‘she was a great mum—our soft spot after a day of dealing with Dad—but there was a lot riding on this place. They’d gone in way over their heads financially. It was a huge gamble.’
‘Obviously paid off,’ she commented.
