Page 91 of Second Chances at the Board Game Café

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Harry seemed pleased to have visitors. He insisted on driving over to Hebbleswick to pick them up. He loaded his car boot with all her sewing stuff; she’d finally been allowed to retrieve everything from the old co-operative building thanks to Jo’s intervention.

‘Can we play a train game whilst Mum sets up her sewing room?’ said Max from the back seat.

‘Harry might have things to do, Max,’ said Taylor. ‘And I’ll set up on Wednesday morning.’

‘Actually, I was going to make a start on clearing out the shed. Fancy lending a hand, Max?’

‘Will there be spiders?’

‘There might well be spiders, yes.’

‘That’s great. I love spiders, don’t I, Mum?’

The three of them carried her sewing equipment from the car, then Max and Harry headed out into the garden, and Taylor began to arrange her stuff. The dining room was very bare. She wondered if she might put up her bunting to brighten it up, but it seemed a bit cheeky when this wasn’t her house. Instead, she moved the table a little nearer the window, placed her chair behind it so she’d have a nice view whilst she worked, and put the sewing machine in position alongside her overlocker.

She glanced out into the garden. Max and Harry seemed to be emptying the contents of the shed onto the lawn, separating everything into three piles.

Taylor placed her tailor’s dummy in one corner of the room, and set up a large angle-poise lamp to shed more light onto the sewing table should she need it. There was a peal of laughter from outside and she looked out again to see Max threatening Harry with a hosepipe. It was cute how the pair of them got on. Really cute. She wondered why Harry had never become a dad. He was obviously great with children. Well, good with Max anyway.

Taylor arranged her boxes of fabrics and threads against one wall. The room still seemed cold and empty. Perhaps she should ask Harry about the bunting, and perhaps enquire if it might be okay to put a picture or two up. Perhaps a pinboard with some designs on. Customers would be visiting her here, and she wanted it to feel like a cosy sewing space.

She stood up, and wandered through Harry’s large kitchen – also on the bare side, but it could be amazing with a few finishing touches – and out into the garden.

‘How’s it going?’ she said.

‘Great,’ said Max. ‘We’re sorting Harry’s stuff. There are things to keep, things to give away and things to take to the tip. And guess why we’re doing this, Mum.’

‘Why?’

‘No, you have to guess,’ said Max.

‘Is Harry getting a motorbike and wants to store it in the shed?’

‘No, Harry likes trains, not motorbikes. He’s going to set up his model railway in here. It used to be in the dining room, but he had to pack it away because —’

‘Max,’ shouted Harry from inside the shed. ‘I told you not to tell her.’

He came outside, wiping some oil off his hands onto a dirty rag.

‘You packed your model railway away so I could use your dining room?’ she said.

‘Yes, but it’s fine. I’m going to set it up in the shed, and Max is going to help me. If that’s all right with you?’

‘Look at this, Mum.’ Max opened a large cardboard box and pulled a smaller box out from inside. He took the lid off and held it out to her.

Sitting on a bed of tissue paper was a tiny forest of little trees.

‘Harry made these,’ said Max. ‘Give me your phone, Harry.’

‘Please,’ said Taylor automatically.

‘Please,’ said Max.

Harry wiped his hands on the rag a second time, then pulled his mobile out of his back pocket, unlocked it and handed it to Max.

‘Look, Mum.’ Max swiped a couple of times then held the phone up for her to see.