‘How are you?’ Steve asked tentatively. Sensing him right behind her, Laura tensed. It wasn’t his fault. He’d done nothing to deserve any of this, but she couldn’t turn to him, seek the comfort in his embrace she desperately needed. She couldn’t offer him reassurances or explanations. There was no way to do that without revealing everything. If she stayed here, Steve and Ollie would both be in danger. If she left, though, her mother might still hold the threat of harming them over her. If Sherry suspected that Laura had remembered details that had evaded her until now, she would stop at nothing to keep her from telling.
‘Did he push you?’ she asked, her gaze still on the window. ‘Grant, did he push you?’
‘What?’ Steve laughed, incredulous. ‘No, he didn’t push me. For God’s sake, Laura. He was trying to grab the ladder. He didn’t push the bloody thing.’
She glanced back at him. ‘Are you sure?’
His forehead creased into an uncertain frown. He couldn’t be sure. Nor could Laura, not one hundred per cent; it had all happened so fast. But wouldn’t that have been Sherry’s way of sending out a clear warning?
‘They’re going to take him away from me,’ she said quietly.
‘Who is?’ Steve asked, clearly bewildered. ‘Who are they going to take away, Laura?’
‘Sarah and her boyfriend. They’re going to take Ollie away. They don’t trust me after all that happened today.’
‘They do,’ Steve tried to reassure her, though he sounded far from convinced. Poor Steve. If anyone was a good man, he was. ‘Sarah understands you’ve had some problems,’ he went on, attempting to play down her unstable behaviour. Behaviour that to him must appear to border on insane. ‘She wants what’s best for Ollie, of course she does, but she doesn’t not trust you.’
‘She’s taking him home.’ Laura pointed out the obvious flaw in his argument. Ollie had been due to stay, but she could hear Sarah downstairs talking to him, enticing him with the promise of Joe coming to see him later. She’d heard her telling Steve that he was overtired after all the excitement. Steve hadn’t argued, agreeing immediately that it might be best if Ollie went home with her, which confirmed that he’d lost trust in Laura too.
She’d heard Joe talking to Sarah before her mother had barged out, all that Joe had said about his ex-wife. He was obviously a caring man. It was clear that he cared about Sarah and Ollie. She felt better for knowing that he would be around to protect the little boy.
She glanced down to where Joe had climbed into his car. He was watching the house, waiting, Laura gathered, to make sure Sarah and Ollie emerged safely. Did he know, she wondered, that someone was watching him too? Her gaze travelled back to the car parked on the opposite side of the road, two vehicles behind him.
Forty
Sarah
She’d debated whether to just ask Steve outright. It didn’t seem fair to heap yet another problem on his plate. But then she’d realised she had to, if only so she could stop obsessing about it, which she knew she was. On top of everything else, though, she would defy anyone to blame her, including Steve.
‘Hi. How are you?’ he asked when he picked up.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’m just on my way to nursery to pick Ollie up.’
‘How’s he doing?’ Steve asked, a worried edge to his voice. Clearly he was concerned that the events over the weekend might have upset him.
‘He’s fine,’ Sarah assured him. ‘I told him Laura had been feeling poorly. He seemed to accept that. He’s making her a card to cheer her up.’ She wasn’t sure when Laura might see the card, given the circumstances, but she thought Steve would feel better for knowing Ollie hadn’t been badly affected. ‘So, how are you? How’s the head?’
‘Not too bad. You never know, the bang might have knocked some sense into it,’ he joked wryly. ‘About the stuff we argued about,’ he went on hesitantly. ‘I, er, get it. Why you were so determined to find out more about Laura before allowing her to become involved in Ollie’s life. I mean, she obviously does have some issues, and, well … I’m sorry for acting like a bit of a dickhead.’
Sarah smiled at his gruff attempt at an apology. ‘No problem. I get it too. You love her.’
She waited, wondering whether Steve would admit as much to her.
‘I do,’ he confirmed after an awkward pause. ‘Probably more now, but … It’s a bit of a mess, isn’t it? This thing with her family?’
‘Definitely,’ she had to agree. ‘Word of advice, if I may?’
‘Shoot.’
‘I know it won’t be easy, but if I were you, I’d keep Sherry at arm’s length.’
‘I intend to,’ Steve said with a despairing sigh.
Sarah hesitated, then, ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘As long as it’s nothing too difficult,’ he joked, half-heartedly this time.
‘The wallpaper in Ollie’s room, did you choose it?’
‘No,’ he answered, after a pause. ‘Laura did. She knows Ollie’s into dinosaurs, so …’
He was thinking it was a coincidence. Sarah hoped it was too, because Laura hadn’t been to her house. No, you were the one sneaking about in her house, she reminded herself. Remembering Bunny’s ear, she didn’t feel any easier. ‘Great minds then, obviously,’ she said, deciding to leave it there for now. Steve didn’t need any more to contend with.
‘About Ollie’s visits …’ he said, and paused.
She steeled herself, guessing what he might be about to say.
‘After all that happened, I’m thinking you might be reticent about him coming over.’
She hesitated. ‘To be honest, I am a bit. Do you think maybe you could just take him out for the day?’ she suggested. ‘Just until things are a bit more settled.’
Steve took a breath. ‘I suppose that’s probably a good compromise,’ he agreed.
Sarah heard the reluctance in his voice and felt for him. He loved Laura, that was obvious, but he loved Ollie too, fiercely. He would never knowingly do anything to put him in danger. ‘Thanks, Steve,’ she said gratefully. He could have been awkward about it, which would have just exacerbated the problem. ‘We should make sure to keep talking.’
‘We will,’ he promised.
She smiled. This was progress at least. However things had turned out between them, he wasn’t a bad man. She really hoped things worked out for him and Laura. He’d been wrong to talk to Sherry about Laura having therapy, but it was clear that she did need some help. She obviously hadn’t been able to move on at all. Sarah would suggest to him that he approach the subject again, directly with Laura this time, and subtly. ‘I’d better go.’ She glanced towards the nursery. ‘I think the parents are going in. Speak soon.’
Ollie bolted towards her as soon as she walked through the nursery door. ‘We have some pretend grass,’ he announced as Sarah bent to give him a hug.
‘Do you? Well, that’s exciting, isn’t it?’ Easing back, she gave him a bright smile. She presumed he meant AstroTurf. Melanie had mentioned they were getting some fitted in the garden so the children could play safely.