I left the head’s office and went to collect the girls from outside their classrooms.
‘Why are you here?’ asked Poppy, her tone a touch belligerent. ‘Where’s Hilda?’
‘I worked from home this afternoon and I thought I’d pick you up for a change. Hilda’s gone to a tea dance and then she’s walking Bill.’ I didn’t want to let her know that I’d been to see the head. She’d only worry and then start asking questions. Poppy wasn’t stupid.
Ava held my hand and chattered sunnily about her day, giving inconsequential details about who’d been weather monitor, how many meatballs she’d had for lunch, and what colour skipping rope she had at breaktime. ‘And I got another sticker for reading today.’
‘That’s brilliant, sweetie. We’ll do some more this evening. Hold up, Poppy,’ I called to the older girl who’d put quite a distance between us. ‘Wait for us.’
Poppy turned around, sent a ferocious glare my way, and then threw herself against a wall, folding her arms across her chest with all the sneering arrogance of a fully-fledged teenager.
Because she’d done as I asked, albeit with a bagful of attitude, I decided to leave well alone and not push her to find out what was wrong. She’d been difficult since the weekend and I wondered if it was hormones starting to make themselves felt; she was eleven, so the timing was bang on the button.
We caught up with her and then she decided she would trail behind us. By the time Ava and I reached the road on the other side of the park, with my house in view, she was four metres behind us, walking deliberately slowly.
I clenched my fists and tried to be patient, knowing that my own anxiety was starting to rise at the thought of having to face Ash in the next couple of hours as he’d be coming to pick up Bill as per our usual arrangement.
Hilda arrived back not much later than us and, thankfully, the sight of Bill’s shaggy head seemed to cheer Poppy up until teatime.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ asked Hilda in a quiet aside as we stacked the dishwasher together. ‘And since when hasn’t she liked tomatoes?’
‘Hormones, I think.’
‘Hmm, I was always quite glad I had a boy.’
‘I remember Alice being hell on wheels’—I winced—‘from about fourteen to sixteen… and then she got pregnant. My poor parents. She’s been hormonal ever since.’
‘Have you heard from them?’
‘Yes.’ I raised my eyes heavenwards. ‘They’re in denial. I had a long email from Mum. She believes Alice is having a protracted holiday and will be home soon.’
‘And no word from her.’
‘No.’
‘I didn’t like to ask how it went with the head, pas devant les enfants.’
‘We’ve hit crunch time. She’s going to inform social services and I’ll have to have a meeting with them so I need to get the ball rolling with Farquhar to apply through the court for the Special Guardianship Order. I’m going to call him later.’
‘Hmph. You two seem like bosom buddies all of a sudden.’
‘He’s very kindly helping me – free of charge, for which I’m very grateful. Farquhar isn’t as bad as you painted him and he does care about you.’
‘Hmm. The boy wants to see a couple of bungalows this weekend. Says he’s coming to the parkrun and why don’t we view the one on Long Acre Road and one on Abernathy Road – actually, that one’s a ground-floor maisonette but it’s all right. It’s a conversion, so has the high ceilings that I prefer and a bit of grandeur about it. I’d be happy entertaining in a place like that. I don’t want to live in a soulless box. And what’s this I hear about a dog-sitter? Ash tells me Bill’s having a trial tomorrow.’
I winced and glanced over at Poppy who was once again stabbing at her mobile and viciously scrolling.
‘Ash and I are cooling off a bit,’ I said in a quiet undertone.
‘Cooling off?’ Hilda’s fierce whisper attracted Poppy’s attention. ‘What on earth does that mean?’
‘Shh.’ I grabbed her arm and steered her into the lounge.
‘What?’
‘I don’t want the girls to know.’
‘To know what?’
‘That Ash isn’t going to be around as much.’
‘Whyever not?’
‘I told you, we’ve decided to… to be friends.’
Hilda snorted rudely. ‘There’s enough heat between the two of you to start an inferno. I think the pair of you should just have sex and be done with it. I’m surprised your ruddy knickers haven’t caught fire; when the two of you are in the same room they’re practically smouldering.’
‘Hilda!’
‘Well, you know what I mean.’
‘Sadly, I do and that’s part of the problem. There’s plenty of chemistry but no substance.’
‘What poppycock.’ She slammed her coffee down on one of the little side tables, ignoring the liquid slopping over the sides. ‘I’ve never heard so much rubbish in my life and I’ve heard a lot, I can tell you. My second husband could… well, that’s for another time. Why on earth would you want to do that?
‘Hilda, Ash is building his career. In no time he’ll be back to being Ashwin Laghari, International Arms Dealer, not Ash who’s got a dog, two kids in tow, an honorary grandma and a formerly high-flying girlfriend. He’s going to move on and I don’t want to be left burnt out in his wake.’
‘Claire, that’s absurd. The two of you are… well, I wouldn’t say perfect – that’s too twee for you two – but you make a great team. I suppose that is what “perfect for each other” means. You’re both always on the same page. I don’t understand.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘Ash will be back to his workaholic ways in no time. We were on the same page when we were both like that.’
‘Hmph. Well, I think you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face.’
‘It’s called self-preservation.’
When Ash turned up half an hour later, Hilda lifted a snooty nose and said she and Ava were going to play with the ducks in the bath.
‘What’s she in a snit about?’ asked Ash, placing his laptop bag on the kitchen table and crouching to accept Bill’s happy welcome while also giving Poppy a warm hello. ‘Hey pipsqueak, how was the maths homework?’
‘I got them all right.’ She beamed at him, the happy grin lifting her pale face. It was the most animated she’d been since I picked her up from school. ‘Ten out of ten.’
‘Phew!’ He wiped his forearm across his forehead in mock relief.
Darn, who was going to help with her maths and science homework in future?
Poppy handed him Bill’s lead. ‘See you tomorrow, Bill.’ She bent and ruffled his ears.
Ash and I both froze, our eyes meeting over the top of her head.
‘Actually, Poppy, Bill’s not coming tomorrow.’
Poppy glanced up at his face, curious at first and then alarmed. ‘Why? What’s happened?’
‘I’m sorry, Pops, but Bill’s getting very confused about where he lives and because he’s a rescue dog, he’s getting a bit anxious. This is best for him.’ He explained that from next week, dependent on tomorrow’s trial, Bill would be going to a dog-sitter who would take him out for a nice long walk every day.