‘No, but poor Evie was. It scared her, Toni, she told me all about it the next day. I actually thought she was exaggerating until I saw the mess.’
‘I have felt tense and stressed out,’ I conceded. ‘I know you disapprove, but this new job is important to me, Mum. I’m trying to make a good impression there; the money will come in so handy. And I’ve also been really concerned about Evie not liking school.’
‘I don’t like that Watton woman,’ Mum said.
‘Miss Watson,’ I corrected her again.
‘Whatever. You’d think she was Evie’s nanny, the way she talks about what’s best for her. I had to bite my tongue again today.’
‘Why, what did she say?’
‘Oh, she just hinted that it would be better if you could pick her up after her new later sessions. I get the impression she doesn’t like me picking her up full stop. My own granddaughter.’
‘I’m sure that’s not the case, Mum,’ I said, remembering that’s exactly what Harriet had suggested in her phone call about Evie’s private sessions.
I spooned coffee into our mugs and poured in boiling water.
‘I don’t know why Evie has to go to these silly sessions anyway, she’d rather be at home, I’m sure.’
‘Well, I’m grateful to Miss Watson.’ I went to the fridge for milk. ‘She’s going the extra mile to help Evie settle in. She seems very giving of her own time.’
We took our drinks into the lounge. Mum handed Evie a carton of orange juice.
‘What did you do in your session with Miss Watson today, sweetie?’ I asked Evie.
She looked up briefly.
‘Just talking,’ she muttered.
‘Talking about what?’ Mum chipped in.
‘About friends,’ Evie said, poking the straw into her drink. ‘Mummy’s friends.’
I raised an eyebrow at Mum. ‘My friends?’
‘There’s something I don’t trust about that woman.’ Mum pursed her lips. ‘Why would she be poking her nose in your personal business?’
‘I told her you hadn’t got any,’ Evie said, slurping juice through the straw.
‘Oh, cheers, Evie.’ I laughed, but it was sobering to realise it was actually the dismal truth.
‘She said she could be your friend,’ Evie added.
‘Creepy,’ Mum shuddered. ‘I don’t like the woman.’
‘Miss Watson said she’s going to get Daisy, Nico and Martha to come and visit me soon,’ Evie went on, selecting her next brick.
I shrugged at Mum’s disapproving glare. I felt sure Miss Watson hadn’t promised Evie such a thing. It was fairly obvious she’d been encouraging her to speak about friends, and that was a positive thing, seeing as she hadn’t managed to make any yet.
Her old friends visiting would be nothing but wishful thinking on Evie’s part.
After all, our old life was firmly behind us. There was nothing left for us there anymore.
47
Three Years Earlier
Toni
When Mum had gone home, I unpacked Evie’s book bag. There was a slip of paper tucked inside her reading journal.
Mrs Cotter, would you be able to stay for a 5 min chat when you bring Evie to school in the morning?
* * *
Regards,
H. Watson
My heart sank, wondering what it was she wanted to talk to me about. I hoped she wasn’t still concerned about Evie settling into her new class.
I felt exhausted, far too tired to contemplate unpacking anything upstairs, so I decided I’d just make us a light tea and crash out on the sofa while Evie watched TV. Not the most nurturing plan a parent ever came up with, but I told myself that, sometimes, needs must.
‘Mummy, when are we going to McDonalds?’ Evie said.
I stared at her, this morning’s forgotten promise echoing in my head. I felt like crying.
‘You promised,’ she said, watching me with narrowed eyes.
‘We can go now if you like,’ I said wearily. ‘Get your coat and shoes.’
‘Miss Watson said fast food is full of salt and sugar that add hicks you,’ Evie remarked, buckling her shoes. ‘But I still want to go.’
* * *
When we left McDonalds and drove home, the first thing I noticed, when we turned into Muriel Crescent, was that the lights were on in the kitchen of number sixty-one. The blinds were still pulled down and although I could see shadows moving around, the fabric was too substantial to make out any detail. As we drove by, I saw that the car parked outside number sixty-one was a black Audi, remarkably similar to the car that had sped by me earlier.
Later, before I climbed into bed, I turned off the light and peeked out of the curtains onto the road. Number sixty-one was almost directly opposite our house, and a dim lamp had just snapped on in the lounge, illuminating the room in a rosy glow.
A woman walked over to the windows to draw the curtains. I squinted at the shape behind her and realised that there was someone else there in the room too. Before she pulled the curtains completely closed, the woman hesitated and stared out for a few seconds, clutching the drapes close to her face.
If I was the paranoid type, I’d have sworn she was looking directly up at me.
* * *
The next morning, Evie and I walked to school under our matching ladybird-themed umbrellas, which served as both a novelty and a distraction for her.
I kept looking for signs that she seemed a little happier going to school, but I couldn’t find any evidence of that. She didn’t complain loudly or refuse to go in, like she had done previously, but her demeanour was virtually identical. She remained surly and quiet for most of the journey.
It was a tall order to expect Harriet Watson to work her magic in the space of a single one-to-one session. We were in it for the long haul, but I felt sure we’d get there in the end.
When we reached the school gates, Harriet Watson was waiting for us. Evie looked up at me, slightly alarmed, but I squeezed her hand to reassure her everything was fine and she wasn’t in any trouble.
We all walked towards the building together.
‘Now, run along to the classroom, Evie, and I’ll be through in a few minutes,’ Miss Watson said briskly when we got inside.
I bent down and got a peck on the cheek before Evie sauntered down the corridor towards Rowan Class.
Miss Watson led me into the pleasant open-plan library space. We moved from echoing wooden flooring onto a carpet that muted all the sounds. Shelves piled with colourful, tempting books of every genre lined the walls. Even the lighting seemed a little softer in here.
Although pupils were constantly walking by us to their classrooms, it was a surprisingly calm and private space, buffered as we were by the bookcases and carpet. We sat down at a round table next to the back wall.
‘Thanks so much for coming in,’ Harriet began, placing her hands, one on top of the other, on the tabletop. ‘I wanted to tell you how the session went yesterday. Evie was very responsive and chatted openly about her friends and life at her old school.’
‘She told me.’ I nodded, smiling. ‘In fact, Evie said you were going to arrange for her three friends to visit her here.’
We shared a chuckle.
‘Oh dear, little Evie perhaps got the wrong end of the stick there.’ Harriet smiled. ‘I’m sure I never said anything of the sort.’
‘Don’t worry, I realised she must have got confused,’ I said. ‘I thought it was positive you’d got her talking about friendships though. I really hope Evie will make some new friends here very soon.’
‘Quite,’ Harriet Watson agreed. ‘But try not to worry. I have every confidence Evie will soon forge strong friendships here at St Saviour’s. Her involvement in my small group work during the day will encourage this, as she’ll be working with the same group of classmates most days. We sit right here, in fact.’ She patted the tabletop.
‘It’s a lovely space,’ I said, looking around with approval.
‘You’re probably wondering why I wanted to speak with you,’ she ventured. ‘I just wanted to reiterate what I said about you making an effort to pick Evie up after the later sessions.’
I felt a prickle of annoyance.
‘I will ask at work, but as I said, I’ve only just started the job, so it might be a bit difficult to change my hours at this early stage.’