Page 15 of Daydreams & Doughnut Cake

I glanced behind her. ‘Is your mum around? Or is she busy?’

‘Isla is asleep so she’s lying down in her bedroom.’

‘Very sensible. Look, I could take you to school if that would help?’

But at that moment, Ellie appeared at the top of the stairs, wrapped in her dressing-gown.

‘Rosie! Hi. I was just getting dressed.’

‘Rosie brought me a diary.’ Maisie held it up so her mum could see it. ‘It has a key.’

‘Oh. Fantastic!’ Ellie came down. ‘That’s such a lovely thing to do.’

I smiled at her. ‘Well, we were talking the other day and I was telling Maisie how I used to keep a diary when I was her age, and she said she might like to do the same.’ I shrugged, hoping Ellie didn’t think I was butting in where I wasn’t wanted. ‘They had a sale on in the gift shop so I thought I might as well take advantage of it...’

‘Well, thank you. That’s so kind of you.’

‘Writing all my private thoughts down when I was young really helped me, especially when I was head over heels for a boy at school!’

Maisie shot me a nervous look and I realised she was worried I might embarrass her by mentioning her crush on Reuben.

‘Of course,’ I added quickly, ‘that’s exactly how my feelings stayed when I wrote about them in the diary. Completely private. Hence the lock and key.’ I gave Maisie a subtle wink and her face relaxed into a smile.

*****

Driving back through Sunnybrook, I decided to make a brief stop at the café to check when Maddy wanted me in for my next two shifts.

She’d been really good, giving me hours that fitted well with me ferrying Amelie to and from nursery.

I jumped out of the van and stuck my head round the door. ‘Hi. I was just wondering what my shifts would be for next week?’ I asked cheerfully.

‘Oh. Hang on a sec.’ Maddy dashed into the kitchen, presumably to look at the rota.

When she reappeared with my hours, I quickly added them into the diary on my phone. ‘That’s great! Thanks, Maddy. I’ll see you then.’

‘Good stuff. Oh, Rosie?’

I turned and she was hurrying towards me, holding out a white envelope. ‘I almost forgot. This arrived for you.’

Taking the letter, I turned it over curiously.

Rosie Tremaine. Care of the Little Duck Pond Café.

It didn’t have a stamp and it didn’t look like an official letter.

‘It was here when I arrived this morning,’ explained Maddy.

‘Right.’ I smiled. ‘Well, thanks. I’d better get going.’

Back in the van, I tore open the envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper, folded.

Opening it up, I read the five words that were printed in capitals in the dead centre of the page, and my blood ran cold.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID.

CHAPTER EIGHT

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