Page 26 of Daydreams & Doughnut Cake

‘Would Amelie like a sleep-over at our house tonight? I could take her to nursery with Dora in the morning?’

‘Oh.’ I looked at Angela in surprise. ‘Yes. I’m sure she’d love that. And Dora could come over to ours in a few days to give you some time to yourself?’

She nodded. ‘Perfect! We single mothers should stick together.’

Amelie, of course, was delighted with the plan. It felt rather weird, the thought of spending an evening on my own, without Amelie’s bed-time routine to think about. But with the sort of frantic day I was having, it was probably working out for the best. Amelie would be having a great time at Dora’s house so I wouldn’t have to worry about her, and I could finally relax and get to bed early.

I drove home and collected a bag of night things for Amelie and when I dropped it off at Angela’s house, I could hear the girls laughing and chatting upstairs.

But as I drove back home again, there was a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.

Had the intruder done their worst?

Or weren’t they finished with me yet?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The Maisie Diaries

Okay, Amy thinks I’m completely mad for fancying Reuben and wanting to ask him out. And I could have KILLED her when at breaktime, she told our friend, Fergie (real name Andrew Ferguson) to see what he thought about it.

Fergie, who’s a proper joker, looked at me as if I had two heads and then he burst out laughing and said, ‘But Reuben Taylor’s a total tosser!’ (It’s actually okay to write words like that when I’m quoting someone else.)

He laughed for quite a while, which was really irritating. I thought he was a bit over-the-top about it, really. But Amy said afterwards she thought Fergie had a thing for me, which I was quite surprised about.

But it explains the ‘tosser’ bit, I suppose.

Mind you, Amy also thinks Reuben’s a ‘tosser’ and SHE doesn’t fancy me!

Rosie

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I knew Amelie would be having a great time with Dora, but it felt strange being at home without her.

I lay in the bath for a while, but it was too quiet. I’d forgotten to put some music on and the dead silence was unnerving so I had to cut it short. After the intruder nightmare of the previous evening, I found I was listening out for every little sound and just couldn’t relax. So I went downstairs and put the TV on, turning the volume up, and I heated some curry and rice and ate it on a tray watching a drama I’d been following.

A glass or two of wine took the edge off my anxiety and gradually, I found I was starting to relax. It was rather nice having a free evening for a change.

The only thing that was missing was chocolate!

I’d hunted in the cupboards but found nothing but a tiny bar of Amelie’s favourite white chocolate, which really wasn’t my cup of tea at all.

I lifted a corner of the blind and peered out into the darkness.

Could I risk a dash along to the corner shop? It stayed open till late and that big bar of milk chocolate I was picturing was calling out to me!

I shrugged on my coat and grabbed my purse and keys. I’d be really quick. The shop was just a thirty-second walk away. I could be there and back in five minutes. Then I’d get in my pyjamas and snuggle down with my booty to watch the rest of the drama!

I felt a little nervous stepping out into the cool of the night. But scanning the street, I was reassured to see that there was no one about. Just to make sure, though, I jogged along to the shop. If anyone was following me, I was already in fight or flight mode!

While choosing my chocolate, I had a chat with Mrs Baines, who ran the corner shop with her husband, and we laughed about the sign she’d fixed up above the coffee machine they’d recently installed. ‘A yawn is just a silent scream for coffee.’

I left the shop still smiling, thinking about Mrs Baines’ sense of humour. My anxiety about coming out seemed to have receded, although I still scanned the area before setting off. Again, the street was deserted.

Halfway home, I thought I heard someone behind me, although when I turned, there was no one there. It must have been just an echo of my own footsteps on the pavement, I realised.

A second later, my heart lurched with fear.

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