Page 90 of The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field

‘Youareher father,’ Harriet pointed out, her own ire rising. ‘I thought you might like to know.’

‘I’m on holiday. What do you want me to do about it?’

Harriet sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Nothing. Not a thing. Like you usually do.’ On holiday indeed! How nice for him.Shewould like to be on holiday right now.

‘Is that it? My pint’s getting warm.’

‘Don’t you want to speak to her? Ask her how she is? Why she did it?’

‘Nah, you can sort it.’

Like I always bloody do, she thought. ‘Have a nice ti—’ He had rung off and she was left holding a dead phone.

Breathing deeply as she tried not to lose her temper completely, Harriet splashed water on her face before she went downstairs. Once more, Declan had abdicated his parental responsibility, and she felt like crying when she realised she was on her own with this – again.

But she wasn’t on her own – not completely. She had her parents and she had Owen, who cared about her children more than their own father did. And who also cared abouther.

‘I’m so looking forward to the Christmas Fayre,’ Rowena announced as Harriet entered the zero-waste shop on the hunt for toothpaste tablets on Friday morning.

She had seen them in Owen’s tiny shower room, and when he’d told her what they were for, she thought they were a good idea, especially for the children. Because each tablet contained only enough toothpaste for one brushing, it meant that Bobby, who was partial to squirting normal toothpaste so liberally that the family went through a large tube every week, would only use what was needed. And there was also the environmental factor of keeping the tablets in a reusable container.

‘So am I.’ Harriet’s reply was heartfelt. She had loved organising the Fayre, but if she had realised how much work it would be, she might have passed. Thank goodness for Owen and Kelly – she would be lost without their help. However, if it wasn’t for them, the Fayre wouldn’t be happening, so it was only right they did their fair share, she mused dryly.

Thinking of Owen brought a smile to her lips. He had been a godsend these past three days, taking care of Sara while Harriet went to work, and she didn’t know what she would have done without him. Thankfully, Sara had returned to school today, so everything was back to normal. However, Harriet was worried how her daughter would cope; she had tried to arrange a meeting with Mrs Cooke to advise her of the bullying situation, but the headteacher was ‘off site’ and would be for the next few days, which meant that Harriet was forced to wait until the woman was available.

Rowena asked, ‘How is Owen? I haven’t seen him for a while.’ She sent Harriet a knowing look.

‘He’s great. He’s been such a help with the Fayre and… other things.’ Harriet winced. She wasn’t keeping it a secret that Sara had been excluded from school, but neither was she broadcasting it.

‘I bet he has!’

Harriet blushed. ‘That’s not what I meant.’

‘But you’re more than just Fayre-planner buddies.’ Rowena was laughing at her, but in a kindly way.

‘We might be,’ Harriet hedged.

‘Aw, look at you. You’ve gone all coy. Are you and Owen getting serious?’

‘I can’t possibly say,’ Harriet replied primly.

‘I’ll take that as a yes. I’m so pleased for you. You deserve some happiness.’

That highlighted both the diamond and the lump of coal that was Foxmore – everyone knew everyone else’s business. It was both a blessing and a curse, but she wouldn’t want it any other way.

Rowena said, ‘I must thank him again for that piece he did about Sero. We’ve set up an online shop on the back of it and it’s really taking off. It’s early days, but the figures look promising.’

Harriet was about to congratulate Rowena, but something the shopkeeper had said caught her attention. ‘That piece?’ she asked. What did Rowena mean by ‘piece’?

‘The article he wrote, the one that was published in… I forget the name of it. He did a great job. Here, I’ll show you.’

Harriet watched, perplexed, as Rowena hooked her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. She had no idea what the woman was talking about.

Rowena handed her the phone and Harriet took it, frowning.

Her frown deepened as she read a skilfully written article in an online magazine, which extolled the virtues of zero-waste shops and combined it with a compelling story about how the one in Foxmore had been set up via a co-operative.

‘Owenwrote this?’ she asked.

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