Sheishappy for me. She must be.
I’m just being me and worrying as usual. Imagining there’s something else beneath it.
13
Tuesday
Since our first visit to Lakeview House, everything’s moved fast. Between taking calls from DreamKey’s advisory team and trying to keep up as solicitors walk us through the things that need to happen before we can move, I spend my time, when I’m not at work, on packing and endless admin. Legal forms. Financial assessments. Council tax bands and maintenance costs. Terms likesurveys,self-assessmentandproperty deedsget tossed around, and with every conversation, the enormity of what’s happening hits me all over again.
I sit on the edge of the sofa one evening, a mountain of paperwork spread across the coffee-table. Dev paces between the living room and the kitchen, waving a letter in the air.
‘Five months,’ he says, exasperated. ‘We’ve got five months left on this tenancy, and they won’t let us end it early. Unless we find someone to take over, we’re stuck paying for it.’
I nod absently, leafing through a document. Then something clicks. I look up. ‘I’ve got an idea.’
‘Go on.’
‘What if Paige moved in?’
Dev stops pacing. ‘What?’
‘She’s desperate to get out of her parents’ place. We’ve got an empty house for five months. It makes sense.’
He frowns. ‘She’d pay the rent?’
I hesitate. Asking Paige for money when we’ve landed on our feet so spectacularly doesn’t sit right. But, more than that,Iwantto do something for her. ‘She could pay something, I suppose,’ I say carefully. ‘But it feels wrong charging her the full amount when we don’tneedthe money. This could give her the breathing space to save for her own place. She was so excited about trying to buy one of those shared-ownership flats when I saw her last.’
Dev tosses the letter onto the table and slouches into a chair. ‘She’s your friend, but her living here, it could get messy.’
‘Messy how? It’s not like she’s a random tenant. We trust her. And it would help her get some independence away from her parents’ house. No deposit, no long-term contract.’
He exhales, running a hand through his hair. ‘I get what you’re saying. And, yeah, we can afford to be generous. But you know what they say – money and friendship don’t always mix.’
I fold my arms. ‘If the roles were reversed, she’d do the same for me.’
Dev studies me, then sighs. ‘Fine. But let’s set clear terms. If we’re doing this, we do it properly.’
Relief floods through me. ‘Deal.’
14
Sixteen Years Earlier
Beth and I had been at the Webbs’ house for a couple of days, and in that time, we’d only really spent any time with Mr Webb. His wife seemed to vanish off the face of the earth after her initial welcome tea.
‘Where’s Mrs Webb?’ I asked one day, curiosity getting the better of me as I sat with Beth at the table in the kitchen.
‘She’s getting acclimatized to you both being here,’ Mr Webb said, his frown deepening. ‘Maureen … Mrs Webb … she’s a very sensitive sort. It’s a bit of a culture shock, you see. A bit of an upheaval. Strangers being here. In the house.’
Strangers in the house?They’d voluntarily fostered us!
Mr Webb sighed, rubbing a finger absently along the wooden table. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but Mrs Webb, well, she’s been through a lot of trauma. We both have.’ He clears his throat. ‘You two girls are part of our fresh start after a difficult time with David junior.’
‘David junior?’
‘Our son,’ he said quickly, as a shadow moved across his face – regret at mentioning him, maybe, I’m not sure. I’d assumed they’d taken us in because they couldn’t have children of their own. Why else would they foster us?
‘Mrs Webb has always wanted a daughter and we would’ve adopted years ago if things had been … different. But now that David’s left home, she thought we might …’ he forced asmile ‘… make her dream of having a daughter come true.’ A small cough before he corrected himself. ‘Daughters, I mean.’