How Laura Lewis Met Richard Brown

Chapter Twelve

‘Do you want a chocolate milkshake, Henry?’ Megan asked, although she already knew the answer.

Henry’s face lit up with pure joy. ‘Yes, please, Auntie Megan.’

Megan smiled, rooting in her bag for the colouring-in book and felt tips she had brought with them to the Cottage Bun. She placed them on the table in front of him.

‘Right then. I’ll just go and order. Won’t be a minute.’

‘What are you two doing here today?’ Sue asked, her eyes twinkling and a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Megan glanced over her shoulder to where Henry was sitting, hunched over his colouring book, absorbed in colouring in a butterfly and snail. ‘There’s a tummy bug going round so Richard thought it best to keep him off today. He’s fine, though,’ she added, not wanting Sue to think Henry was contagious.

Megan watched Sue visibly relax. She could almost read her thoughts.

Not contagious .

‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ Sue said. ‘Horrible when little ones are poorly. So, what would you like, dear?’

‘Henry would like a slice of toast with honey, a banana and a chocolate milkshake, please.’

Sue wrote it all down on her pad before looking up. ‘And for you?’

‘Just a slice of toast and a black coffee, please.’

Sue narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. ‘That all?’

Megan stifled a laugh. It was always the same remark, ever since she was a teenager. Sue had forever been on a mission to fatten her up. ‘Yep,’ she said with a grin.

‘Okay, dear, I’ll bring them over in a minute for you. Not exactly rushed off my feet today.’

Apart from Megan and Henry, the only other customer was an elderly gentleman who frequented the café every morning to read his newspaper — the café’s newspaper — and to drink a pot of tea.

‘Won’t be long, Henry,’ Megan said, sitting back down.

‘Okay.’ His eyes didn’t leave his colouring book.

Megan watched him concentrating on his simple, yet important task. The way he held his mouth, his raised eyebrow. He looked just like his mum and it was at moments like this that she could cry for his loss. The least she could do was help out with childcare. She just wished she could do so much more than buying him milkshakes and babysitting when needed.

‘Here we go.’

Megan looked up to see Sue with a tray.

‘Henry, give me your colouring book while you eat your toast. We don’t want sticky fingerprints over your lovely colouring in.’

Henry obediently picked up his book and felt tips and gave them to Megan.

Sue placed the tray on the table.

‘Thanks, Sue,’ Megan said.

‘No problem, loves. Let me know if you need anything else.’

Twenty minutes later, all that remained were the toast crusts, a banana peel and the dregs of a chocolate milkshake. Megan was nursing another mug of coffee and Henry was drinking an apple juice.

Megan was pondering what to do next with Henry. Should they go to the park or sit out in the garden? She didn’t want to overdo things. Her thoughts were interrupted by the tinkling of the café bell, signalling the arrival of an attractive woman pushing open the door.

The woman was of average build, her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she was wearing bright-yellow wellington boots. A large shopping bag with a pretty floral print hung over her shoulder and her hands were plunged deep into her green Barbour jacket.

Megan noticed her immediately because she didn’t fit into this tiny claustrophobic village.

Megan forced herself to turn away, picked up her coffee, took a sip and tried to tune in to what the woman was saying to Sue.

‘Lovely to see you in here again, Laura. The usual, is it?’ Sue asked.

‘Please.’

‘Take a seat and I’ll bring it over.’

Megan watched as the woman’s eyes scanned the room before walking over to the table by the window. She placed her bag on the table and pulled out a huge paperback. Megan couldn’t see the title from where she was sitting, but recognised the cover. It had only just been published.

Before Megan could look away, the woman caught her eye and then after a quick glance at Henry, she smiled.

Megan smiled back.

* * *

Laura tried to concentrate on her book, but her eyes kept drifting over to where the little boy was sitting with a woman she didn’t recognise. She was positive that the little boy was Richard’s son. She picked up her book and looked over the top, squinting to see if it was really him.

‘You finished, Henry?’

So, it was Henry.

Should she go over and say hello? Introduce herself? But she had no idea who this woman was. It would all look a bit odd.

Shaking her head, Laura placed her book back down and rooted in her bag for her diary and pen. She needed to make a shopping list.

It was as she was placing the diary back into her bag that the dark-haired woman approached her, clutching Henry’s hand.

‘Hi, I thought I’d come over and say hello. I’m Megan and this is Henry.’

Laura stood up and shook the woman’s hand. ‘Hi, I’m Laura.’

She could smell a delicate floral fragrance and she noticed a tiny tattoo on Megan’s wrist when her sleeve hitched up. She thought it was a flower.

‘I’ve met Henry already, at the home, haven’t I, Henry?’ Laura said.

Henry nodded. ‘When I was with Daddy.’

‘Oh, so you’ve met Richard?’ Megan’s eyes grew wide with an expression that Laura couldn’t quite read.

‘Yes, but only briefly, walking home from the pub.’

‘From the pub?’ Megan asked.

Laura thought Megan’s eyes were going to pop out of her head.

She laughed. ‘I was walking home when he passed by in his car and I dropped my bag. He stopped to help me.’

‘Ah, ever the gentleman,’ Megan said with a knowing smile.

Laura smiled at Megan once more and wondered again who this woman was.

‘So, you’ll know Gertie, then — Richard’s gran?’ Megan asked, followed by her hand quickly covering her mouth. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m assuming that you work there. You could have been visiting someone.’

‘No, I mean, I do work there. I’ve just started as a new care assistant and, yes, I do know Gertie.’ Laura smiled to put the younger woman at her ease.

Megan relaxed and shot Laura a smile. Something changed in the other woman’s expression yet again. Laura thought it was some kind of approval. ‘Do you want to come to the park with us? To be honest, I could do with some female company.’

‘Erm,’ Laura looked down at her almost full coffee cup.

‘Oh, I’m sorry, you’re still drinking your coffee.’

‘No, it’s fine,’ Laura found herself saying. ‘I’d love to come to the park with you. I’ll just take my coffee to go.’ She smiled, thinking she might have just made a new friend in the village.

* * *

The playground was only a short walk away from the Cottage Bun. It was smaller than the one near Cedar House. Henry led the way, skipping along in his haste to get there.

Laura found Megan incredibly easy to talk to. They spoke about the village and the fact that everyone knew each other’s business. How Megan was incredibly lucky to have a freelance writing career that paid well and gave her the scope to do exactly what she wanted, including spending time with Henry.

Laura listened to what this young and vibrant woman had to say as she sipped her coffee. Sue had kindly poured it into a takeout cup.

If Megan thought that Laura was evading any personal questions, then she didn’t acknowledge those thoughts.

Megan guided Laura over to a vacant bench and watched as Henry ran off towards the swings, his arms pumping in the air with excitement.

‘Such a lovely age,’ Laura said.

‘Yes, it is.’ Megan tried to look at Laura more closely. ‘You’ve not got kids of your own?’

Laura shook her head. ‘No.’ She wasn’t prepared to say any more.

Megan looked away towards Henry.

Laura hoped that she’d got the message.

‘So,’ Megan said after a few minutes of silence, ‘Gertie, eh. She must be a handful.’

Laura couldn’t help but mirror Megan’s grin.

‘She is a character, for sure.’ But Laura’s smile slipped a little. Should she tell Megan about their last conversation, that she was worried about the old lady? Something wasn’t right. She wanted to share her concerns, but she didn’t really know Megan, and then there was patient confidentiality. She’d just be vague, give no details.

‘Something wrong?’ Megan asked.

‘Well, it’s probably nothing. More of a gut feeling, really.’

‘Oh, I believe in gut feelings. Always go with your gut.’

’I’m just a little concerned about her weight. She seems a little thin to me. Linda, one of the senior carers, has told me she has lost weight. But when I mentioned my concerns to Hazel, or rather tried to tell her about them, she just dismissed me.’

‘She’s a cow. Sorry, I know she’s your boss, but she really is.’ Megan pulled a face.

‘I’ve been meaning to tell Richard, but I haven’t seen him. You see, I overheard Hazel talking to Richard on the telephone and she told him everything was fine.’

Megan let out a huff of breath and shook her head. ‘I knew something wasn’t quite right when I last visited, but didn’t want to worry Richard.’

Laura nodded. She understood.

‘I’ll have a word with him when he picks Henry up after school.’ Megan reached for Laura’s hand and gently squeezed her fingers. ‘Thank you for telling me.’

‘I’ll have a word with Richard, too, if you like. When I next see him.’

‘Thank you, that would be lovely.’

Megan let go of Laura’s hand. Her gaze fell on Henry who was now running around the playground following another little boy.

The two women sat in silence for a little while. Only the shrieks and cries of the children as they played could be heard.

‘We’ll have to go soon. I don’t want him to get too tired,’ Megan said.

Standing, she shouted over to where Henry was playing. ‘Five minutes, Henry. Then we need to go.’

‘That’s fine. I need to do a bit of shopping anyway,’ Laura said.

Megan turned to look at Laura, opened her mouth to say something and then quickly pressed her lips together and looked away.

‘You do know that she’s psychic?’ Megan eventually whispered.

Why she was whispering Laura didn’t quite know. ‘Who is?’

‘Gertie.’

‘Really?’ Laura said in surprise. Although nothing about this remarkable old woman should surprise her.

‘She predicted that Richard would meet and marry Sally, that I would become a writer and that Sally would . . .’ Megan looked down at her lap and let out a sigh. ‘You don’t believe me, do you?’

‘No, I’m not sure what I believe. But there is more to Gertie than meets the eye, that’s for sure.’

Megan chuckled, her eyes twinkling once more. ‘Just wait till you spend more time with her. I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to set you up with Richard yet.’

Laura remained silent. She’d keep that her little secret for now.

* * *

Richard slipped his phone back into his pocket and passed the office on the way to Gertie’s room. He had told Megan that he’d be another half hour as he needed to call in to see Gertie.

He’d been surprised when Megan told him that she’d met Laura and they’d discussed their concerns over Gertie’s health. Megan had sounded worried, even though she’d tried to conceal the fact. He could hear it in her careful choice of words. Her hesitation. Her tone, which was forced, was too cheerful.

Now he really was worried. He would speak to Gertie and then have another conversation with Hazel. He knew better than to mention Laura’s name. He didn’t want to get her into trouble.

The faint murmur of Radio Four could be heard through the gap in the open door. Richard took a deep breath and knocked.

Gertie was sitting in her armchair by the bed, a stack of books on the bed and by her feet.

Richard moved over towards her, bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

‘Hello, Gran.’ He moved the books that were on the bed to the bedside table and sat down. He took a moment to properly look at her, while she was distracted putting her book and reading glasses away.

Megan was right. Gertie had lost weight. He could see that for sure now, even though she was wearing a bulky cardigan. It hung off her thin frame.

Richard cleared his throat.

‘So, how are you, Gran?’ he asked, leaning towards her. He wanted her to look at him. Really look at him, so that he would hear the truth.

Gertie dropped her gaze. ‘I’m an old lady, love. Just tired. That’s all.’ She took a breath. ‘I’m sorry about the other day. I shouldn’t have said those things. I shouldn’t interfere. I just worry, that’s all.’

‘I know you do. I shouldn’t have got mad. It’s just, it’s still difficult. You know . . .’

Gertie reached forward and took his hand. ‘I’ll say no more about it, eh.’

Richard nodded. Smiled. But all he could think about was how frail she now seemed and why he hadn’t seen it — really seen it — before.

* * *

It was just before six when Richard approached the manager’s office. He could see Hazel at her desk, hunched over her laptop.

He knocked on the glass.

Hazel carried on typing while shouting for him to come in.

Richard closed the door behind him and took a seat.

Several seconds passed before Hazel finished typing, and then she swivelled around to face him.

‘How can I help?’ she asked, her voice weary and lacking any compassion.

Richard got straight to the point. ‘I’m worried about Gertie. And I know you said I had nothing to worry about, but I am worried. She’s lost so much weight and just appears tired all the time.’ He stopped to draw breath.

Hazel cut straight in, seizing the opportunity.

‘She’s an old lady, Richard,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘She’ll get tired. She’ll lose weight.’

Richard bristled at her tone. Dismissive. All knowing. She wasn’t hearing him.

‘Has she seen a doctor?’ Richard asked.

‘She doesn’t need a doctor.’

Richard could feel his pulse quickening. He took a steadying breath and asked again if his gran had seen a doctor.

‘No, she hasn’t,’ came Hazel’s curt reply.

Richard sat forward and placed his palms on the table. ‘I want my grandmother to see a doctor.’ He pointed towards the desk diary. ‘This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to make the appointment tomorrow morning and then you will phone me to let me know when it is.’

Hazel’s eyes widened in shock, but without a word, she opened the diary and began to write.