Free Losing You by Susan Lewis Page A

thrown out on the streets. There was one woman a few months ago who turned out to be the managing director of a garden centre. To her credit, she doubled the amount she’d saved on her grocery bill and donated something like two hundred quids’ worth of plants and stuff to a local care home. Which just goes to show, what goes around, comes around. At least some of the time. Oh, hang on, that must be the five fifty easyJet from Geneva going over.’
    Grimacing and laughing, Emma said, ‘And Billy Fudge, who happens to be on board, is going to be late for the award ceremony he’s attending on behalf of his wife who’s raised thousands for a cancer charity, but whose terminal illness has kept her at home.’
    ‘Blimey, I didn’t realise the poor woman’s condition had got that serious,’ Polly quipped. ‘Should we drive out to the airport to pick him up?’
    ‘No, because then we’d have to collect the Willoughby family, who are returning nine days earlier than expected from their ten-day ski trip, because their house has burned down.’
    ‘Oh God, does anyone on this plane have a happy story?’
    ‘Luckily, there’s Fabien, who has just landed the lead role in a feature film all being shot in Bath.’
    ‘Much better. And speaking of jobs, how did things go today?’
    Giving in to the urge to refill her wine glass, even though she’d had a large one already, Emma said, ‘Great interviews at two agencies, so now I wait to see what they can set up. Actually, one of them suggested I go on a catering course, which was extremely helpful.’
    ‘What a cheek. Had she bothered to acquaint herself with your history?’
    ‘God knows, but maybe what she was saying was that it would help to have some official qualifications. How are things your end?’
    ‘Well, not too bad. In fact, I might have had a visit from an angel myself today. Not at the supermarket, but here, at home – and he didn’t drop in, he was at the end of the phone. He’s quite a new client actually, his little boy, Taylor, joined us back in October. I’ve never actually met Daddy because it’s always Granny who brings Taylor in, but I know he’s some kind of businessman with a company based in the centre of Bristol.’
    ‘What about Mummy?’
    ‘All I can tell you is that Taylor’s daddy – Alistair Wood’s his name – is listed as a single parent, so whether Mummy died or ran off into the blue beyond I’ve no idea. Anyway, I got this call around lunchtime today from said Mr Wood saying how sorry he was to hear that the nursery has bumped up against some difficulties and perhaps we could meet to discuss them?’
    Emma was blinking. ‘So is he offering to help in some way?’
    ‘I’m not sure. I know I should have asked, but I was so taken aback that I didn’t think to ask anything until after he’d rung off.’
    ‘When are you seeing him?’
    ‘He’s coming here at seven o’clock next Tuesday. Oh, hang on, Melissa’s shouting something ... She wants to know where to get hold of Lauren tonight. Apparently she’s not answering her mobile.’
    ‘She’s rehearsing with Donna,’ Emma told her, ‘so I expect they’ve got their phones turned off.’
    After relaying the answer Polly returned to the line with, ‘Is she coming home this weekend?’
    ‘As far as I know I’m picking her up from the train on Saturday morning.’
    ‘OK, I’ll pass it on when we’ve finished. They’re probably trying to sort out what party, or wine bar, or nightclub they’re going to. So, where were we?’
    ‘Mr Wood.’
    ‘That’s right, but actually, moving on from there, something ...’ she paused as another plane roared over Emma’s back garden, ‘something occurred to me this morning that might be of some interest to you.’
    ‘Go on,’ Emma prompted, emptying half a carton of tomato soup into a pan to start heating it up.
    ‘Well, a couple of years back there was this series of articles in the local paper about the lives of ordinary