Chapter Twenty-Six
Olivier – 34 Tilgate Road
Olivier had done it; he’d taken the first step and asked Ashleigh out. This was big for him. Bertrand would be proud. The first date he’d asked for since his divorce.
When had Ashleigh’s feelings changed? At some point over the last week? Or had she always liked him, the way he’d always liked her? If the latter, what had stopped her from calling him when he gave her his number the last time he was in England?
He hung his coat up and shrugged off the questions. What was he thinking? This was his insecurities talking. He’d asked her out, she’d said yes and now he was panicking aboutwhy. He’dwantedher to say yes, and she had.
His maman had obviously gone to bed, but Olivier was too wired to head straight up himself. He went into the kitchen to put away his empty tub. The chocolates had been very popular with the kids, so he knew at least one element of his display was going to appeal. Some of the parents had asked whether they could buy them, so perhaps he should mention it to his maman and see if she wanted to make up some boxes of them for the shop.
As he washed out the tub at the sink, his ears picked up the muffled sound of a raised voice next door and he paused. He really did feel a bit responsible. It wasn’t that Ashleigh wasn’t big enough to make her own decisions, but he knew what her nan could be like about things like this.
When he heard muffled thumps next door – a tumbling noise followed by lots of barking – he stopped what he was doing again. That hadn’t sounded right. Was Christine literally throwing her toys out of the pram?
Bang, bang.‘Olivier. Olivier.’
He hurried into the hall, half expecting to see Ashleigh’s silhouette at the door again, but instead the noise was coming from the wall they shared between their staircases. She was calling to him from the other side. What the hell was going on?
He opened his front door, jumped over the wall, and knocked on their door. Simon was still barking like crazy. No one came to open it but he heard Ash again, clearer through the door, her voice strained. ‘Olivier?’
‘I’m here, Ashleigh. What is it? Are you both okay?’
‘Nan’s had a fall. Can you get the key – your mum has a spare key – and let yourself in so you can help me with her?’
‘Of course.’ He didn’t wait to get any more details from her through the door but ran back inside his house and opened the drawer in the dresser unit by the front door. It was the most logical place it would be. Sure enough in a small bowl, was a key with a yellow tag that said ‘Christine’s’ on it.
When he got back over there and let himself in, he found both Ash and Christine in a pile on the stairs. Simon ran over to him but didn’t attack, even though the poor dog was clearly panicking.
‘Can you help me move her? She says she’s okay.’ Ashleigh twisted her head to see him, her eyes wide and shiny with tears.
‘“She” is still awake and doesn’t need to be discussed as though she’s not in the room,’ Christine said, shifting, but clearly not strong enough to get to her feet and cease pinning Ashleigh to the stairs too.
Olivier went straight over and came up behind Ashleigh, sliding his arms around her body and underneath Christine. ‘You move back now, Ashleigh. I have you, Christine.’
Ashleigh wiggled back and Olivier took her nan’s weight. When Ash had ducked out from underneath, he got Christine to put her arm around his neck and lifted her up, carrying her over to the sofa.
‘Where’s it hurting then, Nan? Specifically?’ Ashleigh knelt down next to her.
‘I’m okay, Ashleigh, just bruised and embarrassed.’
‘How did it happen?’
‘I’ve had this terrible woozy head for a couple of days. I just went dizzy at the top of the stairs and away I went.’
‘We need to get you to the doctor’s then.’
‘In the morning. There’s no need for us to go sit in the A&E department for hours or waste the time of an ambulance. A bath and a couple of arnica pills should do the trick.’
‘Can I at least check you over?’ Ashleigh persisted.
Christine looked over at Olivier and he stood up, realising they’d need some privacy. ‘I’ll run you that bath.’
‘Thank you. I’d like some Epsom salts in it please. They’re under the sink.’
Olivier went upstairs, switching on the lights and picking up the stray slippers that must have fallen off her feet as she fell. He turned on the taps in the bathroom, swishing the salts around under the running water and concentrating on making it a nice comfortable temperature.
The door creaked open behind him and Ashleigh came in. Her face was pale and she was shivering.
