When they were finished in Lou’s room, they hauled another couple of sacks downstairs and Sheena stowed them on the back seat of her car.
Lou made more tea when they went back inside. Sheena pulled out her phone and scrolled. ‘It looks like it’s going to be dry all weekend,’ she said. ‘Do you have anything on?’
‘No, nothing.’
‘Well, how about we do the garden on Sunday? It’s going to be raining for the rest of the week if the forecast is anything to go by, so who knows when there’ll be another opportunity?’
‘Won’t that be short notice for everyone?’
‘Well, Abbie won’t be able to come. She’ll have tours. And I think Cara might have a workshop – she teaches yoga over at Dunquin. But I can round up the rest of them.’
‘Okay. Thanks.’ Lou squirmed, wishing there was some way she could turn down the offer and not have all the McBrides pressganged into spending Sunday doing her garden. She was uncomfortable accepting help, especially from people who didn’t even know her. But she knew resistance was futile.
‘What’s the matter?’ Sheena asked. ‘Am I bamboozling you? My kids tell me I have a bad habit of doing that. If it doesn’t suit you, just say. We can do it some other time. There’s bound to be at least one more dry day between now and Christmas.’
‘It’s not that. It just doesn’t feel right, asking your family to work on my garden – some randomer they don’t even know.’
‘You’re not a randomer. We’re friends, aren’t we? And you know Aidan and Bo. As for not knowing the rest of them, that’s easily fixed. You’ll meet them when you come over for breakfast on Sunday.’
‘Oh. Right.’
‘Aidan will bring you. He’ll be coming over anyway. And Bo would love having Jack there to give her a break from all the boring grown-up talk.’
Lou smiled. ‘Jack would like that too, I’m sure. He adores Bo.’
‘Well, she’s mad about him. And no wonder. He’s a great kid.’
‘Thanks. I think so.’
‘Right, we’d better be off,’ Sheena said, standing. ‘I need to get Bo home and fed.’
‘Do you stay over at Aidan’s when you’re minding her?’
‘No. Finn’s coming to babysit her for the evening and I’ll be off home then.’
‘I hope Aidan knows how lucky he is to have a whole relay team of childminders at his disposal.’
‘We love doing it,’ Sheena said with a shrug. ‘And it’s only while he’s between childminders. Bo’s nanny, Elena, will be back in a couple of weeks.’
They called the children in from the garden and Lou saw Sheena and Bo to the door.
‘Thanks for all your help,’ she said.
‘It’s no bother. I’m sorry I can’t come over tomorrow and do a bit more, but Bo has a dentist appointment straight after school, so we’ll have to run. But I’ll see you on Sunday.’
