Page 45 of The Time of My Afterlife

‘Courgettes.’

‘I am so proud of you, Florence.’ She beams.

‘For what?’

‘For not procrastinating and doing something.’

I shake my head. ‘I don’t procrastinate; I just need time to think about things.’

Laura raises her eyebrows. ‘Three years?’

‘I had to do a lot of research.’

She giggles and we walk back inside. Once sat on my sofa she takes her long brown hair out of its ponytail. ‘Molly is in a real mood.’

‘Really?’ I was right about teenagers not being happy. I offered that child a Saturday job, and I fixed her mother up with a new man.

Laura sighs. ‘The guy I was messaging before Ronan was Vince.’

I act shocked. ‘You were going to get back with Vince?’

She shrugs. ‘I was close to getting involved with him again, but Molly said something the other night that made me think.’

‘Oh, yeah?’

‘Molly claims I lost myself when we were dating the first time.’

I stare at her. ‘What does she mean by that?’

Laura reaches for the book I was reading earlier and glances at the blurb. ‘She says that I became obsessed with him and had no time for her.’

An odd feeling passes over me.

‘I never lost myself with Vince,’ says Laura as I think back to all the times I’ve seen her glued to her phone. In my head, I can picture Molly casting her mum dark looks as Laura smiled at Vince’s GIFs and photos.

Was that what Molly was trying to tell me?

She glances at the time on her phone. ‘I’d better dash. Molly will be wondering where her tea is.’

I rise from the chair feeling a bit strange.

‘You look pale,’ observes Laura. ‘Gardening is tiring. Get an early night. I’m off to pick up something for my hot date with Ronan. Any chance you could look after Molly that night?’

‘Sure.’

On the doorstep, I pull her into a hug. This could be the last time I see her. ‘Go cook Molly something nice.’

Laura sends me an odd look. ‘Gardening has really affected you, Florence.’

I watch her go down my path, engrossed in her phone.

Guilt nibbles away at me once I sit back down on my sofa.

I assumed that by offering Molly a Saturday job, it would somehow improve her relationship with her mum. I can’t recall ever asking Molly what the actual problem was though. If I think back to the times I asked her for a chat, I was distracted each time by… Clark. I also jumped to the conclusion that Molly’s issue was that she wanted her mum to date someone else, not Vince. My chest tightens. I wasn’t helping Molly. She wanted reassurance her mum wouldn’t lose herself. The last thing she needed was another man in her mum’s life. I gulp as my mind reminds me of Laura joking about Ronan’s lengthy texts. She’s already engrossed with him.

It’s my fault we didn’t pass the test. I take in a shaky breath.

I replay my conversation with Molly in my mind. It feels like a solution came a bit too fast, and once it had arrived, all I wanted to do was run with it. I didn’t sense check it with Molly.