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‘Yes?’ She let out a little laugh. She actually laughed. A real laugh. Jacob started to feel dizzy. He leaned back against the glass wall of the bus shelter.

‘Sorry. I mean … Charlotte … I’m trying to get in touch with Billy’s mother.’

‘Sure. I don’t have her number on me, but if you pop over to the school tomorrow, maybe in the afternoon? I finish at about five. You might even catch her picking up Billy. Sometimes he stays late at the afterschool club if she has work. Jacob? Are you there?’

He’d been drifting off, caught in the lullaby of her voice. He snapped back to reality, tried to lift his head, and realised he couldn’t because a piece of gum stuck to the bus shelter wall had begun to melt under his body heat and had glued him to the Perspex.

‘Yes … I’m here. That sounds perfect.’

‘I mean, if you can’t make it, maybe I’ll see you at the children’s home on Wednesday? That’s when I’m next planning to go. Wednesday, around five-thirty. Would either of those times work?’

‘Absolutely.’ The gum was working itself into his hair.

‘Great. Well, I’ll see you at either of those times. I’ll make sure I save your number too, now that you’ve called. Sorry, I’ve really got to go.’

‘Thank you so much.’ He wanted to say her name one final time, just in case he was unable to escape the gum and ended up freezing to death here beneath this Brentwell to Willow River route bus shelter. ‘Charlotte.’

‘Jacob.’ She gave another chuckle. ‘See you soon.’

She hung up. Jacob wanted to die. He also wanted to scream with joy, but it was difficult to get a decent amount of air into his lungs when he couldn’t really move his head.