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Sarah ate her muesli slowly. “I think I died,” she said and crunched on a piece of nut.
Kendra smiled. “That’s good.”
“We need to pick up Abi from Todmorden at ten fifteen.”
Kendra nodded and sipped her coffee. “Roads won’t be busy at this time of day. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Sarah leaned back in the chair. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Kendra cleared her throat. “I think large hotels are soulless.”
“I can see that. They’re usually more convenient though.”
Kendra stared at Sarah. “So’s one of those boxes of ready-made cake mix, but they taste like shit.”
Sarah laughed. “Good point. Do you like cooking?”
“I like authentic.”
Sarah thought she heard an edge in Kendra’s tone that seemed to come laced with something she couldn’t define. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Like a baby.” Kendra smiled, ate the last mouthful of her breakfast, and glanced out the window. She rubbed her hands down her thighs. “I think it’s going to rain.”
Sarah looked out. She couldn’t think how she’d offended her, but Kendra was being evasive and distant which, after their chat the previous evening, seemed odd. If she stayed this way, it would make the next couple of hours uncomfortably strained. “Shall we head off?” she asked.
Kendra nodded and rose from the table like she couldn’t wait to get away.
“Is anything wrong?” Sarah asked as they got into the car.
Kendra shook her head. “Are you okay?”
Sarah started the car, confused by the newly adopted formality in Kendra’s tone. “I’m fine.”
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she parked up at the station after two hours. Abi’s company would be a ray of sunshine to warm the chill that Kendra’s shift in mood had created.
“Hey, Abs.” Sarah pulled Abi into her arms and squeezed her tightly. Fortunately, Abi still allowed her the occasional hug when her friends weren’t around, and for some reason Sarah really needed that hug. She took Abi’s overnight bag and headed out of the station to where Kendra waited in the car.
“This is Haley’s replacement, Kendra. Kendra, this is Abi.”
Both smiled and said, “Hi.”
Sarah hoped Kendra didn’t feel as awkward as she still looked. She glanced at Kendra through the rear-view mirror as she drove and wondered at the changes in her expression that suggested a myriad of thoughts had passed through her mind. “How was the journey?” she asked Abi.
“Long. I’ve brought the plan.”
“Abi’s doing a project for school,” Sarah said.
“On what?” Kendra asked.
Abi turned to face Kendra. “I’m designing an eco-village. We’re going to make a scale model of it this weekend.”
“That’s cool. I did something like that when I was at school.”
Sarah smiled. Almost everyone studying history, or geography, or earth sciences of some description had to do a mock-up of an eco-village. “Arts and crafts shop here we come then,” Sarah said and did a drum roll on the steering wheel. Kendra’s half-smile caught her eye, and she released a long breath and felt a release in tension that stayed with her all the way home.
By the time Sarah had made them drinks, Kendra seemed back to her normal self in the way that she chatted to Abi, asked questions, and gave suggestions. She was studying the plan that Abi had spread out on the dining room table. Abi had turned out the bags of materials onto the floor next to the large solid card base.
“Here.” She handed Kendra a coffee.
