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‘It was a privilege to be here. Thanks for trusting me.’
Jamie smiled, a trace of fatigue showing suddenly in his face. ‘I honestly never even thought about it. I knew I could rely on you.’
‘I’ll show you how much I like that you said that.’ Anna leaned towards him. ‘Later...’
* * *
Phil’s car drew up outside Jamie’s house. Jamie shook his hand, thanking him for all he’d done today, and got out of the car, stretching his legs. As he walked down the drive, he could see that the lights were on in the kitchen. That one, simple thing filled him with warmth. He felt as if he was coming home.
The smell of cooking reached him as he opened the front door. And then Anna walked out of the sitting room to greet him with a kiss. He held her tight, his limbs trembling.
‘How did everything go?’ Anna looked up at him, her eyes full of concern.
‘Good. I think things are going to be fine.’ He’d walked out of the youth centre feeling satisfied at a good outcome to the afternoon. It was what he’d found here that had brought him close to tears.
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yeah. Absolutely.’
‘Well, I’ve made a shepherd’s pie and I just need to put it in the oven for half an hour. Then we can eat. Would you like something to drink?’
He followed her into the sitting room. This was turning into a fantasy. Arriving home to find the lights on and a fire in the grate. The smell of cooking and a kiss. Anna wasn’t wearing an apron but then aprons were highly overrated. She looked wonderful, her long hair cascading down her back in a blonde shimmering waterfall. All that was missing was the knowledge that there was a sleeping child upstairs who looked just like its mother.
He cleared his throat, trying to shake the picture of a perfect domestic scene. ‘I have some beer in the fridge. Would you like some?’
‘Yes, I’ll join you.’ She shot him a smile. ‘Sit down, I’ll fetch it.’
The temptation was just too much. Jamie lowered himself into a seat in front of the fire and Anna bustled out into the kitchen, returning with two open bottles and two glasses. Instead of just giving him his, she started to pour his beer for him, tilting the glass carefully so that the head didn’t fizz up over the top.
‘Too much?’ The look of mischief in her eyes said it all.
‘Yeah. Far too much. I can pour my own beer.’
‘I know.’ She set the empty bottle down. ‘I just thought...’
Jamie chuckled. ‘I know what you thought. But you shouldn’t wait on me like this. I’m perfectly capable of coming home and making my own dinner, I do it all the time.’
‘I can make a bit of a fuss of you, can’t I? On a once in a blue moon basis?’
‘On that basis it’s very nice. As long as I get to do the same for you once in a while.’
‘Of course.’ She smiled brightly handing him the beer, and Jamie put it down onto the table.
‘That’s yours. I can pour my own.’ He caught her hand, pulling her down onto his knee and kissing her. ‘That’s the only welcome home I really want.’
‘What!’ She sat up straight in a motion of mock outrage. ‘Are you telling me you don’t want my shepherd’s pie?’
‘I crave your shepherd’s pie. It’s just that I’d crawl across a hundred of them in order to kiss you.’
‘That’s all right, then.’ She picked up her glass, taking a sip of beer, and leaned back into his arms. ‘So tell me what happened after I left this afternoon.’
‘Spark’s mum asked me to say thank you for the stitches.’
‘It was my pleasure. The least I could do for her.’
It wasn’t the stitches. It was the care that Anna had shown Spark. No asking her why on earth she’d cut herself or making her feel small. She’d allowed Jen to help her clean the wound, and when she’d finished she’d kissed Spark on the cheek and told her that she was glad she was okay. Anna knew that the hard part was going to be in the conversation that followed, and she’d trusted Jamie and the other staff at the youth centre to do that right.
‘Did you see any other scars?’
