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Sam retrieved the box she’d brought with her from the hall table, suddenly uncertain. ‘I...hope you like it. It’s just something that I made...’
Paul’s face creased into a smile as he drew the ball of folded paper flowers from the box. ‘Will you look at that, Ann?’ He held it up, twirling it in the light to show off the brightly coloured glass beads threaded at the base, which Euan recognised as Juno’s creations.
Ann was looking at the folded paper, her hands over her mouth. ‘That’s beautiful, Sam. Just like the ones you and Sally used to make when you were children.’ She ran her fingers lightly over the paper flowers, as if to test that they weren’t just a faded memory. ‘Such pretty paper. Where did you get it?’
‘Euan bought it for me.’
Paul’s pale blue eyes focussed on Euan for a moment. The smallest of nods, which said that maybe, just maybe, he was going to turn out to be good enough for Sam. Then back to the paper ball. ‘Where can I hang this, then?’
‘I made it for your home office. Something to brighten it up a bit.’ Sam was all smiles now.
‘That’s the place. By the window, eh?’
The matter was settled. Paul put the paper ball back into its box and took it out to the car. When he returned, he approached Euan. ‘Ann and I are very interested in your work here.’ Ann nodded hesitantly, and Euan saw Sam slip her hand into hers. ‘We appreciate you offering to show us around.’
‘It’s a pleasure. Sam’s one of the people who is making it possible.’ He saw her flush with pleasure and Paul nodded. Euan turned, leading them through to the newly decorated community room.
* * *
‘Do you like him?’ Euan and Paul were inspecting the summer house, staring up at the eaves and kicking at the wooden supports, as if the structure was about to fall down any minute if they didn’t check it thoroughly. Sam and Ann were sitting on the veranda.
‘It’s not a matter of whether I like him. I think you’re the one those rather splendid smiles are intended for.’
Sam squirmed with embarrassment. ‘I didn’t say...’
‘Oh, please.’ Ann rolled her eyes. ‘All right, if you want it that way, he seems like a fine doctor and he’s obviously doing some very good work here. I think he’ll make an excellent first client for you.’
Sam laughed. ‘I didn’t say that either.’
‘No, you didn’t say anything. Which is generally a sign that you’re waiting for my approval before you tell me about something. Of him...?’
‘No.’ Sam dismissed the idea out of hand. No one with any sense could disapprove of Euan.
‘Then maybe you want that stamp of approval for yourself. You’ve found yourself a handsome doctor, and you want me to tell you that it’s okay.’
‘You think he’s handsome?’
Ann snorted with laughter. ‘I may have been married for thirty-five years, but I’m not blind. Don’t you think he’s handsome?’
‘I think he’s gorgeous.’ Why did this feel so hard?
‘And he makes you feel good?’
‘Yes.’ Another tough admission.
‘So what’s the problem? You don’t need my permission to get on with your life.’
Sam could feel tears beginning to swell in her eyes. ‘What did I do to deserve you and Paul?’
Ann heaved a sigh, as if this was simple and she wasn’t sure why Sam hadn’t realised it long ago. ‘When you were little, you were the best-behaved child I’d ever seen. You used to tidy Josh’s and Sally’s toys away, never shouted in the house, never knocked anything over. As soon as you were tall enough to reach the sink, you’d always be the first out of your seat at mealtimes so you could do the washing-up.’
‘I was...trying to be helpful. I reckoned that if I made myself useful around the house then you and Paul would let me stay.’ It had worked, hadn’t it?
‘We cared about you, Sam. And then we came to love you. That’s why we wanted you to stay.’
A tear rolled down her cheek, and Sam took Ann’s hand and squeezed it. ‘You mean I did all that washing-up for nothing?’
‘Well, I wouldn’t say that. I appreciated it.’ Ann patted her hand. ‘Is he special?’
