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“Oh, Cathy, that’s mean!” Lydia interjected playfully.

“They attacked me with cheese, Harrison!”

“Have the kids left yet?”

“Yeah, the teachers herded them out.” Harrison cradled his left eye dramatically.

“Oh, give over, you’re not blind,” Cathy huffed. The whole thing was highly entertaining for Lydia.

“How about we go for a drink after work? You two deserve a pint. You’re heroes!”

“Cathy’s buying.” Harrison grumbled, however, there was a glint of humour in his “good” eye. Lydia knew they would laugh their arses off about it this evening.

“Lydia should buy the drinks. She’s the only one not injured.”

“How are you injured? Cheese string isn’t exactly a solid weapon, Cath.”

“Emotionally, I’m emotionally injured.”

“Good grief, fine, I will buy the drinks. Can I invite Fe and Halle?”

“Sure. The more the merrier.”

Shooting off a quick text to her sister, Lydia paused momentarily. She could message Halle separately, right? That’s what friends did. Christ, how long was it going to take for the friendship with Halle to stop feeling weird? Choosing to ignore her over analysing brain, Lydia sent the invitation to Halle.

The Royal Oak pub was bursting at the seams when Lydia pushed through the doors. Later than expected, due to Norris chewing her ear off about something completely out of Lydia’s job description. She’d only had enough time to change her clothes before heading back out.

Cathy and Harrison had snagged a table near the open fire. “How did you get this hot piece of real estate? It’s usually the first table to go?”

“Cathy is magic.” Harrison was deadly serious as he spoke. “There were two blokes sitting here. I went to the bar to order us some drinks. I turned around, only to find Cathy, saying something to the blokes, and then they just upped and gave her their table.”

“Gotcha.” There really wasn’t any need for Harrison to say anymore. Lydia had witnessed Cathy’s “magic” dozens of times. “I thought I was buying the drinks?”

“You’re not off the hook. You can get the next round.”

Slipping off her thick coat, Lydia basked in the delicious heat radiating from the fireplace. “Oh, I’m ready for this.” The first taste of a good pint of ale was always the best. Smooth and satisfying, yum!

“There’s Fe and Halle.” Cathy waved them over. Lydia noticed instantly there was something not quite right. Halle and Fe were thick as thieves. They always had been, but tonight there was an obvious tension simmering between them.

Standing from her seat, Lydia hugged Fe, then moved to Halle. “Take a seat. Harrison will get you a drink.”

“Charming,” Harrison mumbled, but headed to the bar.

“Everything alright?” Lydia directed the question to Fe, but her eyes strayed to Halle, who was sitting rather rigidly.

“Everything’s great.” Fe’s overly enthusiastic reply was anything but convincing.

“How are you feeling?” Halle’s voice was tense, as much as her body. What the bloody hell had happened? It was unusual for Fe and Halle to fight. At the back of Lydia’s mind, she wondered if their obvious spat had anything to do with Halle spending time with her.

“Much better thanks. I have my blood tests on Friday afternoon.”

“Oh, do you—”

“I’m coming with you, right?” Fe interrupted. “We can pop out for dinner after. Or spend some time with the triplets. It’s been a few days.”

“Um… sure. It would be nice to see them.”

Harrison sat down with a pint of ale for Halle and a white wine for Fe. “I got some nuts and stuff too.”