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Ava strolled her way into town, letting the early summer sun stroke her skin. She was glad to be out of the house. The building noise was definitely getting on her nerves. More than that though, she was glad she didn’t need to be around for the conversation that Hope and Alice were about to have.

She had seen the destruction on Hope’s face, seen just how much it had hurt her to hear Alice’s words. And she’d offered to stay, but both she and Hope knew that this was a conversation that needed to be between just her and Alice.

So she’d gone out to get the shopping done and was glad of it.

Whitebridge was so pretty in the spring and early summer, people smiling more as the sun came out. Besides, with all the noise of the building work, it was good to get out.

“Morning, Ms. Stanford,” piped up a young boy, holding his mother’s hand.

“Morning, Davie,” she said. “Mrs. Flitt.”

One of the eighteen children in the class that she’d just finished teaching. Next term there’d be twenty, but she felt confident that she could handle that now.

She was just about to step into the bookstore, planning to treat herself to the final Detective Dennis book, when a harried looking man ran out of the store, practically barreling her over as he did so.

“Morning Max,” she said, then spotting Ag clinging like a limpet to her dad’s side she grinned and winked. “Morning, Ag.”

“Ava, Ava, thank God,” Max panted.

Ava took a step back. “What’s wrong?”

“Mila, it’s Mila, she went, and now she’s gone and then I came here and then they’re gone and now—”

“Calm down!”

Max took a big breath.

“Mummy has a baby,” Ag said seriously.

Ava laughed. “Is that all this is?”

Max nodded. “I was out on a walk with Ag and my phone was out of battery. Ant and Ad have taken her to the hospital.”

“So they’re not here to take care of Ag,” Ava said, finally understanding what was happening.

“But now you’re here…” Max began.

Ava sighed, eyeing Ag. She wasn’t a baby anymore, but three years old was young. Younger than Ava was really used to. Max’s eyes were pleading and she could see the sweat on his brow and the fear and excitement in his eyes.

“Okay, okay,” she said.

“Thanks, Ava, you’re the best.” He unslung a huge bag from his shoulder and passed it over to Ava, before kissing his daughter soundly on the head and handing her over too. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, already jogging toward his car. “Bye, Ag!”

“Bye bye, bye bye,” Ag chanted, bouncing up and down on Ava’s hip.

Both Ag and Ava watched as Max drove away, Ava with the huge bag weighing down her shoulder. When Max was out of sight, Ava looked down at Ag. “We have to do some shopping.”

“Shop?” Ag asked.

“Yes.”

“Sweets?” asked Ag hopefully.

Ava frowned. She had no idea whether or not Ag should have candy. “We’ll see,” she said provisionally.

Ag seemed happy at this and Ava grinned. This child-rearing stuff was a piece of cake.

Ten minutes later, Ava was standing in the middle of a puddle of juice in the far aisle of the town general store.