Page 39 of Barging In

Victoria got out, allowing Clem to escape and rush around to help her mum out.

“Can you go and get some photographs of what the builders have done this week for me?” her mum asked as Clem helped her out of the awkwardly low car seat.

“Yes. I can go in tomorrow when I—” She stopped herself from saying, When I go to Victoria’s for dinner , and swiftly corrected to, “When I pass.”

Her mum eyed her. The woman could read a book without any words. Clem hugged her, hoping it would serve as a distraction.

“Consider that job,” her mum whispered in her ear. “Who knows what it might lead to?”

What did she mean by that? Before she could ask, her dad appeared beside them. Clem passed him her mum’s handbag.

“Thank you, Victoria,” he said over the car’s roof.

“Yes, thank you,” her mum added.

Victoria inclined her head. “You’re both welcome.”

“Let me know how you are tomorrow, Mum,” Clem called.

“I will,” she called out as they wandered off.

Victoria got back in the car. “Right, let’s get you to the wharf.”

“Thanks for sticking around and giving us a lift,” Clem said, joining her .

“It was no problem. Your mum is…”

“You don’t have to finish that sentence,” Clem cut in, turning to Victoria.

“Good. I didn’t realise until I started that I didn’t know how to finish it.” She laughed as they drove off.

Clem sniffed lightly. “Mum is Mum. Who knows how she’ll cope with a broken finger.”

“She’ll manage; they both will. They have each other, years of experience, and, from what I’ve seen of your mum, plenty of determination.”

“Yes, she has that in shovelfuls. I’m glad they’re giving up, if I’m honest. I do worry about them.

They might have experience, but accidents still happen.

I know they happen to everybody, and I probably sound ageist, but today was proof that they can happen to them.

I’ll rest easy when they are safely in the house. ”

“Where they might leave the gas on because they’re so old? Or fall down the stairs? Wouldn’t a bungalow be better?”

Clem narrowed her eyes playfully. “I’m sure you know what I meant.”

“I do. But you can’t wrap your parents in cotton wool any more than they could you when you were growing up.”

“Mmm,” Clem mused. It didn’t stop her worrying.

“More Freddie?” Victoria suggested.

“Yes,” Clem replied.

The opening rhythm of “Under Pressure” filled the car — and Clem with a wave of dread.

She closed her eyes and leaned back. She wanted to enjoy the music, but concern for her parents and uncertainty about her own future weighed her down.

Should she have offered to help them? But how could she? She had her own life to deal with .

A sensation tickling her arm made her open her eyes.

“Clem,” Victoria murmured. “We’re at the wharf.”

“Shit! Did I fall asleep? Sorry.” She sat forward and rubbed her eyes.

“There’s no need to be sorry. The stress of everything, no doubt, caught up with you.”

“I’m certainly feeling it,” Clem said, blinking and reaching for the door handle. “Thank you for this afternoon. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Victoria replied with a soft smile. “I was happy to be able to help you out for a change. I was beginning to worry this friendship might look one-sided.”

“So, you don’t just want me for my genius marketing ideas and my lemon drizzle?”

Victoria chose to ignore the comment. “I enjoy helping you.”

“Likewise. I’ll guess I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Yes,” Victoria confirmed with a wide smile. “Can’t wait.”

“Me neither,” Clem replied, stepping out of the car feeling momentarily lighter and happier.

But the further she walked from Victoria, the heavier she felt. She’d used the word friendship , and as much as Clem treasured it, she wished it were more. Each step across the dusk-lit cobbles towards the canal felt like someone had slipped weights in her shoes.

She was at least relieved that Victoria hadn’t raised the subject of the job offer, though she knew there would be no reprieve tomorrow at dinner.

Every part of her was itching to get stuck in at the wharf, to implement the changes she’d thought of and watch its fortunes turn around.

It was something she was certain she could do; it was who she was, what she excelled at.

Whether she could take that step was another matter.

She did miss working regular hours and knowing exactly where she needed to be each day instead of living at the whims of the weather or the passing trade.

Not that working for the wharf sounded regular, just whatever she could squeeze between everything she was already doing.

As she reached Florence, her head ached as much as her heart did.

A lie down was in order before cruising back to the jetty to start work.

She needed to try to reset herself by burying her face in a pillow and blocking out the world for a little bit.

It would still be waiting for her, with all its questions and demands, when she awoke.