Page 120 of Emma

Vanessa took them carefully. “Your mum and dad are going to have a job finding somewhere to put all of this if you keep scoring so many goals each season.”

Freya lifted a shoulder. “That’s okay. I can put some on the shelf in my bedroom at yours.”

“You absolutely can.” Vanessa tweaked Freya’s nose and winked. “Now, who wants to go out for dinner on the way home? My treat.”

“Yes, please. I’d like that.”

“Perfect. Then we should make it back in time for Carmen and Ben to call you from Cyprus.”

Emma’s stomachgrowled as they stepped inside the restaurant, the infusion of garlic and caramelised onion teasing her from the open kitchen. A cluster of kids in the corner still had their shin pads on, their socks shoved down to the ankles, and someone had draped a captain’s armband over the back of a chair like it was a medal. It made her want to cry all over again.

They were shown to a booth by the window. Vanessa slid in first, then Emma, then Freya, who seemed to be bouncing rather than sitting. She’d insisted on bringing the Players’ Player plaque in with her, tucking it carefully beside her on the seat like another person had joined them.

“We need to get a picture with it,” Vanessa reached into her bag for her phone. “Before it’s covered in greasy fingerprints.”

Freya grinned. “Take loads, please. I’m going to send one to literallyeveryone.”

A waitress appeared with a pen at the ready. “Celebrating?”

Freya sat up straight, her hands folded in her lap. “We won the league, and I got two awards,” she announced as she patted the plaque. “Players’ Player and Top Goal Scorer.”

“Blimey,” the waitress said with a smile. “Well done, you. Shall we start you off with a big jug of lemonade?”

“Can we do that?” Freya glanced at Emma. “And please may I have the sharing platter for two, but just for me? I’m really starving now.”

Emma didn’t even pretend to hesitate. “You orderwhateveryou like.”

Vanessa lifted a brow at the waitress. “And when she says the sharing platter is just for her, she means it.”

“Understood.” The waitress grinned. “We’ll bring a bowl of veg for the adults. That should make them happy.”

“Oi,” Emma said, laughing. “I’ll have the penne arrabbiata. Extra chilli.”

“Risotto for me,” Vanessa added. “And yes, the veg bowl, please.”

They ordered a jug of lemonade for Freya, a Coke for Emma, and a glass of red for Vanessa. When the waitress left, Freya tucked the plaque closer and slumped back against the back of the booth, happiness written all over her face.

They were chatting amongst themselves when the first wave of food landed. The sharing platter was a ridiculous mountain of mozzarella sticks, chicken strips, potato wedges, onion rings, garlic bread, battered mushrooms, and something that smelled suspiciously like barbeque ribs. Freya’s eyes widened.

“Beast mode,” she whispered, then picked up a mozzarella stick and bit into it, molten cheese stringing from her lip. As she pulled the plate closer, she grinned. “Oh, my God. This is the best day of my life.”

“Better than Christmas?” Vanessa asked as she leaned in.

Freya paused. “Well, equal best. Today I have awards.”

“We’ve peaked,” Emma said, helping herself to an onion ring when Freya wasn’t looking. She’d get caught. She always did. “It’s all downhill from here.”

“I just like being with you both, no matter what we’re doing. All my days are the best days lately,” Freya said around a mouthful, then swallowed and reached across the table to smack Emma’s wrist lightly. “Stop stealing my onion rings.”

“You saidsharingplatter,” Emma protested, completely bypassing what Freya had just said. If she thought about it, she’d be a blubbering mess at the table.

“Forme,” Freya corrected, her fingers curling protectively around the plate. “You can have the mushrooms.”

“Ohhh, I see how it is.”

Emma and Vanessa’s food arrived, but Emma found herself staring at Freya instead of enjoying her meal. If she could pin this moment to a corkboard in her memory, then she would.Ten times over. Freya had changed so much since Christmas. She walked a little taller, she seemed a little more confident in herself, and the edges of childhood had started to soften into whatever came next. But her smile was still the same.

Vanessa tapped the screen of her phone, then angled it towards Emma. “Carmen has just texted me. They’re by the sea and said they’d like to FaceTime now if it’s possible.”