“Can we help you?” Lettie tightens her lips into something kind of like a smile.

“I just want a quick word with Rae.”

“Off you go, then.” Lettie nods and sits back, hands in her lap, and stares at her.

Lucy’s smile tightens but stays in place. She turns to me. “I’d still like to have a word with your mum, Rae. Is she home right now?”

The pages slip past my fingers. The good feeling from the reading and biscuits and hot chocolate vaporizes, leaving a burning cold in its place. She and Oscar have been in their front garden most of the day. She knows no one but me has been in and out of that house. She must.

I open my mouth. I speak the truth. “Yes.”

“Oh, good.” Lucy smiles and turns toward our place. The biscuits and hot chocolate threaten to re-emerge. I swallow them down, trying to think what I can say. What can I say?

“Don’t you dare set foot on that front step.” It’s Lettie, in the voice that commands councilwomen.

Lucy stops. “I beg your pardon?”

“That poor woman is exhausted and is getting some much-needed rest.”

“Is she sick?” Lucy tips her head to the side, eyebrows drawn together. She’ll be at our front door with soup next. What’s Lettie doing? She’s making it worse.

“She’s fit as an ox. But she has been up all week at ridiculous hours taking meetings with clients in the States. Ludicrous time to schedule them, if you ask me. But that’s what happens when your company does business overseas. Globalization—not good for working parents, is it?” Lettie shakes her head.

“Oh. Poor thing, that must be exhausting.” She flicks a glance at me again. “What does she do, exactly?”

Lettie laughs. “What do any of them do? This virtual digital stuff, it makes no sense to me!” I watch her, amazed. She pivots from businessperson to silly old woman so smoothly that it feels perfectly natural. Endearing almost.

“Oh. Righto, then. I won’t disturb her.” She gives me her full gaze now. “Rae, can you please let her know I’d still like to talk with her, when she has a minute?”

Lettie clears her throat and gives me a look. I shut my mouth. “Oh, sure. I’ll get her to call you? She’s pretty flat out at work over the next week.”

Lucy smiles. “That’d be great.” She pulls a card out of her pocket. “My number.”

I stand up. The book slips to the ground as I reach over for the card. “Thanks. I’ll give it to her.”

“Nice of you to read to Lettie here.”

“Yes. She’s a good kid. I love reading, but with my eyesight . . .” Lettie shrugs.

“You still drive, though?”