George and Tommy followed her through to the kitchen, and George was pleased when he saw his mother give Sarah a warm smile. He didn’t know what had been said in the kitchen, but the ice had been broken and conversation flowed freely around the kitchen table as they ate.

‘That was delicious, Mrs Neerly,’ Sarah said as she finished her meal.

‘I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now, if you’re going to be starting work with me tomorrow morning, I think you should call me Lena.’

Sarah’s eyes widened with delight, and she clapped her palms together. ‘Really? You’re offering me the position in the shop?’

‘Yes, I’ll be expecting you there at ten sharp and then you’ll finish at three. The hours should fit in nicely with Tommy’s school. Once you’ve learned the ropes, I’ll be able to leave you to it and just open up in the mornings and cover the late afternoons. Suits me a treat.’

‘Thank you, thank you so much, Mrs Neerly … I mean Lena.’

‘You’re welcome, love. We all deserve a chance, ain’t that right, George?’ Lena said, and looked at her son wryly.

He knew his mother was referring to Sarah giving him a chance, but he hoped Sarah didn’t cotton on. ‘Yes, Mum. Now, who fancies a game of cards in the front room?’

‘You three go through, I’ll wash up in here,’ Lena said.

‘I’ll help,’ Sarah offered, but Lena wouldn’t hear of it and ushered them all away.

‘I’m really looking forward to working with your mum tomorrow, George.’

‘Good. It’s nice to see a smile on that pretty face of yours.’

The rest of the evening passed with lots of laughter, and George soon found himself having to say goodbye to Sarah. He offered to drive her home in his van, but she insisted on making her own way. Though he found her stubborn independence frustrating sometimes, he also admired her for it.

Later that night, as he lay in bed, images of Sarah’s face floated through George’s mind. He began to feel aroused, and tried to dismiss his thoughts of her. They’d had a very enjoyable evening together, and the least he could hope for was more of the same.

It was dark by the time Sarah arrived home, and Tommy was yawning. She felt bad for keeping him up later than usual, especially now that he had school in the morning.

As she turned into her street, she gasped when she saw two policemen walking towards her. They were some way away, but as they passed under a street lamp, it illuminated their faces. ‘Oh, thank Gawd,’ Sarah said with relief.

‘What?’ Tommy asked.

‘Nothing, I’m just glad we’re nearly home.’