“Of course I do,” he said. “I’ll go get my car and drive up to the front of the shop.”

Chapter Six

The waiting room of Witney Hospital’s A&E was crowded with a variety of illnesses and injuries, and despite Olivia insisting on the severity of her mother’s burn—not to mention her age—the nurse didn’t give them any preferential treatment. Not that Olivia would have wanted it, precisely, but she still felt anxious, perhaps more anxious than the situation warranted.

Her mother had always been her bedrock, she reflected as the three of them sat in hard plastic seats in the waiting room. For her whole life, her mother had solidly been there, utterly dependable, always warm and welcoming. And yet now, with the painful benefit of hindsight, Olivia could see that her mum had started...fading a little in the last two years, since she’d moved back home.

It had happened in such small increments that she hadn’t really noticed; she’d been busy with the shop, and she’d seen what she’d wanted to see. But now she felt as if a dark mist was creeping over the landscape of her life and she didn’t even understand it, or why she was so worried. It was just a burn...wasn’t it? It had to be.

The touch of Simon’s hand on her own startled her out of her worried reverie. “Try not to worry,” he said, his voice gentle. “I’m sure she’ll be seen soon.”

“Thank you,” Olivia murmured. She was grateful for Simon driving them to Witney; her mum had been agitated and Olivia had concentrated on trying to comfort her. She’d felt too dazed to drive, and yet now that they were here and she was starting to feel a little bit more like herself, she realised it was undeniably awkward to have Simon Blacklock here, kindly and well meaning—as well as a potential date—but still a stranger. And who even knew how long they’d be waiting? A crowded A&E in the pre-Christmas flu season? It could be hours, maybe even all night.

“If you want to go back,” Olivia offered in a low voice, “please feel free. I don’t know how long we’ll be, and I can always call a cab.”

“I’m not bothered,” Simon replied. “I don’t have anywhere better to be.”

“Don’t you?” She was curious, and it felt like a much-needed distraction to wonder about someone other than her mum. “Why not?”

Simon shrugged. “I’ve only been in Wychwood for a few months. I don’t know many people, haven’t got much going on.” He sounded a bit like her, give or take another year or two. He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’m happy to be here, Olivia.”

Olivia nodded, believing him, yet it still felt like a big ask, and it put their relationship, or lack of it, on a whole other, awkward footing. She turned to her mum, who was cradling her arm, her gaze unfocused.