Her phone rang as she was walking to the car. It was Fiona, a school mum, whose daughter Chelsea was best friends with the twins.

‘I just wanted to check… are your girls supposed to be coming back to mine after school today?’ Fiona had a very distinctive voice, the sort that carried and could quieten a room. She sounded flustered, which was unusual, and Sara stopped walking to listen. ‘It’s just I’ve gone and double-booked myself. I’m supposed to be at a PTA meeting. The secretary just rang to go through the agenda, and I’d forgotten all about it!’

‘Wow, Fiona, you are human after all,’ Sara laughed. ‘I bet that’s a first, isn’t it?’

She waited for a reply, but none came, and she hoped her joke hadn’t caused offence. They’d known each other since their girls had made friends when they’d started secondary school, but Fiona was also sort of her boss now that Sara worked at the community centre, and it had altered the dynamic between them.

‘Well, I’ve had to change my plans,’ she said quickly, to fill the awkward silence. ‘Matt’s working, so I’ve had to cancel my night out. I can pick them up now.’

‘Oh, thank goodness.’ Sara heard a quick intake of breath. ‘No, sorry, that sounds wrong. I’m sad you’re missing your fun. You’ve been looking forward to it, haven’t you?’

‘Yeah, I was.’ Sara could hear the disappointment in her own voice and didn’t want Fiona feeling sorry for her. It’s only a night out, she told herself. There’ll be others. ‘Anyway, it’s not a problem,’ she said, making herself sound brighter than she felt. ‘Not a problem at all. In fact, why doesn’t Chelsea come to ours, then at least the girls get their evening together?’

‘That would be perfect.’ Fiona sounded delighted. ‘You sure you don’t mind?’

‘Of course not. I owe you a favour anyway, don’t I? After giving me a job, it’s the least I can do.’

‘Honestly, I’d cancel the bloody thing, but I’ve got to be there, you know, as chairwoman. Wouldn’t look good if I didn’t turn up.’

‘Look, don’t worry about it. You go and do your chairwomanly thing. You’re doing a brilliant job, by the way. Everything seems to be running much better since you’ve been on the board. At least we parents know what’s going on these days.’