The voice jolts Penelope for a second but she’s immediately relieved. ‘That’s me.’ Penelope indicates to the pharmacist calling that her script has been filled. She could pay and be out of here within a few minutes, but there’s an expression on Lara’s face that has her say, ‘Do you want to get a coffee?’

Lara’s face brightens. ‘I’d love that. Wouldn’t we, Molly? Maybe we can get you a milkshake?’

Molly smiles, finally.

So Harry sleeps in the pram and Penelope sits on a bench seat listening to Lara talk as they sip on their coffees and watch Molly play in the park. Conversation flows easily, and Penelope’s surprised by how much she enjoys being in Lara’s company.

She’d promised herself she wouldn’t make friends, but maybe Lara could be an exception.

Chapter 22

22

Darcy knocks on the door and waits. Ed had texted her on her way back from Gloucester, telling her to come over for a belated takeaway birthday dinner. She’d thought about declining, surprised by her nerves tumbling about at the thought of telling Ed and Sienna about the engagement.

Ed opens the door. ‘Welcome, Mrs Roberts-to-be.’

She feels her eyes widen. ‘You already know?’

Ed shrugs with a little nod.

‘You knew he was going to propose?’ She tries to keep her voice steady, feeling a little cheated.

Ed nods.

‘At the pub?’

He swallows before nodding once again.

‘And you didn’t warn me?’ She would have liked to have been a bit more prepared.

‘Oh, come off it,’ Ed scoffs. ‘I couldn’t tell you.’ He gestures for her to come in and then closes the door behind her.

Darcy knows he’s right but she’s still frustrated. ‘You could have lightly suggested that maybe he do it some other way?’

‘Darce,’ Ed says, appalled, as he slumps on his desk chair. ‘It wasn’t like he asked for my opinion. He was so proud that he was organising everyone to be there.’

‘You weren’t there,’ she says pointedly.

‘I had a wedding to film,’ he counters, only glancing at her quickly before tidying a few things on his desk.

‘Oh.’

Ed’s got a few guys trained to film weddings for him. He’s used them on several occasions. She feels a little hurt that he hadn’t made the effort to make it to her birthday surprise, especially when he knew Drew was going to propose.

‘I couldn’t get anyone to work for me,’ he says, reading her disappointment, but he continues to tidy his desk, putting lids back on pens and rearranging the stack of notebooks.

‘You should have just said you didn’t want to see the train wreck of a proposal …’

Ed can’t help but laugh, but he’s sympathetic. ‘Was it that bad?’

‘Worse,’ she confesses.