Claire sent a silent plea for patience. Taking a deep breath, she put down her bag and travel mug and leant over to help her son.

‘Okay, love, but we have to be quick. We’re late!’ she urged, pulling the Velcro across his shoe. Picking up her things, she grabbed her car keys and opened the front door ready to go. It was then she noticed Jamie didn’t have his school bag.

‘Jamie, your school bag – where is it?’ asked Claire.

‘I don’t know, Mummy.’

‘Well, is it in your room?’

‘Maybe…’

‘Jamie, come on – you’re a big boy now – you need to have your things ready! Look, here it is.’

Relieved, Claire pulled the Paw Patrol themed bag out from behind the stool in the hallway. It must have fallen down the back.

‘Come on then, let’s go,’ she cajoled.

With Jamie trailing behind, she unlocked the car, dumped the bags on the front seat and put her travel coffee mug in the cup holder. Then she opened the back door and helped Jamie get in. After slamming the door, she got into the driver’s seat, looking at her son in the rear-view mirror.

‘Put your seat belt on, Jamie, please.’

As she saw Jamie pull the belt across him, she started up the engine.

‘Can you manage?’ she asked him, carefully reversing the car.

‘Yes, Mummy.’

‘Okay, good job, Jamie.’

She was rushing. Claire had woken up just twenty minutes before they were supposed to leave after a late night working at home. Chris had also been late, but he’d been up early, and she was annoyed that he had left it so late to wake her. He was out the door as soon as he’d handed her her coffee. At least he’d dropped Joshua off, she supposed, but still – would it have killed him to drop Jamie off too?

Putting the car into drive mode, she accelerated quickly. Checking her rear-view mirror, she could see the belt across Jamie’s chest and tried to relax. At least he’d managed to do one thing by himself this morning. It was only ten minutes to the school so they’d only be a few minutes late. Then, once she’d dropped him off, she would call the office and let them know she’d be late for her first appointment. It wasn’t ideal. Her mind was whirring with her to-do list. Yesterday, Lucy had asked her where the receipt was for Chris’s dry-cleaning. Claire would need to find it and get it collected that afternoon otherwise Chris wouldn’t have any shirts to wear, but she had a horrible feeling she’d actually thrown the receipt out. Thank God it was Friday.