Now, as she stood in the entrance, she wondered whether whoever came after her would feel the same. Because if the business went under and she had to forgo all her savings to pay her tax bill, she wouldn’t be able to afford this anymore.

“Mum, I got the menus,” Charlie shouted from inside the kitchen. Sensing her acquiescence about the takeaway, he’d wasted no time in taking charge before she changed her mind.

She ordered two pizzas in the end. Charlie loved meat, while Annie liked to even out her meat toppings with some veg, something her son—like most five-year-olds—hated, though in fairness he was pretty good with food, and—vegetables aside—not at all fussy. In the early days, he’d had no choice but to eat whatever was available. No such thing as kids’ menus of chicken nuggets and chips or what have you. And despite her gradual change in income and circumstances, old habits died hard and Annie still insisted he eat what she gave him.

“Don’t forget your drink.”

“Can I have juice?”

“Nope. Water or nothing.”

“Yay, water!” Charlie quipped, without argument. His cheery temperament had a way of making her feel better even when she wanted to indulge in negative thoughts. He truly was her sunshine. He brightened every day, all day.

She badly needed that now.

“Hey, Mum, are we going on holiday?” he asked, picking up the invite to Villa Dolce Vita, along with the hotel info that had been sitting on the kitchen counter since she’d brought it home a couple of weeks ago. “It says my name on this.”

Annie’s heart turned over. “I don’t think so, love.”

“Why not? It looks nice. Callum’s going to Spain on his summer holidays this year—a big water park with loads of slides. Is there loads of slides there, too?”

“Not really. That hotel is very different to where Callum is going, definitely no water park, though there is a pool. And that’s not for a summer holiday either, just a weekend.”

“But I want to go.”

Annie’s smiled tightened. “I’ll think about it, OK? Now, eat up and then go and put your pajamas on, and maybe you can watch a bit of Paw Patrol before you go to bed.”

“Yay!”

Annie didn’t rush her shower that evening. She usually did, not wanting to leave Charlie on his own for too long in case he got up to any devilment, but tonight she needed every second of that warm water on her head and shoulders.

A migraine was still lingering, but not nearly as bad as when she’d had angry suppliers (and Lauren) in her ear.

Charlie helped with easing her worries, too. He helped with so much and he didn’t even realize it. Her son had the knack of doing the silliest things at just the right time to make her laugh.