Taking a seat in the corner, her eyes danced around the room. The teens had left, but the two gentlemen in the corner were clearly talking about her and Morgan. She sat in silence, not wanting to burst the bubble by saying anything. So far, Morgan had been on her best behaviour. She only hoped it would last the length of their visit.

Within minutes, Joanne had joined them, shaking her head as she caught the two men staring at them both.

‘Don’t mind Ronnie and Wilfred,’ she said. ‘You’re quite a novelty because you’re new. But they’ll move on to something else soon enough.’

Naomi caught their narrow-eyed glares and recognised the taller of the two as the man who’d been washing his car on the day they’d driven past. His lips drew back in a grimace, revealing yellowing tombstone teeth.

‘So, what do you think of it so far?’ Joanne said to Morgan, as she rested their drinks and some brownies on their table.

Naomi gave Morgan a pleading look as she waited for her to reply.

‘It’s . . . nice,’ Morgan said, donning a saccharine smile.

Joanne chuckled as she took a seat across from them. ‘You don’t need to lie to me, love, it’s a big change after coming from the city. But there are things to do if you make the effort.’

‘She’s tired, aren’t you?’ Naomi jumped in. Morgan could be as rude as she wanted to her, but she needed to blend in with the locals. And although her smile was sweet, her tone had an underlying current that Naomi didn’t like. ‘We’re still unpacking boxes. The movers were very helpful, but there’s still so much to do.’

‘I can imagine,’ Joanne said, her eyes still on Morgan. ‘And it’s no fun being in a strange place with no friends, is it, dear? I take it you don’t want to be here?’

Naomi was surprised by her directness.

‘It’s not that . . .’ Naomi began, until Morgan interrupted her.

‘No, I don’t,’ she replied, still smiling sweetly. ‘My real mum’s sick and, well . . . I didn’t get much of a say.’

Great, thought Naomi, her lips forming a thin white line. This was just what she needed. To be painted as the wicked stepmother within minutes of meeting the locals. She dipped her head to sip her latte, which contained the exact amount of sugar that she took.

‘Ah,’ Joanne said. ‘I knew you were too young to be her mum.’

The comment was probably well meaning, but stung just the same. Naomi did her best with Morgan. She’d ensured she was fed properly for a start, that she had everything she needed for school. She had even enquired about extra tuition to bring her up to speed.