As I hung up my coat in the hall, I frowned. Everything was too quiet: no feet hurried to greet me as I arrived home. Where was Fern? Unease crawled over my skin. I’d been on edge since Dylan’s appearance outside my flat yesterday. Earlier, I’d been sorely tempted to call Lara to check everything was okay. But I’d fought back the tide of worry and abstained. After all, Dylan had asked whether Fern was his, showing he had suspicions, but when I’d denied it, he’d shown only patience and tenderness toward me.
I shook away the soft feelings that surfaced at only the thought of him. I’d been firm with him, I reminded myself. And rightly so. He wasn’t part of my life.
Just then, Fern’s voice sounded happily from the living room. She was playing. Everything was fine. She probably hadn’t heard me come in, that was all.
Slipping off my heels, I tracked into the living room and stopped. Fern and Lara sat amidst a treasure trove of toys. A dance mat was unboxed near the TV, pieces of Lego scattered the floor, and a doll’s head with hair the color of a rainbow caught my eye.
“What’s this?” I exclaimed. It looked like Father Christmas had visited half a year early.
Fern looked up from the Lego castle she was building, “Mom! The man who moved in across the way gave me them!” She grinned. “He’s so handsome and kind.”
I blanched, knowing exactly who she meant, even though the fact that he’d moved in across the way was a shock. Dylan was now living opposite me. My mouth went dry, and my stomach fluttered.
I did my best to hide the weird mix of feelings churning through me. Instead, I focused on educating my daughter. “I thought you knew better than to talk to strangers, Fern.”