by A. E. Radley
WLW Age-Gap Romance with Adorable Kids Box Set
A.E. Radley
Contents
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Second Chances
1. FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
2. WELCOME TO WILLOWS
3. RETURN TO THE SCHOOL GATES
4. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
5. AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA HOUSED IN A LEMON CARDIGAN
6. THE MUCH-TALKED-ABOUT MISS SPENCER
7. THE FAIRLIGHT GRAPEVINE
8. NO ROOM FOR A DADDY
9. HOMEWORK AT LAST
10. ROSIE OPENS UP
11. THIS ENDS NOW
12. ROUND TWO
13. COLIN STRIKES
14. STEVE THE BRICK
15. DINNER ABOVE THE POST OFFICE
16. BEDTIME STORIES
17. THE TRUTH COMES OUT
18. MAKING AN APPOINTMENT
19. THE MATCHMAKER
20. FEELING LEFT OUT
21. A SECOND DATE
22. HOW OLD ARE YOU, MISS SPENCER?
23. TO TEXT, OR NOT TO TEXT?
24. OVER
25. COLIN’S BIG MISTAKE
26. TIME TO PANIC
27. AN UNLIKELY RESCUER
28. ANSWERS
29. A FRIGHT
30. PART OF A FAMILY
31. PULLING TOGETHER
32. HOME
33. EXPLANATIONS
34. SURPRISE
35. A BUMPY START
36. COLIN
37. ASSEMBLY
Bring Holly Home
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
The Story Continues…
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1 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Preparations for the first day of school were as hectic as Hannah expected them to be. At twenty-five years old, she had hoped that she would be a little better organised, not flitting around the cramped apartment like she was attached to a bungee rope.
It would have been a little more acceptable if it had been her first day of school.
“Are you nearly ready, Mummy?” Rosie asked patiently.
Hannah stopped in the middle of the apartment, her hands full of dirty laundry and the paperwork she’d just discovered under the plant on the dining table. She looked at Rosie and smiled.
Her daughter was dressed in her uniform, previously seen only once before in the shop it was bought in. Although, if Rosie had her way, she’d have worn it every day throughout July and August, such was her excitement about finally starting school.
Her hair was neatly brushed, the school-approved headband in forest green and black firmly in place on top of her head. The green cardigan was a size too big, her fingers just visible through the ends of the sleeves. The dark grey skirt only fitted after a couple of rolls of the elasticated waistband.
The oversized uniform was not down to Hannah purchasing a larger size for Rosie to grow into, although she completely understood the parents who did this. Uniforms were expensive, and children grew quickly, especially when they were five years old. The excess material was simply because Rosie was small for her age, having not yet had a growth spurt. Hannah had purchased the smallest size available, but the clothes still swamped Rosie.
Not that she said anything. Rosie was so proud to be in a uniform, and Hannah didn’t want to dampen her spirits by admitting that she looked like five pounds of potatoes in a ten-pound sack.
Hannah wasn’t too worried. She was five-foot-eight herself and assumed that Rosie would eventually catch up. She hoped it would be sooner rather than later. Rosie already looked a little out of place in comparison to the children she played with. It was quite noticeable when she attended a friend’s birthday party, or when she joined other children in the playground of the local park.
Hannah didn’t want Rosie to look out of place on her first day of school. She knew that first impressions mattered. Growing up in a small town like Fairlight meant that Rosie would be stuck with her classmates for the rest of her school career. Potentially the rest of her life, if she followed in her mother’s regrettable footsteps and decided to stay on in her hometown.
“Mummy?” Rosie asked again, fidgeting a bit with her sleeves.
Hannah looked at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes until they had to leave. She threw the laundry and the papers onto the sofa. They could be dealt with later.
“We need to get you some breakfast, pumpkin,” Hannah said, already mentally calculating what could be prepared in two minutes and eaten on the move.
“I already had breakfast,” Rosie replied.
Hannah came to a dead stop. She looked from her daughter to the kitchen, noticing Rosie’s step stool in front of the sink and a washed bowl standing up on the silver dish drainer.
“What did you have?” Hannah asked. She opened a cupboard door and grabbed a cereal bar for herself. “And when?”
“When you were in the shower. I had Frosted Flakes. They are tasty, but I think there’s too much sugar in them.”
“There is,” Hannah agreed. “Maybe we should get you something else for the future?”
“Yes, please.”
Hannah pulled out the breadboard and reached for the packet of bread on the countertop.
“I made my lunch,” Rosie added.
Hannah paused. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Rosie had been practically self-sufficient since the moment she could walk. She’d quickly gone from helping her mother with m
eals to making basic ones by herself.
Hannah knew that many parents would be happy for the help around the house, and she was. But it also made her feel redundant.
It was Rosie’s first day of school, and like most children on Christmas morning, she had awoken early. Unlike most children, she had gotten herself ready for school without any assistance from her mother. She’d gotten dressed, brushed her hair, eaten breakfast, and made her own packed lunch.
Hannah felt guilty. She wanted to do those things for Rosie, but the knowledge that her only daughter was leaving the nest for full-time school had created a whirlwind of panic and protectiveness which had swirled inside her for the last few months. That panic had culminated in a near meltdown that morning.
While Rosie was no doubt methodically buttering bread for a sandwich, Hannah had been nearing a panic attack while she showered. Memories of her own time at school had haunted her the previous night.
She put away the breadboard and the bread and took a deep breath to remind herself that everything was going to be fine. She turned around and regarded Rosie again.
“I’ll make your lunch tomorrow,” she said.
“I don’t mind,” Rosie replied.
“I know you don’t mind,” Hannah said as she knelt to Rosie’s level, “but I’m your mother and it’s my job. You wouldn’t want to take my job and make me unemployed, would you?”
Rosie giggled. “That’s silly.”
“Oh, is it?” Hannah grinned. “I bet you’re the only person starting school today who made their own breakfast and lunch. All those other mummies and daddies are working hard, but I’m just stood here.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing to do. I bet you even packed your bag.”
Rosie pointed to the rucksack by the front door.
Hannah looked at it and sighed, the flaky paint on the doorframe reminding her that she needed to find some time to decorate.
“It’s okay, Mummy,” Rosie said. “I like doing things.”
“I know you do, pumpkin. Don’t worry, I’m just being silly. I’m going to miss you.”
Rosie giggled again. “It’s only until three o’clock.”
“That’s a lot of hours,” Hannah said playfully. “I think it’s about a hundred and seventy-two hours.”
Rosie burst out laughing. “No, it isn’t!”
“Oh, isn’t it? That’s good.” Hannah picked up the cereal bar and threw it into her shoulder bag. She looked through the messy contents to check she had everything she’d need for work. Satisfied, she shouldered the bag and grabbed Rosie’s coat from the rack.
“Do I look okay?” her daughter asked. She lifted her arms a little and did a small, shy twirl.
“You look perfect, pumpkin,” Hannah reassured her. She didn’t elaborate. She guessed that Rosie had realised her clothes didn’t quite fit, and she didn’t want to worry her. “You look just like someone who is having their very… first… day… of… school!” she said excitedly, knowing that Rosie was full to bursting with anticipation.
The beam that spread across Rosie’s face nearly made the dread in the pit of Hannah’s stomach vanish.
Nearly.
“And remember that Daniel and Simone will be there, so you already have two friends,” Hannah said, putting her own coat on.
“I know.” Rosie picked up her bag. “They went to Reception though, so they probably know some of the others.”
Hannah’s heart sank. The optional part-time introduction to primary school, known as Reception classes, were just not feasible with her working hours and the cost of a babysitter to take Rosie to and from Reception in the middle of the day. It had been a difficult decision not to enrol Rosie in Reception, but there had been no other option at the time.
“Then they can introduce you,” Hannah said, even though she knew it wouldn’t be the same. Five-year-olds didn’t cordially introduce their friends to their other friends. Rosie had definitely missed out on opportunities to make some friends by not attending part-time school. Hannah had to hope that she’d connect with some of her classmates regardless.
“Anyway, we better get going,” she said, not wanting to dwell too long on the possibility that her lack of finances had socially crippled her daughter before she’d even stepped through the school gates.
They exited the apartment and walked down the narrow corridor of steps to street level. They lived above the village post office, which meant accessing their home via a doorway next to the busy shop and climbing a steep set of stairs.
It wasn’t ideal. The community of Fairlight was not known for their discretion. A single mother living just above the poverty line in the run-down apartment above a busy community hub was like catnip for many residents.
Hannah unlocked the street door and gestured for Rosie to exit into the September sunlight. As she locked up behind her, she heard Mrs Simmons telling Rosie that she looked lovely in her new uniform and wishing well for her first day.
She turned around, and Mrs Simmons quickly averted her eyes. The old busybody dashed into the post office, clearly keen to avoid communicating with her. Hannah was used to it. She’d grown up in Fairlight as an outcast and didn’t expect anything else. She was grateful that everyone treated Rosie with kindness and respect, even if that didn’t extend to herself. She was an adult who could deal with the looks and the whispers.
Rosie reached up and clutched her hand. They walked past the small row of shops, toward Willows School.
“What do you think my teacher will be like?” Rosie asked.
“Hairy,” Hannah said. “With big teeth.”
“It’s a woman,” Rosie pointed out. “Her name is Miss Spencer.”
Hannah didn’t recognise the name. Miss Spencer must be new, then, poor thing, she thought. “Then she’ll be very hairy with enormous teeth,” Hannah corrected herself. “And a big eye in the back of her head.”
“I think she will be very nice,” Rosie said, ignoring her mother’s silly comments.
“She’ll be very nice to you, pumpkin,” Hannah issued a promise she hoped would be true.
They joined the sparse stream of other parents walking their children to the school. Hannah nodded her greetings to the ones she recognised, and Rosie offered shy waves to children.
The road swept downward toward the cliffs, which were the visual highlight of the otherwise lacklustre town. The waves of the English Channel could be heard crashing against the rocks below. The choppy water had come into view, and Hannah stared at the expanse of dark blue, knowing that autumn’s limited visibility was on the way.
Willows School was situated near the end of the coastal road in a Victorian building, which hadn’t changed much since it was built. Every step Hannah took felt slightly heavier than the one which preceded it. She remembered the dread of attending the school, hating every single day with a passion. Back then, she never thought she’d see a day where she would be leading her own flesh and blood down the bleak path toward a building which looked eerily like a prison.
“Do you think we’ll get homework?” Rosie asked, excitement evident in her tone.
“Maybe,” Hannah replied. “You’ll have to ask.”
She knew Rosie wouldn’t ask. Not yet, anyway. As chatty as Rosie was with her, she was very shy and introverted with new people. She doubted her eagerness at beginning school would overcome her nerves on the first day, or even in the first week.
She hoped Rosie would make some friends quickly, though, and that that would enable her to come out of her shell. But she also wondered if she needed to come out of her shell in order to make friends.
Hannah’s heart thudded against her ribcage. She wanted to scoop Rosie into a hug and take her home, protecting her from the terrible social rituals that were built into school life, but she knew that wouldn’t help Rosie in the slightest.
Hannah’s biggest fear was that Rosie would be treated as she had been at school. Ostracised and bullied. Sticking out, being different, had been Hannah’s
downfall. She knew she could prevent that for Rosie. She could help her to fit in, and that would lead to friends.
“Will you pick me up from school or will Uncle Adrian?” Rosie asked.
“I’ll be picking you up, and I have something special planned.”
Rosie looked up at her, big brown eyes wide and questioning.
“But it’s a surprise,” Hannah added.
Rosie’s hand tightened around hers. “This is going to be the best day ever.”
Hannah smiled. Only her daughter would say that about the first day of school.
2 WELCOME TO WILLOWS
“This will be your form room, Miss Spencer.” Mr Hardaker held the door opened and gestured for Alice to step inside.
