The shop was fascinating. After Al had introduced her as ‘my fiancée Sarah’, he left her to her own devices as he explained his needs to his friend Jim.  Several items in the shop looked familiar from the television crime programmes Sarah had watched, and she was particularly pleased to spot a pack of custom-made, and almost invisible strips for putting on doors, similar to those she had used to booby-trap the house to check where Abigail had been snooping.  That made her laugh out loud at the memory, and caused Al and his friend to look round. She pointed at the strips, and Al grinned.

“Abigail?”

“The very same, although my strips were a bit less sophisticated; I wish I’d known about this place before I moved out.  I could have set traps all over the place!”

“When I see that glint in your eye,” said Al, “I almost feel sorry for Abigail.  I think we’ve got enough to keep Maggie and the children safe for now.  Are you ready to go?” 

Sarah nodded and went to open the door.  Al picked up the box and leaned over the counter as Jim whispered something in his ear, and winked at Sarah. Once they had stowed the box in the car and were ready to go, she turned to Al.

“What did he say?”

Al took her hand in his and said, “He said, ‘You’ve got a good ‘un there’.  High praise from him; he’s not used to having females in the shop.  Are you ready for the storage unit now?”

“I think it will all fit in your car. Millie and I both have small cars, and we had a few problems getting some of the stuff in – and out.  Apart from the TV – and the remote – there’s nothing in there that I’ll miss.  I love the furniture in Millie’s flat, and yours is even better, it’s so comfortable.  When I see the stuff in a different setting, it won’t remind me of the past anymore.”

The same manager was on duty when they arrived at the storage depot.  He remembered Sarah, was introduced to Al, and asked after Millie with a glint in his eye.  Sarah recalled that Millie had indulged in a little flirting with him at the time.  Al took a good look at the unit’s contents, fetched a trolley and set about loading it into the car while Sarah paid the bill.  It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, especially after Roseanne’s ten percent recommendation fee had been taken off. Al managed to get everything in and brought the trolley back triumphantly empty.

Unloading the stuff back at the house was a little more problematic, but some skilful rejigging in Al’s mancave at the end of the garden meant that it all had a temporary home until it could be taken to Maggie’s on Sunday. Before anything else, Sarah’s TV was unpacked and installed in their bedroom.  Sarah presented Al with the remote which took pride of place on his bedside cabinet.

Lunch was bread, cheese and fruit; not too much as Sarah knew that there was bound to be cake at Jude’s house, and the promised feast at Millie’s in the evening. Driving in the daylight, Sarah realised that Jude and Dan’s house wasn’t as far from Al’s as she’d first thought.  There was something that she felt that she ought to warn him about before visiting though.

“You probably won’t be surprised about this,” said Sarah, “because you have sons of your own, and there’s Maggie’s children, but Jude and Dan’s girls can sometimes be very – candid?  Particularly the older girls. They might ask you some difficult questions.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.” said Al, grinning.  “Are they worse than Oliver?”

“Far more endearing, and completely honest.  I’ve known them all their lives so they might be a bit possessive as well.  You’ve already met Jude, and you saw Dan and the girls when they visited the studio, but they were on their best behaviour that day.  On home territory they are completely different.”

“Stop apologising for them. If you love them, so will I, and I’m not known for being overly sensitive to negative comments.”

The girls were just as inquisitive as Maggie’s children had been, and rushed out into the front garden as soon as Al and Sarah had locked up the car.

Emily and Sadie looked up at Al, and then at Sarah.

“Auntie Sarah, your boyfriend is very tall.” said Emily.

“Do you have to stand on a chair to kiss him?” asked Sadie.

Sarah shook her head. 

“Al isn’t quite a giant, but he is very tall and I do have to stand on my tiptoes to kiss him but I haven’t needed a chair yet.  Shall we see what I’ve got in my bag?”

“Yes! Yes! Is it just from you or is it from Al the nearly giant as well?”

“From us both so there may be a few extras in there.”

Sarah took Al’s hand, and followed the cheering children into the house.  Jude, and Dan with a sleeping Chloe in his arms, were waiting in the kitchen. Dan and Al shook hands, while Sarah quickly hugged Jude, and shared out the contents of the goody bag, making sure that a fair share was put aside for Chloe when she woke up.

Dan handed Chloe to Sarah, and after looking Al up and down, clapped him on the shoulder and asked, “I need a favour Al, can you give me a hand please?”

Al nodded, grinned and followed Dan out to the back garden.

“That sounds slightly mysterious.” said Sarah, sitting down on the armchair very carefully so as not to wake Chloe.  Jude raised her eyebrows.

“Nothing dramatic.  Dan was quite excited at the prospect of having another male around the house.  He needs to move some things out of the garage so that he can put the Wendy House away now that the weather is getting colder.  I warned him about leaving room for it but he had his ‘not listening’ head on that day.  I must say Sarah, being in love and all its benefits suits you. You are positively glowing! Well, the bit of your face that I can see is.  How is the wound.”

“Healing up well due to the tender ministrations of Dr Al.  I have seen photographs of my face but I still can’t look in a mirror.  I’m going to the hospital for a check up on Monday.  Al’s going to come with me in case I go all wobbly when they start poking at it.”

“You look so happy Sarah.  I’m sorry about Andy though, and I feel guilty for not encouraging you to escape sooner.”

“Don’t.  The timing was right for me, and I have gained so much since I moved out of that dreadful house.  I must write to Andy’s friend Shane, and talk to Simon about funeral arrangements.  I have a feeling that Abigail will be demanding that his remains are brought back to this country, but Andy would have wanted to stay in a place that was special to him. The estate should be able to pay for the funeral out there as well, rather than have Shane pay for anything.  I am so glad that Millie and I met Simon in the end. I know that he’s more than a match for Abigail.  I don’t know how much money is coming to me, but I have a few ideas of how I want to spend it.  Getting access sorted for Al’s nieces and nephew is top of the list, Maggie’s ex – Bob – is being a total pig.  He actually hit her last night and we are going over tomorrow to fit security cameras and stuff.”

“You seem to have acquired another family now.” said Jude a little sadly.  

“The more the merrier; Al says I have a huge heart and there is plenty of room in it for all the people that I love. You, Dan and the children have always been there when I needed you, and I checked the mileage on the way over. Al’s cottage is 2.9 miles away and that’s 3.7 miles closer than Andy’s house, and 2.5 miles closer than Millie’s flat. You will love the cottage Jude; the garden is child friendly as well as the house. The first time I visited, I felt like I was at your house – but without the children and toys of course. Al’s still got some decorating work to do, and I will be getting DIY and basic car mechanics tuition as part of my fiancée package. Not only do I feel involved, I want to be involved.  I never felt that about Andy’s house.”

“No pine cladding then?  No seventies tiling?”

“None.  Al has already become attached to my comic egg cups, and my TV has been installed in our bedroom!”

“Wow!  Quick work!  Are you really, truly moved in?”

“Yes, and we are talking about a wedding sooner, rather than later with six bridesmaids and a pageboy – if Chloe can stay awake that is.  The only fly in the ointment, and I shouldn’t really be talking about it, is the inquest verdict hanging over us all, and the possibility of the show being taken off air.”

“What will you do?”

“Well in the short term, nice Miles from the agency says he can find me and Millie temporary work, but we’ve considered setting up an independent social work service. There’s quite a need for it with all the permanent posts being lost due to local authority cuts.”

“That sounds wonderful. Lucky you.”

The sadness in Jude’s voice returned.

“Stop that Jude!  On your good days you are just as good at the job as me and Millie.  If we have our own business, you could join the team, be part-time, work from home, and take time out when you need it.  It may not happen, but I have a sneaking feeling that Oliver has made too many enemies to survive this event.  He is remarkably buoyant though, and has a very supportive wife.  Once the initial hoo-ha has died down, he will surface with a new project, and good luck to him.”

Jude was looking more cheerful by the moment, and the sight of Dan, Al and the girls coming back in to wash their hands, made her laugh and woke Chloe, who took one look at Al, stuck her thumb in her mouth and hid her face in Sarah’s chest.

“Hello Chloe.” said Sarah.  “This is my boyfriend Al.  He and I have bought you some sweeties.  I’ve managed to save your share. Would you like them, now you are awake?”

Chloe nodded and scrutinised Al from the feet upwards. He stood very still until she reached his head, and then she broke out into one of her rare but lovely smiles.

“Big!” she said, looking around for the sweets, spotting them in Jude’s lap and climbing off Sarah to get them.

“I think you’ve passed the Chloe acid test Al.” said Dan, clapping him on the shoulder again. “Shall I make some coffee to go with the pineapple upside-down cake that I made earlier?”

“Does it have rum in it?” asked Sarah, knowing full well that it would.

“All my cakes have rum in them, as you well know.  It is an integral part of my Caribbean heritage.”

It was good coffee, and even better cake.  The Wendy House had been safely stowed away, and the garage contents had been replaced. Every now and then Chloe paused with her hand on Sarah’s knee to look Al up and down, and make sure that he was still big.

Conscious of the need to get back to the cottage and change into clothes that were free of sticky finger marks and mud from the garden, Sarah and Al dispensed hugs and said their goodbyes.

“Uncle Al.” said Emily.  “I wish we could see Auntie Sarah on her tippy toes to give you a kiss before you go.”

“No reasonable request denied.” he said.  Taking Sarah in his arms and lifting her off the floor, he gave her a very respectable but thorough kiss.

“See,” said Sadie. “You don’t even need a chair Auntie Sarah, because Uncle Al is SO strong! He mustn’t kiss you too much though because the other side of your face get sore.”

Jude whispered in Sarah’s ear. “I couldn’t tell them the real reason you were wearing a dressing on your face.  Apologise to Al for me?”

They were still laughing when they got back to the cottage.

“You liked them all, didn’t you Al?”

“You knew I would.  They kept you sane when you were living with Andy.  The girls are delightful, you, Jude and Millie may have been separated at birth you are so close, and I like Dan very much.  Brilliant cake.  We should visit more often, or invite them over.  Our house is safe enough for them isn’t it? Maggie’s lot seem to be happy when they come over, but Jude’s girls are a bit younger.”

Sarah gave him the kind of kiss she’d been wanting to give him all day. 

“What time is it?” Al asked, holding her very close.

“Five forty-five.  Half an hour to get to Millie’s, so we need to be leaving by seven, and we have to get changed first.”

“Plenty of time then.  Race you up the stairs?”

“You have an unfair advantage because your legs are bigger than mine. Chloe said.”

“I’ll give you a head start.”

“I might let you catch me anyway.”