Page 7 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

The sound of chaos at the back of the house was getting louder.

Megan groaned. ‘Paddling pool time,’ she said, with a grunt. ‘Which at least will replace the horror of bath time. And then bedtime followed swiftly by gin o’clock.’

Lily smiled and laughed. ‘I’d better leave you to it.’

‘Look, pop in and have a coffee tomorrow, yeah?’ said Megan, giving her arm a squeeze. ‘You can bitch about your horrible ex and I can moan about the kids.’

‘Thanks,’ said Lily. ‘That’d be nice. Good luck with the paddling pool!’

‘I’m going to need it,’ said Megan, rolling her eyes. ‘I don’t know who ends up more wet. See you tomorrow.’

Lily carried the box across the front gardens and up to her own front door. She managed to manoeuvre the key into the lock whilst holding onto the box and open the door.

‘Hello,’ she called out, nudging the front door closed with her hip and putting the box down.

Celia Harper dashed out of the kitchen, which was at the back of the house, to hurry along the hall towards her. She was still wearing the plain clothes that she always wore under her supermarket uniform. Her red hair was shorter and paler than her daughter’s, and sprinkled with grey.

‘Hello, darling!’ she said, sweeping Lily into a warm hug. ‘You’re almost late. Dinner’s in three minutes.’ She stepped back to give her daughter a once-over. ‘You’re looking tired. Hardly surprising given that your heart’s just been broken. My poor girl. Well, we won’t mention his name again. He’s not worth it.’

Her mother paused for breath, and Lily took advantage to get a word in edgeways. ‘Shall I get the rest of the stuff from the car after dinner?’

‘Oh, lordy, yes,’ said Celia, rolling her eyes. ‘Otherwise we’ll never hear the end of it from your grandfather if it’s a minute over half past six.’

As her mum rushed away again, Lily picked up the box and carried it into the front room where her dad was stationed in front of the television, as always.

‘Hi, Dad,’ she said, placing the box down next to his chair.

She noted that he wasn’t wearing his prosthetic leg, which probably meant that he hadn’t left the house again that day.

He muted the TV. ‘Hello, love,’ he said, as she bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek. ‘How are you?’

‘Never better,’ she lied.

‘Never liked the bloke, anyway,’ he muttered, giving her a wink.

Lily nodded at the cardboard box. ‘They delivered this to next door by mistake.’

‘Great,’ he said. ‘I’ve been expecting this one.’

With the delight of a child at Christmas, he ripped open the box and picked up the delivery note. ‘Five sets of bath-time toys, as well as baby talc, lotion and bubble bath.’

‘Well done,’ she said. ‘What was the competition this time?’

‘Can’t remember, love, to be honest.’

‘What’s that?’ asked her mum, appearing at the door.

‘Baby stuff,’ said her dad, beaming.

Her mum looked briefly at Lily before sighing. ‘Dinner’s on the table,’ she announced.

Lily put down her handbag and followed her mum into the kitchen.

‘He doesn’t think, sometimes,’ Celia murmured.

‘It’s fine,’ said Lily, crossing the room to pick up the salt and pepper from the side.

Except it wasn’t. She had wanted a family of her own for many years. She also wanted a man who loved her, and a happy, secure, steady life. And she had none of that at the moment.