Page 36 of Darling Girls

‘I didn’t know they would eat the whole bag!’

‘I used to know a lot of fart jokes,’ Alicia said, ‘but I stopped telling them because everyone said they stank.’

She and Norah doubled over, laughing so hard Norah nearly toppled over. Jessica rolled her eyes, desperately trying to repress her smile. Alicia loved it when they made Jessica laugh. It was a rare treat. There was something about the whole interaction that fortified Alicia. When they finally got back on the road, it was with all four windows down and a sense that things weren’t quite as bad as they had been a few minutes earlier.

When they were twenty minutes from Port Agatha, Alicia decided to make a few work calls. Despite it being the weekend, she couldn’t help but check in on Theo.

‘Trish!’ Alicia said, when the woman answered her phone. She closed the window of the car so she could hear better. ‘I’m glad I’ve caught you. How’s Theo?’

‘Better, thanks to Aaron,’ Trish replied. ‘Theo is quite infatuated with him. Won’t leave the kid alone. Aaron would never admit it, but I think the feeling’s mutual.’

‘Yes, I got that sense,’ Alicia said. ‘Listen, I’ve managed to get Theo an emergency appointment with an amazing paediatric psych. I’ll text you the details. By the way, it looks like Theo’s parents are going to relinquish parental rights, which means he’ll be put up for adoption.’ Alicia paused. ‘I don’t suppose you’d . . .’

Trish’s response was swift. ‘Alicia, you know I’d love to, but I’m too old to be adopting babies now. Besides, people will be chomping at the bit for him, surely?’

Alicia knew what she meant. There would be no shortage of people wanting to adopt a two-year-old who was white, cute and had no known additional needs. Still, it wouldn’t have felt right to move a traumatised child who was just starting to settle without asking the question at least.

She heard the sound of children squealing in the background. ‘Is that him?’

‘Yep. Terrorising Aaron.’

Alicia smiled. ‘Remind me, who’s Aaron’s case worker?’

‘Louise? Louise something, I think. I have it written down somewhere. Why?’

‘Just wondering.’ Alicia didn’t know a Louise, but she made a mental note to track her down. She often did this, when she interacted with a kid she wasn’t officially responsible for. In Alicia’s experience, the more people who cared about a kid, the better.

‘I know you’ll find Theo a good home, Alicia,’ Trish said out of the blue. ‘They always do well, the kids in your care.’

‘Thanks, Trish,’ Alicia managed through the lump in her throat.

But after she hung up, she wondered if Trish was right to have so much faith in her. Of course she would try to find Theo a wonderful home. But how would she really know? How sure could they ever really be that a foster home was good? It was a question that plagued her. After all, from the outside, Wild Meadows had seemed very good.

She dropped her phone into her bag. ‘I don’t suppose you’d consider adopting a two-year-old?’ she said to Jessica.

‘I’ve told you, I don’t have the capacity. I run a business.’

‘Lots of working parents raise foster kids,’ Alicia replied.

‘Great,’ Jessica said. ‘Then you do it.’

‘I live in a rented one-bedroom apartment!’

‘So buy a house,’ Norah said from the back seat. ‘Jessica will pay.’

‘I will,’ Jessica said eagerly.

‘Jessicais notbuying me a house,’ Alicia said irritably.

She only wished her reasons for not adopting were as simple as accommodation. How could Alicia welcome a child into her life when she couldn’t even have a proper relationship with an adult? She couldn’t risk it. The stakes were too high.

‘This is the turn-off!’ Norah cried, pointing at the sign to Port Agatha. ‘Jess – here! Turn left.Here.’

It was as if Jessica hadn’t heard. Her hands were clutching the steering wheel, her gaze fixed straight ahead.

Alicia put a hand on her forearm. ‘Jess.’

‘I know. Just . . . give me a sec.’