Page 56 of When We Are Old

Shutting my mind off, I grinned at Hannah. “It’s bad for you. I bet you in five days you won’t even notice.”

She wagged her spoon at me. She’d learnt this from her ‘Nonna’. I’d already survived a wag of the spoon while I waited for Ronnie to get out of the shower. “Don’t think you can turn up and change things. I’m at a highly delicate part of my emotional development. You take sugar away from me now and I could be a crack addict in two years.”

I liked this kid. She reminded me of Liam.

“Matthew! Give her sugar.” Ronnie gulped at her coffee and then stood from the table. She’d been in the room two minutes. She needed to wake up earlier. I made a mental note to wake her up earlier tomorrow in a way that she wouldn’t fall back to sleep from.

“This really is disgusting.” She pulled a face, her skin paling as she made her way over to me. “Sorry to run.”

“It’s okay. You’re a successful businesswoman, I get that.”

Hannah and Nonna both snorted. Funny that I already thought of Ronnie’s mother as Nonna, like Hannah did.

“What? She is?” I glared at them and Hannah dropped her smirk pretty quick. “Did you see what she planned for my shop?” I shot her a smile. “It was exceptional.”

Nonna looked at me with interest, but I ignored her.

Ronnie shook her head while she shrugged into a neutral coloured raincoat. “Oh. Uh, did you want to use my car, Matthew?” Her cheeks flushed. “You are more than welcome. I can put you on the insurance.”

“Wow. First weekend here and he’s on the insurance.” Hannah muttered.

I rubbed at my neck.

“You, shut it. Because of you I’ve got to go and see bloody Jewson.”

I bit on my tongue. Not sure you should call the Head of the school 'bloody Jewson', but who was I to say?

Ronnie turned to me and arched an eyebrow. “You haven’t met him. He is, Bloody Jewson.”

Hannah looked at her mum with total adoration. I hoped Jack and Ewan looked at me that way in a few years.

Or would they see me as the useless greengrocer, like I saw my dad? I breathed and pushed the thoughts away. I knew better than this. I had to stay in the moment. Had to remain focused on the now; not worry about things that hadn’t happened yet, or I couldn’t change.

Ronnie stepped closer and peered up at me, a light frown between her eyebrows. “You okay?”

“Yes, sure.” I bent and kissed the tip of her nose, then because that would never be enough, I rushed my lips over hers.

“Oh. Uh. Childhood trauma happening right here.”

I smiled into Ronnie’s mouth.

“Go. I’m fine. I might go and buy some running stuff. You don’t mind if I keep things here do you?”

“Sure.” She shrugged. “Although, I guess we would have to pack it up and move it.” She shot a glare at her mother. “Right, anyway. I’d better go.” She towed Hannah by the elbow. “Come on, you.”

Hannah’s skin blotched and she swallowed. “You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“Worried about what people will say?”

She eyed with me caution, like she waited for me to spring a parenting trap.

“I remember Liam used to get up to all sorts at the weekend and then pretend to be sick on a Monday.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Not really. He’d just have to face it Tuesday, or Wednesday if Mam let him get away with it that long.”