Chapter 33

The next morning Jenny popped her head in the room to see how Poppy was feeling, the three girls were still fast asleep. Belle lying on top of me, her arms clinging to my side, Poppy was on my right, her body pushed up tight against mine, one arm over Belle, Katie on my left, an arm also over Belle and touching Poppy’s hand.

“I’m going to work now,” she whispered.

“What time is it?” I asked quietly, trying not to wake anyone.

“6:30, I want to get in there first and look at thumbnails on the videos, I’ve sent Jeremy a message asking him to call me ASAP, I need to get him together with Helen.”

“Don’t work too hard Jenny.”

“This is why I got my promotion, I need to see this through Alex.”

“I know you do, just don’t make yourself ill.”

“I’ll try to step away from the really bad stuff, but those films are Poppy’s lived experience, I can’t shy away, it’s not right.”

I felt Belle stirring, I ran my fingers through her hair, she wriggled a little, made some of her cute sleep noises then settled down again.

“I see what you mean,” I replied as soon as I was sure Belle was asleep, “just be careful.”

Jenny wiped her eyes with a tissue.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, just looking at you with the girls, they’re so safe, they love you so much, then I think about where I’m going, that I might see some of the horrors Poppy went through, and I just know I can’t hold off any longer.”

Jenny stepped to the side of the bed and found my hand, “I wish they were awake...”

“I’m awake,” Belle said sleepily.

“So am I,” Katie added.

“And me,” Poppy said finally.

“Oh, I thought we were being quiet,” Jenny said, “I’m sorry if we woke you.”

“I only pretended to be asleep because I was enjoying dad running his fingers through my hair,” Belle said.

“How are you feeling?” Jenny asked Poppy.

“I’m ok, I’ve got a really sore throat though.”

“That’ll be from all the crying,” I told her, “there’s some honey in the kitchen, a spoonful will help.”

“Anyway, as I’m kneeling by the bed and holding your dad’s hand, there’s only one thing to be done, will you marry me Alex?”

“Ahh, I was hoping for a more romantic location for this.”

“I was hoping for a more romantic situation, but I can’t leave it any longer, I need to know.”

“Are we in the way?” Belle asked.

“Absolutely not, and this saves me having to tell you all later, of course I’ll marry you.”

Jenny let out a breath she’d been holding, “thank you, I should probably have waited for later, but I’m so stressed about today.”

Belle slipped off me and lifted the duvet so I could climb off the bed.

“I bet there’s not many men who’ve had their girlfriends propose while they were in bed with their daughters,” Jenny said with a grin as I pulled her close for a kiss.

“There couldn’t possibly be more than a handful at most,” I replied.

“I so wish I could just curl up in bed with you all, but I have to go. Tonight we can celebrate, think of somewhere nice, we’ll have a proper family meal.”

“No,” Belle said firmly, “we’re not going anywhere, I’ll cook a meal, I’ve been meaning to cook for everyone since I arrived and it’s never happened.”

Jenny looked across my shoulder to Belle, “Ok, we’ll have a meal at home, that will be even better, thank you Belle.”

“And we’ll help,” Katie said.

“Yes, after the fun day you can go to the pub or something, we’ll come home and cook a proper meal,” Poppy added.

“We’ll need some nice wine,” Belle said, “if there’s nothing suitable here I’ll ask Helen to go to the shops for us.”

“Thanks girls, you’ve just made a special day even better, now why don’t you go back to sleep for a bit.”

“Are you kidding!” Belle cried, “how can we sleep now, after the best news ever. Yesterday I worked out who my dad is, I gained a house and gave it to someone I’d just met, oh, and found out I’ve got half a million in the bank that I don’t need, so I’m giving it to Poppy’s charity, and now my new mum and dad are getting married, I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again I’m so excited.”

“Hang on,” Poppy said, “rewind a bit, you’ve got half a million pounds, how?”

“Listen girls, I’ve got to go,” Jenny said, “fill me in later.”

The girls jumped out of bed and hugged Jenny one by one as she tried to leave the room, eventually she broke free and dashed out of the door.

“Oh wow,” Katie said as she sat back on the bed, “there’s never a dull moment with this family, I’m so glad you let me join you.”

“We’re glad you chose to join us,” Poppy said as she and Belle sat down either side of their sister, “now Belle, tell us all about yesterday.”

“Where’s my photo album Dad?”

I found it on the floor with her coat and passed it over.

“So I met gramps, I was worried he wouldn’t know me, or wouldn’t want to see me, but it was fine. He was so lovely, and he’s got a girlfriend, Peggy, she’s really nice and looks after him when he’s not feeling so well.”

Belle patted the album, “I’d started to forget what my mum looked like you know, now I’m happy and safe she’d started fading a bit. Like she’d been looking out for me while I was on the streets, and now I’m safe she’s leaving me alone. Gramps gave me this photo album,” she opened it carefully and turned to the wedding photo, “this is mum,” she said simply.

Poppy and Katie leaned in, looking at the photo

“She’s gorgeous,” Katie said.

“She looks like Jenny!” Poppy exclaimed.

“She does, and that’s why I wanted a photo. I had it in the back of my mind that Jenny looked like mum, but I couldn’t be sure, because she was fading.”

“Is that you?” Poppy asked.

“Yes, it is! I’d forgotten I was at the wedding, and that’s Jake, my dad, well, not my real dad, oh gosh, it’s complicated. I called him dad for my whole life, but we found out when I was little that he couldn’t possibly be my dad.”

Belle flipped to the back, to the holiday photo, “my real dad, no that’s the wrong word, a real dad is the one who brings you up, treats you well, teaches you stuff, so for a long time Jake was my real dad, and now Alex is my real dad. So, the dad who got my mum pregnant, Mr Clarke, he always loved my mum, and he kept looking after us long after she married Jake. He gave us the house, that’s why it’s still there and hasn’t been repossessed by the bank, because mum and dad owned it outright, and he paid for our holidays, because there’s no way someone on dad’s wage could afford the fancy villa we stayed at.”

Poppy pointed at the photo, “I love you here, look at your Taylor Swift t-shirt, you look so cute.”

“Stop it, don’t look at me, look at mum, how come she’s got amazing tits like that and I’ve just got these little things.”

“I guess because you’re lucky,” Poppy replied, “because I love your little tits. Anyway, tell us about your house, and Amber.”

“Oh, Oh, where’s my iPad?”

I passed Belle her backpack, she took out her iPad and laid it on top of the photo album.

“So, we had to go see a solicitor, Michaela, she was really nice and totally didn’t look like a lawyer. She filled in the papers to change my name, so I’m now legally Belle Amelia Saffron Harrison-Dean...”

Poppy threw her arms around her sister, “that’s such a clever name, new and old, and you kept your surname and took dad’s.”

“Why didn’t you pick Jenny’s name?” Katie asked.

“It would have been weird to have three surnames, besides, mum hinted last night that she’d be having dad’s name soon.”

“Is she changing her name then?” Katie asked.

“She told me she’d be Harrison-Wilde. So, anyway, at the lawyers I was literally shitting myself, it was mostly a criminal law practice, so I was absolutely certain whatever I was doing there had something to do with Liam, but then, after we’d sorted my name change, she pulls out mum’s will.

“You see, dad didn’t leave a will, so everything went to mum, then all mum’s will said was that I got everything. Which means the nice three bedroom house, all paid for, and all their money, which after dad’s life insurance is apparently a little under half a million, which is going to your charity.”

Poppy threw her arms around Belle, “OUR charity.”

“Ok, our charity.”

“It’s a wonderful gesture, but you can’t do that, you have to keep some of it, in fact, you should keep it all for now.”

“Why? I don’t need the money.”

“Not now you don’t, but we never know what will happen in the future. There’s enough money for the charity from dad’s publisher, and from there we can start fund-raising work. Maybe in a couple of years we could use the interest off your money.”

‘Ok, I guess that makes sense.”

“So, tell us everything about Amber.”

“Oh my god! She’s amazing. Can I ask you something, Poppy?”

“Ask me anything.”

“Have you ever had someone put a fist up your bum?”

“Oh good god no!” she replied, laughing.

“Ok ladies,” I interrupted, “I’m going to make coffee and breakfast, come down in half an hour.”

I had a stack of pancakes in the warming oven and a full pot of coffee ready by the time Helen and the girls were ready.

“Hey brother, I hear congratulations are in order.”

“I’m sorry,” Belle called from the doorway, “I wanted to wait for you to tell Helen, but if I didn’t tell her I would simply have burst.”

“It’s OK Belle, I’m sure you told Helen far better than I would.”

“Well, it involved Belle running into the bedroom, jumping on the bed and shouting ‘I have the best news’ until I woke up.”

“Ahh, that’s pretty much the way I would have handled it,” I laughed, pulling Belle into a one armed hug, “you really are the best daughter, but don’t tell your sisters I said that.”

“We heard nothing,” Poppy said with a smile as she poured coffee into 5 mugs.

“Nope, not a thing,” Katie laughed as she lifted the stack of pancakes from the oven.

“Oh, honey, you said we had some honey for my throat,” Poppy asked.

“Yep, it’s in the cupboard over the kettle.”

I let Belle go and she ran for the cutlery drawer, fetching Poppy a spoon for the honey before going back for cutlery for breakfast.

“They’re perfect aren’t they,” Helen said as the girls assembled breakfast, “a bit quirky, but perfect.”

“I wouldn’t change them for all the coffee in Brazil.”

“Oh, I think I’ll do a roast dinner for tonight,” Belle said a little later as she mopped up the last of the maple syrup with her pancake, “I remember seeing photos of mum and dad’s reception, and they had like a traditional Sunday roast, they said everyone loved it, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“I love Sunday lunch,” Katie cried, “this will be amazing, roast beef, roast potatoes, mash, gravy, are we having Yorkshire Puddings as well?”

“If someone can tell me how to make them,” Belle answered.

“You can buy frozen Yorkies in the supermarket,” Helen offered.

“Oh no, no, no, NO. Not for mum and dad’s engagement meal, we’re making everything,” Belle said. “Oh bollocks, what about you and Nita, shit, what can we do, would a nut roast be ok.”

Helen put a hand on Belle’s, “it’s OK sweetie, this is your family meal. Nita and I will stay at home tonight, I’ve kind of neglected her a bit recently.”

“Oh no, that’s my fault,” Poppy cried.

“Don’t worry Poppy, Nita isn’t upset, she knows just how important it is for you to get better, and she’s happy for me to come round to help you. If she didn’t want to stay at home alone she could have come around with me, Nita knows she’s always welcome here.”

“I’d hate to be the cause of any problems with you...”

“Hey, if you want to know the truth, you’ve brought Nita and me closer together, we were going through a rocky spell for a bit, but with us both helping you out that day you arrived, we realised how well we worked together.”

“Really,” Poppy replied brightly, “I’m glad about that, because I know Nita loves you so much.”

As we finished our coffee Belle pulled out her iPad, “I’m researching dinner, can someone pass me a piece of paper please.”

Katie reached over for the pad and pencil by the telephone, as soon as she gave it to Belle she started to make notes.

“Do we have any nice red wine, ohhh I can’t even pronounce this one r i o j a, rio-ja? Do we have some of that?”

“It’s Rioja,” I replied, “and no, I don’t think we’ve got any, I’ll buy some on the way home.”

“Ahh, I’d never have got that, thanks, but no, I’d rather you didn’t take any part in tonight’s meal.”

“I’ll get you a few bottles when I go shopping at lunchtime with Nita, I’ll bring them round on our way back,” Helen said as she collected the plates and piled them next to the sink, “do you need anything else?”

Belle ran her finger down her shopping list, “I think we’ll be able to buy everything else from the shops, thank you.” She looked at her sisters, “shall we go to the shops now, before we go to meet mum at the police station, then we can get started on making dinner as soon as we get home?”

“Oh yes, that’s a great idea,” Poppy replied, “but maybe you should get dressed first, as much as we love your Spongebob pyjamas, people will look at you funny in the shops.”

Belle looked down, “ahh shit, I forgot I’d not got dressed when you were dressing. See you in a few minutes.”

She returned a quarter of an hour later wearing jeans and a pink hoodie, Poppy picked up the shopping list and joined her sisters at the door, “We’ll be as quick as we can,” Poppy said, “hopefully we can get everything we need on the high street.”

“So, who popped the question?” Helen asked as I made a second pot of coffee.

“Didn’t Belle tell you all about it?”

“Probably, but she was too busy screaming and laughing for me to understand much of what she was saying. Let’s just say she is very happy about it.”

“Jenny asked me, she said she would when I least expected it, and I didn’t expect it at 6:30 this morning.”

“Was it at least romantic?”

“Well, she got down on one knee, and waited to make sure the girls were awake.”

“How were they last night?”

“Once we’d settled down they were fine, Belle lay on top of me, Poppy and Katie either side, they both cuddled Belle and were soon asleep.”

“And how was Poppy when she woke?”

“Apart from complaining about a sore throat, she was ok, or at least she said she was.”

“Yes, that’s what she told me, and right now I think she is. Poppy is a truly remarkable girl, she has a natural ability to compartmentalise, hiding away her traumas. It keeps her stable, but I worry she’ll break down completely.”

“You’re not alone there, Jenny and I are worried.”

“I wonder if she’ll respond to hypnotherapy, it’s not something I can do, but I know a few people who can. Maybe I’ll suggest it one day.”

“If you think it will help her.”

“It will, but I don’t think now is the right time. Last night was terribly traumatic, and today is a happy day. I think we can leave dragging up past torments via hypnotherapy until later, much later.”

Later, as I was stacking the breakfast things in the dishwasher Helen came up behind me and gave me a hug.

“You know, we’ve all got so much to thank Poppy for, she brought Nita and I together, and you met Jenny, and I finally realised just how much I love you Alex.”

I started to speak, but she cut me off, “no, don’t talk, let me finish. I love you Alex, I love you too much to want to hurt you or your relationship, so I’ll stay away if you need me to.”

I turned around in Helen’s arms and kissed her, her eyes wide with shock.

“Don’t be silly, sister, Jenny loves you, if I’m honest I think she enjoys sleeping with you more than me. She said right from the start that she’s mostly gay.”

“So there’s a chance we could still get together?”

“Of course there is. I’m pretty sure Belle would have words if Jenny wanted to become exclusive,” I added with a smile.

“Belle loves you so much, did you have a good time together?”

“We really did, she is trying hard to live up to your scamp label.”

“Oh my, what did she do?”

“Well, first she skinny dipped in the hotel pool after her massage...”

“Oh my god!” Helen laughed, “seriously?”

“Yes, I honestly think she had no idea she was supposed to wear a costume in the pool. She was so indignant about being told off and made to swim in her underwear. Although it did mean she got to go commando as she called it, just wearing a t-shirt and no bra. I don’t think she likes that Poppy makes her wear one.”

“Poppy needs a decent bra, but Belle can get away without one if she doesn’t like them. It’s interesting though, Poppy is really acting like Belle’s mum, I guess it’s because she took Belle under her wing in the squat, and because Poppy never had a mother really, she didn’t want the same life for Belle. I hate to use your family for research, but they really could help me with my thesis.”

Helen looked thoughtful for a moment as she drank her coffee, “anyway, that’s all for another time, what else did Belle do?”

“Well, she gave me a lapdance in the park near the hotel.”

Helen almost spat out her coffee, “shit, really! Was she good?”

“She was very good, so good she gave me a quick and efficient blow job to get rid of my hard-on before we headed back to the hotel bar.”

“Where did she learn how to lapdance?”

“Seems she used to stand in, or rather sit in, when girls were off sick at a club.”

“Poppy let her, or didn’t she know about it?”

“She says Poppy let her, because it was completely safe, if any of the men touched her they were violently ejected from the club, and she earned good money because the men paid extra for having a dance from such a young looking girl.”

“I bet they did,” Helen replied, “does Jenny know about this, or Jeremy.”

“Jenny no, Jeremy I imagine not, although if it really was as safe as Belle says, he probably wouldn’t have been worried about it. Belle said she enjoyed the work as she likes to excite men even if she doesn’t really want sex with them, and they gave her sexy undies to wear, and they had hot showers.”

I poured more coffee as I continued, “and if she’d not done the lapdance we probably wouldn’t have had the fun encounter with Amber.”

“Who’s Amber?”

“Amber is the hotel receptionist...”

“Hang on, tall, redhead, very pretty, yes, I know her.”

“Well, Belle recognised her, after she’d recognised Belle as the runaway from the next street. Amber was one of her uncle’s victims. We had a word with her in the bar, she has a very sad story about her girlfriend who committed suicide after one too many of Liam’s parties.”

“Oh shit, yes, she’s the girl Belle talked to me about, whether she should talk to her, sorry I didn’t join the dots very well there.”

“No worries,” I replied, “so, as we said, Amber eventually recognised Belle as the girl who ran away after her uncle won custody, and then as we were going to our room Belle remembered Amber, she was in the 6^th Form when Belle was in Year 7, so they weren’t acquaintances. Belle didn’t think she was called Amber back then, though, which is why she was slow to recognise her. She then realised Amber was one of the girls she’d seen visiting her uncle.”

“Ahh yes, so Belle had a chat.”

“She did, and the ice was instantly broken by Belle complaining about being told off for skinny dipping...”

“That would work.”

“We had a little chat about swimming etiquette then Belle turned the conversation to Liam and Amber opened up quickly, telling us her real name is Antoinette, that Amber was her girlfriend’s name. She told us she only went to Liam’s once, she didn’t enjoy the atmosphere, Amber wasn’t so reticent about the drugs and sex.”

“One night Amber turned up at Antoinette’s house while her parents were away. She was in a bad way, clearly struggling after too many drugs. Antoinette was not happy and threw her in the shower fully dressed to clear her head. When she pulled her out and removed her wet clothing she saw fresh bruises and cuts, it seems Liam and his mates liked to treat girls the same way Parker and Kenzie treated Poppy and Nikki.”

“Oh fuck...” Helen gasped.

“My thoughts exactly, Belle was absolutely right to run away. Antoinette did what she could to make Amber comfortable, then put her to bed whilst she made her some food. Whilst Antoinette was in the kitchen Amber got out of bed and left the house. She was found dead the next morning, she’d overdosed.”

“Oh my god, that’s awful, Liam definitely needs to pay.”

“Jenny is going to speak to Jeremy, I’m sure he can arrange something painful to befall Liam. Make him experience some of what the girls felt.”

“I guess that’s why she’s taken her girlfriend’s name.”

“Yes, she says it’s to keep her name alive.”

“The poor, poor girl, I’d like to speak to her some time, to see if I can help her.”

“Belle’s got her number, she’ll let you have it. Anyway, after our talk Amber went home, a little tipsy from all the drinks she’d had as Dutch courage. We went for dinner, which was fantastic, thank you so much for sorting the hotel.”

“My pleasure, it’s one of my favourite hotels.”

“After dinner we went for a short walk in the park near the hotel, Belle stopped in a dark, sheltered corner, sat me down and did her stuff.”

“Which you enjoyed immensely.”

“I did, then we went back to the hotel, had a drink in the bar then went up to our room, where Belle showed me the cute little butt plug Poppy gave her...”

“The one with the glass ruby? That was my favourite when I was training Nita.”

“That’s the one. Poppy won’t let Belle try anal yet, but she’s training her. We had a little bit of fun, then Belle’s phone rang. It was Amber, she’d seen us in the park. It seems the secluded corner Belle chose was right in front of Amber’s window.”

“Ahh, poor choice of location.”

“That’s what I thought at first, but it turned out well, because she came to the room and she’s as wild as Poppy.”

“Really! What did you do?”

“I didn’t do so much, Belle though ended up fisting her front and back.”

“Oh my god, and Amber could walk afterwards?”

“She could, and she even took me in the ass afterwards.”

“I need to meet this girl,” Helen said in an awed whisper.

“I’m sure it can be arranged, she’s moving into Belle’s house.”

“Belle’s got a house?”

“She has, and she’s got a lot of money.”

Helen listened carefully as I told her about our visit to the solicitors.

“Ahh, that’s wonderful, so she knows who her birth father is now, and he’s a genuinely nice guy. I’m so happy for her.”

“I’ve not told you the best bit, the solicitor handled her legal name change.”

“Oh wow, what name has she chosen?”

“Belle Amelia Saffron Harrison-Dean.”

“She’s taken your name! See, I told you she loves you. I wish she was here so I could hug her.”

Which was the cue for the front door to open, Helen jumped up and ran to Belle as she approached the kitchen, sweeping her into her arms.

“What was that for?” Belle asked as Helen released her.

“Alex just told me you’ve taken his name and I was filled with emotion. He’s also told me about your house.”

“Did he tell you I’m letting Amber live there? She’s so lovely, Liam fucked up her life, so she deserves a bit of good fortune from my family.”

“You’re not giving her the house I hope, you’ve only just met her,” Helen asked.

“Oh no, she’s renting it, and I’ll give the rent to our charity. Did dad tell you about all the money I’ve got?’

“He didn’t get that far,” Helen replied, a little lie to keep Belle talking.

Belle was almost jumping with excitement as she told Helen about her birth father and what he did for her parents, and how she’s in his will, although she doesn’t know what she’ll get, and besides, she definitely doesn’t want him to die, and she really wants to meet him some day.

“Take a breath,” Helen cried, “you’ll never meet him if you die telling me the story.”

“I’m sorry,’ Belle replied, panting, “I’m just so excited, so much happened the last couple of days and I so wanted to tell you everything and not miss anything out. Oh yes, I just remembered something else, don’t go anywhere,” she added, dashing out of the kitchen.

Belle burst back into the kitchen brandishing her iPad and the photo album, she sat down next to Helen whilst her sisters quietly put their shopping away.

Belle flipped open the cover and turned to the wedding photo.

“Oh my, your mum was really pretty,” Helen said quietly, “I’m guessing that’s you in her arms.”

“Yes, I’d forgotten I was at the wedding until I saw this photo. I do remember gran was a little upset she had a baby at her wedding. I’m sure I remember mum telling me about the rows she had with gran, but she told her that by the time she worked out which of her boyfriends she was going to marry, she looked like a whale, so it was better to wait until she’d got her figure back, and to have her baby, me, at the wedding. And look how happy mum and dad are.”

“Your mum clearly knew what she wanted and wasn’t going to let tradition get in the way. I think I’d have liked her,” Helen told Belle.

“I loved mum, Lana was her name, I don’t know if we’ve told you, Lana and Jake. Sometimes mum could be a bit annoying, but she was mostly cool,” she said as she flipped to the back of the album, to the holiday photo.

“Oh wow,” Helen exclaimed, “Lana had a fantastic figure.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re real, mum’s got big boobs in all the photos. I’m guessing I inherited my little boobs from my dad’s side of the family.”

“Can I tell you something Belle?” Helen asked softly, “this is something hardly anyone realises. Most people want big boobs, but small boobs are so much better, do you want to know why?”

Poppy and Katie stopped what they were doing, too interested in what Helen had to say to concentrate on the shopping.

“All boobs have roughly the same number of nerve endings, in my boobs they’re all spread out over a big area, in yours, and Katies, they’re packed much more tightly together, so your boobs, and especially your nipples where most of the nerve endings are concentrated, are so much more sensitive than mine. I bet if you tried you could orgasm just from playing with your nipples.”

Belle put a hand on one breast, “my nipples do get hard really easily,” she said quietly.

“That’s why I want you to wear bras,” Poppy said kindly, “so you don’t show people how excited you are to see them.”

“Oh,” Belle said, “I thought you were just being bossy.”

“Oh gosh no, I’d never boss you around Belle, if you think I am please tell me. I just want you to avoid the mistakes I made.”

Belle jumped up and ran over to Poppy, hugging her tightly, “I’m so sorry, that sounded bitchy and I was wrong. You’ve kept me safe for so long and I sounded ungrateful.”

Poppy kissed Belle’s forehead, “it’s OK sweetheart, I’d act the same way if someone made me wear something I didn’t want to wear. If bras make you uncomfortable, take it off, you’ll be fine in school if your shirts are loose fitting.”

Belle kissed Poppy full on the lips, “thank you, can you give me a minute while I take this fucking bra off.”

A moment later Belle returned with a huge smile on her face.

“Ahh, I feel so much better now. I’m sorry you have to wear one, I really am.”

“If we didn’t we’d be really uncomfortable,” Helen told her kindly, “without a bra my boobs would move around a lot, and they’re really heavy. A good bra spreads the load, a bit like a rucksack.”

“Oh, I’d not thought about it like that, do they make your back hurt?”

“Oh yes, if I’m doing a long topless photoshoot, or like the other week when I did a bikini session, my back hurt so much afterwards. I came straight here and had a long hot bath.”

“Don’t you have a bath at home?” Belle asked innocently.

“I’ve got a wonderful bath at home, it’s surrounded by candles and it’s very romantic, but I needed a hug first as much as a bath, and Nita was at work.”

“Oh yes, of course,” Belle replied, “I should have thought of that.”

“That episode can be a lesson to all three of you. Even the most outwardly confident person can feel very lonely and vulnerable at times. I’d been stared at and photographed for hours in a series of mostly tacky bikinis. I think I looked good, but when I got here I was an emotional mess. Your dad ran me a hot bath, he washed me, soothed me and gave me a cuddle, and most importantly he wasn’t fazed by my tears. When your best friend is hurting, it’s your job to be there, because one day the shoe could be on the other foot, and you may be hurting.”

Katie hugged Poppy, “I’m so sorry about the other night, I should have stayed with you.”

Poppy kissed her girlfriend tenderly, “it’s OK, honestly. I can’t blame you for feeling lost then, I was in a dark place you had no experience of.”