After caring for sweet old lady Beatrice Trenton for over a year and hearing all about her brave paratrooper, grandson, Penelope is pleased to finally meet him. Sparks fly and before she knows it, she's calling him her boyfriend, and he is confident...
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PENELOPE
I can't say I'm looking forward to today.
"Benjamin, wait, baby, no."
I'm walking back from the car park ticket machine to see Maggie struggling to strap Benjamin into his pushchair. The toddler pushes at her hands, face screwing up tight as he kicks at the seat.
She struggles even more. "No, that's naughty."
Benjamin starts screaming at the top of his lungs. "Nooooh!"
"Do you need any help? Would it be better if he walked for a bit?" I ask, rushing my pace up.
Once he has twisted his body in a full circle, she has no choice but to put him down. Up close, I see the heavy bags underneath her eyes and the stress lines across her forehead.
Sympathy grabs at my heart.
A single mother who lost her husband at war. There's no wonder why she needs support. Especially having to watch her son growing up without his father. Maybe that's why she's clinging onto Max so hard.
"Take him," she says, voice cracking. "I can't handle him."
Benjamin is slightly stunned once he's in my arms, pulling back to stare at me with wobbly eyes. I stroke the back of his blonde head and shush him until he settles his head against my shoulder and sucks on his thumb.
"Superwoman," Maggie whispers, throwing me a grateful smile when she takes the parking ticket from me to display in her car.
"I don't know about that." I laugh.
She pushes the pushchair while I carry Benjamin towards the shopping centre, aiming straight for the row of charity shops. Lincoln have the best ones. I once got a pair of Jimmy Choo heels for twenty-five quid. Brand new.
"Penelope, can I ask you something?" she says when we step into the store.
I glance over. "Sure."
"Did I do something wrong?" she asks with an anxious expression.
My fingers brush through the silk trousers as I turn to look at her. "What do you mean?"
She laughs uncomfortably. "I don't know. I just get a vibe sometimes. Maybe, that you don't like me."
Should I be honest? Yeah, probably. I sigh. "It's not that I don't like you. I'm just wary. I think you can overstep your mark sometimes. It feels like you're involved in parts of my relationship when you shouldn't be."
