“I made it,” I said.
She hugged me.
It was brief and slightly awkward and completely genuine.
We sat in the living room, all five of us, and Rosie immediately took charge of the situation by asking me questions.
How old was I.
Had I ever been to Scotland.
Did I like football.
What was my favorite food.
I answered all of them.
Daniel crept closer as the morning went on, until he was sitting on the floor near my chair, not quite next to me but not far either.
At some point, Tom brought coffee and Claire brought biscuits and Rosie showed me a drawing she had done the previous week — a horse, very detailed, she had been working on horses for months.
“It’s excellent,” I said.
“I know,” she said, without any false modesty, and I laughed — a real laugh, the kind that comes from somewhere unexpected.
