Follow My Lead Episode 06
Follow My Lead
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- 7. Follow My Lead Episode 07
- 8. Follow My Lead Episode 08
- 9. Follow My Lead Episode 09
Danielle stared at the phone. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Mrs Sutton had sounded glad to get off the line.
It must have been an awkward call to have to make, she reasoned.
No-one liked having to admit to money worries.
She’d better make that note in her diary, though.
She turned and caught sight of a leaflet that had been stuffed through the letter-box.
Tugging it out, she recognised it.
It was another copy of the one Stu had shown her, advertising the new dog-walking service.
Padding A-Round, she read, and acknowledged that it was a clever name.
She’d spent days coming up with the name of her own business, Lead On.
Let me take the lead, it said. All breeds welcome.
Phone number, social media links – it was a very professional-looking package.
She hadn’t been worried, but should she be?
Could that call from Mrs Sutton be connected?
And there was her afternoon gap, too, of course. She couldn’t afford to lose too many of her clients.
She dwelt on it for a moment, but then gave herself a shake.
When had worrying about something ever changed the outcome?
It was better just to get on with the redecorating. That would certainly distract her.
She was up a ladder with a wet sponge and a scraper, the floor a mess of wallpaper strips, when the phone rang again.
Her heart sank.
Please don’t let that be another cancellation, she thought as she clambered down and quickly wiped her hands.
“Hello?” she answered, and was dismayed to hear how uncertain her voice sounded.
“Hello? Danielle?”
“Yes. Can I help you?”
“Danielle, it’s me, Lydia. Are you OK? You don’t sound quite like yourself. Is this a bad time?”
“Lydia!” Danielle exclaimed, delighted to hear from her godmother.
“No, not at all. Sorry. I just thought you might be someone else.”
Her hand had been clenched round the phone, but now it relaxed and she leaned against the wall.
“It’s lovely to hear from you,” Danielle continued. “How are you? Still living in a whirlwind?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” Lydia, replied, then gave a rueful laugh.
“Well, no, that’s not quite true. As it happens I’ve just been made redundant.”
Lydia’s voice was bright with its usual energy, making her news all the more unexpected.
“Oh, Lydia, no! What happened?”
Danielle listened, interrupting only with sympathetic murmurs, as Lydia recounted the online meeting with her boss.
Danielle knew how her godmother loved her job, and could hardly imagine the devastation she must be feeling, heavily disguised by the flow of chirpy optimism.
“So what will you do now? Look for something else, or take a break for a while?” she asked.
“Well . . .” There was a laden pause. “I thought I might finally come to visit you. If it was convenient.
“And I wondered if it would be all right to stay for a few weeks,” Lydia added, “just while I catch my breath?
“You can say no, but . . .”
Danielle slid down the wall, looking at the mess of her living-room.
She adored Lydia almost as much as she adored her own mother.
It was Lydia who had given her her very favourite teddy bear that still nestled amidst the pillows on her bed.
It was Lydia who had not only got the concert tickets for her favourite boyband, but gone with her and danced along with her.
It was Lydia who had steered her through the fashion minefield of her teens.
Danielle hugged the receiver to her ear, as if it could bring Lydia closer to her. Lydia, who she had only ever known as confident and fearless.
Only because she knew and loved her so well could she tell that, underneath this brave façade, Lydia was now utterly desolate.
Danielle looked again at the mess, and closed her eyes to it.
“Of course. When?”