Chapter One
Agentle breath across her ear roused Star from her sleep. Having gone to bed what felt like only minutes earlier, her body and mind groaned at the interruption, pulling her back into the depths of sleep. A high-pitched giggle replaced the gentle breath. “Come on, Mummy! Wake up, it’s time to get up!”
Growling, Star grabbed her self-appointed alarm clock, twisting the giggling, rabbit-suited youngster, until she was lying next to her on the bed. Star tickled her until she begged for mercy, and they both collapsed back onto the pillows, breathing hard, grinning at the ceiling.
“Someone is up early,” Star said, trying to catch her breath, sleep long gone – as always, when you have a child.
“Nope, you’re late!” came a reply from the doorway. “You’ve switched your alarm clock off three times. The last time I heard it go off, I sent Skylar in to get you up.”
Sitting up, Star grabbed her phone and stared in horror at the screen. It was nearly seven, and she needed to get Skylar ready, dressed, and at Breakfast Club by seven-thirty, before she headed into the office. This morning was not the morning she could risk being late. She hadn’t spent half the night updating her project to miss her timeslot with the boss.
“Oh shh— sugar!” Star said, catching herself before she swore. Throwing back the bedcovers, she swung her legs onto the floor, sending her housemate a grateful glance. “Come on, munchkin,” she said, “it’s time to shift, or we’re going to be late.”
Star watched as the little girl darted off the bed and headed for the door.
“Don’t worry, Mummy,” Skylar said, turning back, “Aunty Laura has said she’ll take me to school with her this morning. That way, we can still have breakfast together.”
Star sat for a moment, taking in a deep breath and sending up her thanks for such a wonderful friend. Today was the start of a big week. It was her time to shine, to prove she deserved this promotion. Having breakfast with her daughter, however, was one of the non-negotiable rules Star had set for herself as a parent. She might be a single-working mum, but mealtimes where possible were her and Skylar’s connection time, especially breakfast. There was no excuse for not spending that time together. Working in the city was crazy enough, but Skylar was still Star’s number one priority and had been from the moment the little girl had been placed in her arms.
Getting ready in record time, Star flew down the stairs to find Skylar and Laura waiting for her at the breakfast table. Skylar was dressed in her uniform, her hair done neatly. Laura grinned at her flustered friend as Star threw her a grateful glance. Laura and her husband, Tobias, were Star’s lifeline. She would never have survived the past six years without her two best friends.
Their love and support had been a constant, and would be the one thing she’d miss when she and Skylar had the money to move into their own place. Now Laura and Tobias were expecting their first child, Star was aware of the urgency to move, and it was why she was hoping this new promotion would be the answer to all their prayers. It was the driving force for her all-nighter, during which she had added the finishing touches to the client presentation.
“Come and sit down before you fall down!” Laura said, offering a plate full of warm, buttery toast. Star dropped herself into the seat next to Skylar, and watched as her daughter finished her cereal. “You were up late,” Laura added. “Toby said you were still going at three am.”
Star choked on her toast, her heartrate increasing, “What was Toby doing up at three am?” She knew that Toby was travelling up to Manchester that morning to see an important client, and hoped she hadn’t disturbed him.
“Cravings,” Laura said with a grin, rubbing her stomach. “The one and only time Toby will get out of bed with no complaint. At twenty weeks, you’d have thought he’d be bored by now.”
Star smiled, knowing how besotted Toby was with his pregnant wife. Toby had always loved his bed. Even when they were students together, he would often spend half his weekend wrapped in his duvet if he wasn’t out partying. It showed his devotion to Laura and their little bump that he would drag himself out of his pit for her and her cravings at three am.
Star bit into her toast and groaned in delight at the perfect mixture of toast and butter, before adding, “I called it a night at around four. I had some last-minute changes I wanted to make. I’m meeting with Lucas first thing, and then the team later this morning, to run through the presentation, ready for my meeting with Lucas and the Accounts Manager on Wednesday. If he likes it, we can arrange the sit-down with the client.”
“I’m sure it will be amazing, knowing you.” Laura said, placing her hand on Star’s shoulder, before clearing away the breakfast things.
“How are you this morning, munchkin?” Star asked, turning to Skylar. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, Mummy,” Skylar said, finishing her last mouthful. “Can we do my project tonight?”
Star’s eyes opened, racking her brain for information about “a project”. “Project?” she squeaked, shooting a look at Laura, with a vague recollection of a project Skylar’s teacher had mentioned a couple of weeks ago, when Star had collected Skylar from school.
“Yes, you remember, silly,” Skylar giggled, unaware of her mother’s rising panic. “We have to build a Tudor House for our Great Fire of London project. All houses have to be in by Friday, so we can set fire to them in the playground and create our own great fire.”
Skylar’s enthusiasm for the project was palpable. Star couldn’t believe she had forgotten all about it. To hide her lapse in memory, she smiled. “Of course we can. I’ll get all the bits together after work and we can start when I get home this evening.” Star’s mind ran ahead, the Project Manager in her taking over. “If we cut out all the pieces tonight, we can glue them together tomorrow and then paint on Thursday night. How does that sound?”
“Perfect, Mummy, you’re the best!” Skylar said, throwing her arms around Star’s neck.
After giving Skylar an extra tight squeeze back, Star pulled away and rubbed her chin. “Brush your teeth and grab your bags for Aunty Laura. I put your PE kit by the front door last night, so don’t forget it,” she said before watching Skylar rush off to finish getting ready.
“This is why I always do breakfast!” Star groaned once her daughter was out of earshot and thinking about the weekend that has just been and gone. Over the past few days, her brain had been full of work. “I need to get myself a ‘Things to do – Homework List’,” Star said, dropping her head onto the table in front of her with a gentle smack.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Laura said with a laugh. “You’re amazing. That little girl wants for nothing. We’ll get the project done.”
Star sighed. “You know what the mums are like in Skylar’s class. Half of them are stay-at-home mums. The Tudor houses are going to be spectacular. I can’t let Skylar down or have her model embarrass her, even if it is only going up in flames! It’s the photos on the school’s blog!” Star groaned even louder, the more she thought about the task.
“Skylar is six! I know Toby will be into it. He loves building things and making a mess.”
They both laughed, as Laura was spot on – this was something Toby would love. They’d have to rein him in if he got involved. If not, Skylar would have built the entire City of London by Friday.