18
Laura helped Nigel inside. She could tell how shaken up he was when she handed him a glass of water, his hands shook as he downed it. "Are you mad? They could've beaten you up in your own back yard. What's the matter with you?" She had been helpless watching him fight off Rob and his mates. She was proud now, hugging him tight.
"I'm fine, love, really," he replied, his palms on her cheeks. He kissed her tenderly on her lips for the first time in months. "Let's take that cat home to Ethel; she's still in her garden crying her eyes out, the poor thing."
Upstairs, Laura found Hannah trying to coax the tabby out from under the dining room table. She made her daughter back away. On her hands and knees, Laura went under the table, inching closer to the petrified mog. She made kissing noise
