Once they were in her bedroom, the door open so they could hear Gran pottering around downstairs, Audrey took it out. ‘This covers October and I’m working on another for November.’
Ever since Audrey had realised Gran’s mood lifted when they discussed the kindness calendar and how Layla could fulfil her tasks, Audrey had begun to look for ways to help her gran out of the rut she was in. Perhaps rut wasn’t the right word, she had an anxiety disorder that couldn’t be fixed with a simple click of the fingers, but Audrey wanted in some way to remind Gran of the woman she once was and still could be. The way Veronica spoke to Charlie about her time as a nurse conveyed how much she missed that side of her life and what Audrey and Layla had talked about doing was getting Gran involved in anything that would mean she was helping again, whether it be big or small tasks.
Between them they’d concocted a plan. Layla had been stopping by ten minutes earlier for her piano lessons when she knew Veronica would be in the bathroom – a schedule had had to be drawn up as Sam and Audrey both needed to get out of the door at particular times. Audrey had started to get up earlier than usual to smuggle Layla inside and have their powwow before Gran was any the wiser.
Now, Layla, finger outstretched, ran her way through all the items on the calendar, some coming straight from Mrs Haines but others she and Audrey had put in themselves.
‘Now, what did we agree you’d tell Gran?’ Audrey prompted. She didn’t want Layla to get it wrong and for Gran to realise what they were doing. She’d think they felt sorry for her and they definitely didn’t want that.
Layla thought hard and as though she’d learnt her lines for an important part in a play said, ‘Mrs Haines wanted us to include someone else in the calendar. Daddy is too busy with work so I thought you would be perfect for the job.’
Audrey high-fived her. ‘Spot-on. Sounds genuine enough.’
‘Water plants for a neighbour,’ said Layla, running through the tasks they’d been given. That one came from the teacher. ‘Easy: I’ll do Veronica’s for her. And here, bake cookies for your neighbour: that’s easy as I can do some at home and Veronica can do some for me and Daddy.’ She moved to the next square and gasped. ‘Get a makeover! That’s what we’re doing today!’
‘Sure is, hair and make-up for you today, and that’s one of our items I added so Gran has to have one too.’
‘Veronica doesn’t wear make-up, and she never gets her hair done.’
Audrey tapped the side of her nose. ‘I’m sorting it, don’t you worry.’ She pulled out a collection of magazines from the top drawer in her bedside cabinet and inside one were the pictures she’d cut out of women in their sixties and seventies with styles she knew would suit Veronica. Most of the styles were short, but Audrey had a feeling it would suit Gran. ‘The hairdresser I go to recently left her permanent job to set up on her own, so I need her to come to the house and do mine anyway. She’s coming tomorrow and I’ve briefed her. While she’s here I’ll hopefully persuade Gran, using the power of the kindness calendar and you of course, and it should work. She’d do anything for you, you know that.’
‘I’d do anything for her too, she’s kind to me.’ She looked down at the carpet and ran her toes through the pile. ‘I don’t have any grandparents or a mummy or any brothers and sisters.’
Audrey didn’t have a sibling, not unless you included her half-brother and half-sister on the other side of the world, but she liked to think that they’d get on like her and Layla. She took Layla’s hand. ‘You’ve got me, remember.’
‘Yeah,’ she smiled before her attention went to the calendar again. ‘What am I going to do for “join a group”? That one wasn’t for school was it?’
‘No,’ Audrey smiled, ‘That’s for Gran, like we discussed. It will get Gran to realise there’s a big wide world out there and people might judge but they can also be a friend, be there for you. I was thinking you already have that square marked off with the brownies, and I have something in mind for Gran.’ She leaned out of the bedroom and sure enough Gran was still humming away in the kitchen. ‘We’ll do everything on the calendar, I promise you, and the more challenging requests will always have a solution. It’s part of the fun. Now come on, we’d better do your make-up or Gran will get suspicious. Your chair, madam,’ she said with a flourish pointing to the director’s chair with a fresh towel looped on the back.
Layla took her seat in front of the long desk that had more than half of its space dedicated to make-up kits, lotions and potions.
‘I’ve always wanted one of these,’ Layla said of the Hollywood make-up mirror with the lights up each side. ‘It’s so glamorous.’ She was already preening, pulling at the strands of her hair to ensure they looked neat and tidy, readjusting the Alice band so it was perfectly straight.
Audrey found her make-up toolbelt that fitted around the waist. Multiple pockets held the brushes she washed with soap and water between uses, and she also had a new wedge-shaped blending sponge.
‘Wow, you have so many brushes,’ Layla marvelled, letting Audrey wrap a clean towel around her shoulders. She secured it with a clip to keep it in place. ‘What do they all do?’
Audrey ran through some of them. ‘They all do slightly different things. This one,’ she pulled out the chunkiest brush,
