“C’mon Asta, time to go.” 

The sun isn’t even up yet. The skies outside are still dark, not a hint of the impending sunrise on the horizon. I pull my jacket tighter around me as I step outside and am greeted by silence. 

I slept in this morning like an idiot, so time is short as Asta and I set off down the familiar path towards Blackburn Farms. I’ve only got an hour before I need to be at Alderbrae for the first job of the day, and if I don’t get my skates on, I might be late to work for the first time in my life. 

“You should have woken me,” I say to Asta, his slender face looking up at mine in protest. “You need a brush, boy-o.” 

I file that away for later, picking up my pace as I weave through the houses towards the High Street.

“I should just shave you at this point,” I say, just to fill the silence. “You don’t like being brushed. I don’t like brushing you. Seems an easy solution to me.” 

Asta whines and I can’t blame him. Honestly, I wouldn’t dream of shaving him and ridding him of his beautiful rust-coloured coat. 

My husband was surrounded by Irish Setters growing up, and it was always a dream of his for us to be able to afford one of our own. 

Asta may well be the most spoiled dog in existence purely because he was wanted so desperately. 

“We’ll see Dad later,” I say with a nod. “Just got to get the day done first.” 

We reach Blackburn Farm in record time. I let myself in and Asta rushes to the chicken coop, drinking from the water bowl left outside for him. I grab the eggs directly from the coop, and wave to Iris Burns as she watches me from the window. 

The two of us go way back, having been best friends from our first day in school all the way until now, when neither of us would quite like to admit our age. I’ve been coming to the farm every day for the past twenty years to gather my eggs for breakfast while she watches (and mocks) from the warmth of her kitchen. 

Even now, I see the exaggerated way she inhales her coffee, tightening her fingers around the mug with a smug smirk. 

She laughs as I flip her off, blowing me a kiss before disappearing from view. I gather Asta and we head back the way we came, only stopping once so I can clear up his business. 

The house is predictably silent as I let us in through the back door, glancing at the clock. 

Shit. 

I might actually have to take the car to work today. I hate taking the car when I can see the roof of the high school from the kitchen window. 

Unfortunately, it’s across the river and the only way to access it is from the main road out of Meadowcraig. It’s a five-minute drive versus a twenty-minute walk. 

And my eggs are calling me. 

Asta sits on his bed, waiting patiently for his breakfast as I whisk up the eggs to make myself eggy bread. 

“French toast, if you’re fancy.” 

I smile, almost hearing Ken’s voice in my head. 

“Aye, your dad loves feeling fancy, eh?” I toss the bread in the pan and leave it as I scramble eggs for Asta’s bowl. “He’ll be gutted he’s missed brekkie this morning. He loves eggy bread.” 

Asta whines, his eyes focused on the bowl. I doubt he’s heard a word I’ve said. I roll my eyes and glance at the clock again. 

“Cutting it fine, Aileen. Let’s get a shift on.” 

I flip my bread, scramble Asta’s eggs, chop his cut of meat and add it to his bowl with his prepared veggies. I wish I had another set of hands, or the dog could help me out in some way, but still. 

I get it done in the end. 

I’m not sure my breakfast even touches the sides as I wolf it down, rushing through to the bedroom to pull on my uniform. I’ve got to skip the shower this morning, so I scrape my hair back and drown myself in hairspray, making sure it stays in place. 

Asta finishes eating as I snatch up the car keys from the hallway. I stroke his face and shrug into my jacket. “No wild parties while I’m gone, you hear?” 

He whines and I take it as reluctant obedience, leaving the house for the second time, and starting the car. 

The first rays of sunlight brighten up the horizon as I pull out onto the street. Houses finally show signs of life, and as I reach the High Street, a few familiar faces meander around, getting ready for the day ahead. 

I arrive at the high school with time to spare, greet my colleagues and grab my list for the day. For the next hour all I need to do is make Alderbrae High School sparkle, only for it to inevitably look like a pigsty when I come back this evening. 

I throw my headphones on and hit play on the latest thriller I’ve been listening to, picking up right where I left it. I’m so engrossed in what I’m doing, time passes by in the blink of an eye and I can breathe a sigh of relief. 

It might have been a slow start to the morning, but I’ve managed to catch up. And since I took the car this morning, I might even have time to sneak in a quick coffee before I head out for my second job. 

Asta is, as always, happy to see me. I greet him with a scratch under the chin, his tail thumping against the wall and his claws tap, tap, tapping on the kitchen tiles. I point him to his bed and throw him a small treat before boiling the kettle and glancing at the clock. “Plenty of time.”  

I stare at that clock as I wait for the kettle, the gentle tick, tick, ticking becoming increasingly louder until my skin feels itchy. I silence the sound by refocusing on the puzzle, still half complete on the kitchen table. 

“Perfect way to kill the time,” I murmur. With a plan in place, I make myself a strong coffee and take a seat at the table. Asta lies dutifully at my side as the radio fills the silence of the kitchen and the skies steadily brighten.

I’ve made decent progress by the time my alarm blares, and my jigsaw is starting to actually resemble the image of the cover. I give an approving nod and let Asta out in the yard to do his business, changing into my street clothes and shrugging my high-vis jacket on. I bid him farewell and grab everything I need before heading out for the third time. 

My second job might be my favourite. I walk to the primary school with a little spring in my step as people leave for work and give me a wave. I’m standing at my post long before the first children arrive with their bright, beaming faces. 

“Morning Aileen!” says little Kai Todd as I stand in the middle of the road to let him past. “My brother’s just coming the now.”

Sure enough Ozzy trails behind, dribbling a ball and shooting me a grin. 

“You know what I’m going to say, Ozzy.” 

He sighs dramatically and lifts the ball into his hands. 

“Aye, I know. Safety first! Cheers Aileen, I’ll see you at lunch!” Before he’s even at the other side of the road, he drops the ball and shouts to his brother to wait up. 

I barely have time to reach the other side when Ava Howson stops at the curb and grins up at me. 

“I learned something new about you last night, Aileen.” 

“Did you really?” I ask, checking the road and making my way to the middle, gesturing for her to cross. Her parents are a ways back, fussing over her younger brother. “You wait on that side for your parents.” 

“I will,” she nods seriously. “Anyway, I learned that in America, your job would be called a crossing guard and not a lollipop lady.” 

“Well, how about that,” I say with a smile. “I think I like lolly pop lady more.” 

“Me too,” Ava giggles. “Jax calls you the lady pop, and I think that’s so funny.” 

“It is funny,” I agree, winking at Jax as he finally catches up and nodding at her parents. “I’ll see you both at lunch!”  

The crowds start to thin, and I hear the distant trilling of the bell to signal the start of a new day. I give it five minutes to wait for any stragglers before heading towards the school gates and making my way around to the kitchen entrance. 

“Morning, Aileen,” our chef Sophie says, peering at me from over her computer as I leave my belongings in the cloakroom. “Hannah’s running late, so it’s the two of us for now.” 

“Noted,” I say with a nod, pulling on my apron after changing into my kitchen gear. I’m thankful for the hairspray as I net my hair and pull my cap on. “Am I okay to cook up some veggies for Asta while I work?”

“Crack on, hen,” she says. “You don’t have to ask.” 

And yet I ask every single time. I set up a big pot for my veggies and load them up. I’d already chopped them the night before, so I can leave them to boil as I read through my to-do list for the day. 

“Everything set?” I ask Sophie, who is back to focusing on the computer. The woman can cook, but she’s a mind like a sieve. 

“Aye. Baked tatties today, so it’s an easy one.”

I frown and check the menu. “The tatties are the vegetarian option. What about the main?” 

“It’s Wednesday, isn’t it?” 

I bite back a sigh. “No, Sophie. It’s Thursday.” 

“Fuck!” 

I nod to myself as Sophie pushes herself to her feet, double checking the menu. “It’s mac and cheese today, it’s not too bad.” 

“Not ideal though is it. I’ve wasted two hours of prep time!” 

I should have come in early instead of doing my jigsaw. But things like this happen all the time. Especially in this kitchen, and while Sophie is in a flap, I’m already getting the big pots out to cook off a shit ton of pasta. 

And our combined efforts pay off as the dining room opens dead on midday and my P1s come through the doors in their oversized uniforms and anxious faces. 

Give it a year, and they’ll never show their nerves again. But the first year of school is almost the most daunting, and predictably, we have a couple of teary faces. 

The dining room is loud, one hundred voices echoing around the room as children gossip and squabble and giggle. I cast my gaze over them sporadically while keeping the line in front of me moving. This is how I like my day. 

Fast paced and loud. 

“Aileen! Euan has two cakes. But he’s not allowed two cakes, is he?” 

“No, he is not, Archie, and he knows that. Don’t you Euan?”

The sullen almost-teenager rolls his eyes as he leans over the people behind him to replace the cake he tried to sneak away. “God, you’re such a grass, Arch.” 

“And you’re a wee chancer,” I say, serving him his mac and cheese. “Away with you.” 

Euan’s lips twitch into a smile before he catches himself, rolling his eyes at me again. 

“Bet I can get a proper smile out of you before the day’s over.” 

“Bet you can’t,” he replies, leaving the queue to find his seat, quickly followed by Archie. 

Once all the kids are served, I grab a plate for myself and scoff a few bites here and there as I make a start on cleaning. 

“Eat your lunch,” Sophie says. “This will wait.” 

“Nah, you know I don’t like working like that,” I reply, pulling on my gloves. There’s a pile of dirty plates and trays beside the washer, far too high for where we’re at. 

“Hannah? We need to shake a tail feather; the upper school will be finishing up soon and that pile is gonna get even bigger.” 

Hannah gives me a tight smile and nods. I don’t think she likes me too much, but our work ethics are a mismatch. Where she doesn’t mind leaving late and takes a more lackadaisical approach to her tasks, I like to leave on time with nothing to think about. 

“You’re faster than usual today,” Hannah says, a little pink in the face in her efforts to catch up.

“Time waits for no man,” I say as the dining room quickly empties. 

“Alright Arlene,” Ian, our janitor says. “Anything to snack on?” 

“I’ve got you a plate all made up, my love,” I tell him, handing it through the hatch. “Doesn’t look like the dining room is too messy today.” 

“Aye, it’ll be a quick one.” 

I leave Ian to eat his meal in peace and whizz around the room until the hall is quiet and the screams of playful children drift through the window. 

“And that’s a wrap!” I say, grabbing Asta’s veggies from the counter where I’d left them to cool. “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow.” 

Booted and suited back in my street clothes, I head out and back home to give Asta his lunch. He’s waiting dutifully on his bed as I unlock the back door, leaving it open for him to get some air. 

“Hiya, pal. What a shift, let me tell you.” I prep everything I need for both his lunch and dinner, glancing up at the clock. I have a couple of hours before I need to go back out for the afterschool run. “I’m afraid I have to love and leave you today. I promised Hazel I’d lend a hand litter picking.” 

I give Asta his lunch and a wee scratch behind his ear before donning my jacket and leaving the house for the fourth time today. 

I’m one of only three volunteers, which is a little disappointing, I have to say. Wee Jason Calder, who isn’t so wee anymore, Jasper from the Historical Preservation society, Annabelle Mason, and me. Oh, and Hazel herself, I suppose. 

Not a large group, but that suits me fine. It means there’s more to do. I grab my bag, my stabby thing and crack on. Once again, my audiobook is doing the trick, making the time melt away as I focus on beautifying the shores around the loch. 

The big twist is moments away from being revealed when my phone vibrates, alerting me to the time. I’ve got to get skedaddling! But I can’t wait to tell Ken about this latest book. 

It’s a humdinger. 

I catch up with the group, lamenting that I can’t stay longer before rushing through the High Street and back through the housing, feeling a burst of energy as I hop over my back fence and let myself into the kitchen. 

“Can’t stay,” I say to Asta as he lifts his head from his bed. “I’m just grabbing my stick!” 

He chuffs at me, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed or accepting, but either way I’m back out of the door for the fifth time, in less than five minutes. 

The difference between the morning and afternoon shift is amusing to me. All the kids who were full of beans on the way to school, have no energy by the end and give their parents an earache as they complain. 

Bags too heavy. 

Sun’s too sunny. 

Too many stones on the dirt path. 

And then, the kids who yawned and stumbled along the path this morning are the ones screaming and shouting, arranging plans to meet at the park, or along the loch, or at the foot of Craigshaven Hill. 

In the morning, I get more kids stopping to talk to me too, I’ve noticed. Anything to prolong the inevitable and avoid the dreaded classroom. After school, I’m much less interesting when football, PlayStation and McDonald’s are on offer. 

I’m lucky if they remember to thank me, leaving their parents rubbing the back of their necks and mouthing an apology. The amount of times I hear a parent shout after their child for being rude would make me a very rich woman if I so much as received a penny for each occasion. 

The steady wave of pupils trickles down to the last stragglers who exchange football cards or friendship bracelets. I give it an extra five minutes, trying to remember the faces that have passed and who I might have missed before calling it. 

The walk home is a joyful one, and I’m feeling pretty energised. Asta and I have time for a short walk before I call in for my evening cleaning shift at the high school.

He’s waiting by the back door for me, leash already in his mouth. I grab the waste bags from the kitchen counter and whistle for him to come. He leads the way, down along the river banking behind the house. Across the water I can see the high schoolers starting to leave, their voices carrying across the river. 

Asta whines, looking over his shoulder at me before running back to my side. 

“I know, pal. Once the kids leave, it’s nearly time to see Dad. Not long now.” 

Ah, if only this dog loved me as much as he loved Ken. 

We finish our walk without incident, only stopping so some of the local kids can fuss over Asta. He laps up the attention, running after them as their mothers call them in for dinner. 

“Attention whore,” I mutter to him as he trots along beside me, letting him into the kitchen as we reach the cottage. I glance at the clock, nodding to myself before heading through to change back into my uniform once again. 

“Last one,” I say to Asta, who pays me no mind as he snoozes on his bed. “Yeah, I love you too, pal.”

I leave the car behind this time as I leave the house for the sixth time, opting to walk to the school and enjoy the last of the late afternoon sunshine. Traffic has picked up a little as people return from work, leaving the cities and coming back to nature. 

I’m lucky that all my jobs are within walking distance. The furthest I have to go is Fernwick to do my weekend cleaning services, and even that feels like a chore sometimes. 

I’m the first to arrive as we gather outside and wait for the boss man to give us our list for the evening. I make polite conversation with the group, but I’m dying to get my earbuds in and finish this book before I go see Ken. 

The minute I’m able, I’m inside the building, checking off each task and enthralled in the mastery of this author’s writing. And when the audiobook clicks off after the final word, I have to take a minute, sitting on one of the desks with a little puff of air. 

“Well, I did not see that coming,” I mutter to myself, replaying the final scenes in my head. “Fair play, book. You got me.” 

I’m reluctant to start a new book with only… I glance at the clock… Twenty minutes of my shift left, so instead I switch over to the latest episode of my favourite vlogger, Rambles with Penny. 

I know I’m going to have to rewatch later to see all the footage, but there’s something very soothing about her voice, and the fact she’s a local girl. 

I push myself back to my feet and in no time at all, my last shift of the day is over, and I only have minimal aches to show for it. 

“Give you a lift home, Aileen?” William says as he leaves the building. He’s one of the teachers at the school and currently going through a messy divorce with one of my friends, Felicity. 

“Not today, pal. Besides, I thought you were staying at a hotel in Glasgow.” 

“I’m taking the kids out,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fi has a date or something.” 

“Good for her,” I reply, noting the uncomfortable look on his face. Well. He moved on first. 

“See you next time then,” he says, getting into his car. I hold my hand up, waving farewell as I start the walk home, storing that information away for later. 

Once again, Asta is waiting for me, and no amount of soothing can contain his excitement. 

“Alright, pal. Let me just get out of this uniform, eh?” I skirt around him and throw my street clothes back on. 

Minutes later, we leave the house for the seventh, and hopefully final time. 

We skip through the vennel over onto the High Street, and across Tullach View Courtyard. There’s a flurry of activity as the happy and booming bark of a dog echoes along the shore of the loch. 

Predictably, the gentle giant that is Wrex challenges anyone who dares retrieve him from the loch, splashing in the water as the kids try to encourage him out. I glance behind me and already see his owner, Brian, making his way down from Veynara View. I can sense his weariness from here, but Wrex is something of a local legend. 

Asta chuffs, sticking his nose up in the air as though the festivities are beneath him. I chuckle, scratching his ears. 

“Aye, and you were just as bad when you were a pup. The amount of times I had to apologise to Claire next door after you stole her knickers off the line!”

I’m not sure a dog can look offended, but Asta gives it a good go, picking up his pace and walking a few beats ahead of me. I chuckle to myself again, shaking my head. 

The sounds of Wrex and his antics begin to fade as we make our way up the banking and onto Della Road. 

Asta barks at me and I take the hint, picking up my speed. 

“Here to see Ken?” Reverend Morag says as we pass by the church. I smile at her and nod once. “Well, you’re right on time.” 

Asta approaches her expectantly, sniffing at her pockets as she pulls a wee treat from them. 

“You spoil him,” I say as Morag slips him another treat. She grins at me and shrugs. 

“I can’t help myself, Aileen. Look at him!” 

“Aye, like butter wouldn’t melt.” I whistle for Asta to come and Morag waves us off. 

“Say hi to Ken for me,” she says. 

“Aye, I will. I will.” 

With a treat no longer distracting him, Asta is off like a rocket with only one thing on his mind. He disappears from view, but I’m not worried, and it doesn’t take me long to catch up. 

Predictably, he lies dutifully by Ken’s side as he comes into view. I smile and feel a wave of peace wash over me. 

“Hello, love,” I say, taking a seat opposite his headstone. “It’s been one hell of a day.”