Chapter I:

''Gracie, hurry up!'' Anna shouted for the third time, running around the kitchen gathering her things. She was going to be late for her new job, she thought to herself. And the reason for her delay was sitting and moping upstairs in the bedroom.

''Honey?'' Anna called again. There was no answer. She left her purse and coat at the bottom of the stairs and made her way upstairs. Knocking on her daughter's bedroom door, she entered. Gracie, her 6 year old, half-dressed daughter was sitting on her Frozen-themed bed with her hands crossed and no intention of moving.

''Why aren't you dressed, honey?''

The little blonde girl looked up slowly and answered, ''I don't wanna go, Mummy.''

''Why ever not?''

''I'm scared.''

Anna knelt near her and put her hand on her daughter's little knees. ''Ohh, Gracie, we've talked about this. Look, I know that it's hard, moving to another city, to another school, making new friends. I'm scared, too.''

''You are?'' Gracie asked, not quite believing her mother's words.

''Of course! Mummy too must meet her new co-workers and get to know her new job. But she can't, because a little someone is still sitting on her bed, half-dressed and not wanting to go to school.'' She smiled at her.

''But what if they don't like me?'' Her tiny, sad voice finally expressed her worries.

''Why wouldn't they like you? What's there not to like? You're a smart, funny, cute young lady who knows all the lines from Frozen...''

''Even you can't do that!'' Gracie proudly interrupted.

''You're right.'' Anna giggled at her and she could see her daughter's mood changing. ''So, what do you think? Should we show those new kids what a Yorkshire girl can do?''

The girl happily nodded to her mum and started to remove her pyjamas. ''Can I wear the purple one?'' she asked, pointing to a box labelled ''Gracie's dresses'.'

''You can wear whatever you want, my dear. After all, it is your first day at your new school,'' Anna replied, walking toward the unpacked boxes in the corner of her daughter's new bedroom.

Anna May Smith was 21 years old when she found out she was pregnant, far too young for her parents' liking. She couldn't believe it - they had always used protection. When she told her boyfriend Paul about the pregnancy, he accused her of sleeping around with other men and claimed that the baby wasn't his. She left him and moved out of their flat that very same night. Her heart was broken. She had thought that Paul loved her...that they were going to be together forever. She became homeless and broken-hearted in the space of a day. But her friend Gwen saved her - she gave her a room in her flat and all the support she needed.

Anna went into labour on the 2nd of April in the middle of her morning classes, and the person who gladly offered to drive her to the hospital was none other than her university professor, Mr. Charlie Carson. She was scared, but he looked even more frightened than she did. Three hours later, at exactly 12:30 p.m., a little girl was born. Anna named her Gracie May Smith. She was the most beautiful baby in the entire world, the spitting image of her mother - big, ocean-blue eyes, her head covered in soft blonde hair. She was a tiny little thing, but Anna could not love her more. Even her parents came around when they saw their new granddaughter all cuddled in Anna's arms.

Anna quickly recovered and was able, with the help of her friends and parents, to successfully graduate. After completing her education and training, she finally became what she had always wanted - a lawyer. She started her first real job in Mr. Carson's firm. It was hard, being a young mum and trying to be the best at her job, but somehow she managed it. She soon became one of the best young lawyers in the entire firm. She became so sought after that a certain well-known retired lawyer, Violet Crawley, sent her a letter asking her to join their law firm – Crawley & Levinson. She knew the Crawleys - their oldest daughter Mary was a friend of Anna's. They had met in university and had clicked instantly. Now she and Gracie spent all the holidays with the Crawley family. Anna almost exploded when she received the letter. She wanted to accept the position so badly, but the job was in London and her life was in York. She didn't want to take Gracie away from her friends and her family. She thought and thought about it and after many long conversations with her parents and even Mr. Carson, she finally realized that she had to do this for herself, because she deserved it. The last week of August quickly arrived and Anna felt like a little kid going on the adventure of her lifetime. Their belongings were packed and sent to London and they quickly followed.

''Can we go get some ice cream after school?'' Gracie asked her mum while driving to her new school.

''No, honey, did you forget? Auntie Sybil is picking you up from school today. And you will spend the whole afternoon with the Crawleys,'' Anna responded.

''Can Auntie Sybil buy me some ice cream?'' the little girl replied excitedly. She really liked spending time with Sybil.

''She can, if you ask her politely. Here we go,'' Anna said and parked her car near the school entrance. ''Are you ready?'' She turned around and saw Gracie's worried face in the backseat.

''No,'' was all she answered.

''Oh, don't worry, honey. You will be all right, trust me. Do you trust Mummy?'' The young girl nodded. ''So let's go. Maybe they have ice cream inside.''

''Really?''

''Well, we have to go inside to find out, don't we?'' Anna winked at her and helped her get out of the car. She escorted Gracie to her new class, gave her some more encouraging words, and a big goodbye kiss. While talking to her new teacher, Anna could see Gracie talking to young classmate. She was going to be OK, Anna thought to herself and looked at her watch. SHIT! She was already running late. She quickly waved to her daughter and made her way to the car. She couldn't believe it - it was her first day and she was already late.

xXx

''I know, I know I'm late!'' Anna exclaimed, walking into Mary's office. Mary Josephine Crawley was the oldest daughter of Robert and Cora Crawley. They were a respected English family and had run one of the most successful law firms in the country for decades. She was a few years older than Anna, a little harsh at times, not to mention stubborn. Over all, she had all the characteristics of a perfect lawyer.

''Gracie?'' Mary chuckled, standing up and gathering her things.

''Yeah, she refused to get dressed,'' Anna sadly replied, following Mary down the hall toward the conference room. ''I hope she'll be OK. She was so scared this morning.''

''Oh, she'll be all right. Just give her some time to adjust to the new environment,'' Mary said, trying to make her feel better.

''I hope you're right,'' replied Anna, almost bumping into Mary, unaware that she had stopped in front of the conference room door.

''Ready to meet your new team?''

''I was born ready!'' Anna tried to put on a brave face, but in truth she was worried. Working in York had been easy - it was a small firm, but very successful at the things they did. She had known everyone in the office; they had been like a little family. But now she was in London, working for one of the best law firms in the whole of Britain, maybe even in Europe. Of course she was scared. They expected the best of their employees, and anything less could cost you your job.

''Come on, then, let's go.'' Mary said and pushed open the door. Anna inhaled sharply and quickly followed her into the large room. All the seats around a large oval table were occupied by her new colleagues, their eyes on her, analysing and getting their first impression of her. She really hoped she looked all right, wearing a black business dress with white shirt underneath and black heels. She knew she wasn't wearing much makeup, but you never know what people might say or think.

''Ladies and gentlemen, before we start our weekly meeting, I would like to introduce to you our new addition to the Crawley & Levinson family, Miss Anna Smith,'' Mary cheerfully introduced her. A few hellos and welcomes could be heard, and some of them even smiled at her, but that was it. Anna felt a little self-conscious, but she didn't show it. She politely greeted them back and found a free seat next to a kindly looking man. And then the meeting began.

''So, what do you think?'' Mary asked Anna after the meeting was over.

''Well, they seem nice...I don't know. We'll see," she answered, smiling. ''So, what's my first big assignment?''

''Well, speaking of work…hey, Joe! Come here for a minute!'' Mary called, when she saw him walking down the corridor. Anna quickly recognised him - he had sat next to her during the meeting. ''Anna, this is Joe, your new supervisor. You will help him with his case. I must go now - I'm having yet another meeting with my darling papa. Have fun!'' And with that she was gone, leaving Anna and Joe standing in the middle of the room.

''Joseph Moseley,'' said the man and offered her his hand. He seems nice, Anna thought to herself.

''Hi, I'm Anna Smith. Nice to meet you," she replied and shook his hand.

''Shall we go to my office? You have some reading to do. I'll give you all the files and you have until Wednesday to become familiar with their contents, so you have whole 2 days,'' Joe informed her. ''We have a meeting with our client on Thursday morning, so don't be late. I'll expect you to know every little detail about the case. You are my right hand from now on. All right?''

"Sure,'' Anna smiled, not really knowing how the hell she was going to memorize everything in two days.

''So, you are from York, hmm?'' Joe asked her, handing her a stack of case files.

''Born and raised,'' she replied politely, taking the files.

'I can tell.''

''Yeah, you know what they say, 'You can take the girl out of Yorkshire…'"

''...but you can't take the Yorkshire out the girl,'' Joe interrupted her and smiled.

Was he flirting with her? Anna wondered. Not that he wasn't nice or anything - he was - but she hadn't come all the way to London to find love. She had come to prove herself and to try to give her little sunshine a better life.

''That's right. So, where I can start working on this?''

''Well, you can use the spare table here in my office, if you want, or you can use the common room down the hall. Whatever is better for you.'' He really hoped she would use his office.

''I think I'll use the common room, if you don't mind.'' Anna gave him a smile and she could see he was a little disappointed at her decision.

''I don't mind a bit. Good luck.''

''Thanks,'' she replied and started to make her way to the common room. It was big, really big - almost bigger than her whole apartment. It was furnished with a few couches and tables with chairs, and even had a small kitchen next to the door. She was glad that it was empty. She put the files on the red couch near the windows and gave herself a minute to gather her thoughts, looking out over the city. ''I can do this!'' she told herself, before sitting down on the couch and opening the first file.

xXx

It was already 6 p.m. when she finished reading one of the many files. Her eyes were hurting from all the reading she had done, and she decided to take a little break. She took her phone from her purse and clicked on her friend's name.

''Hi, Sybil! How is everything?''

''Hi, Anna. She's an angel. How are you? Would you like to talk with her?''

''I'm fine. Yeah, put her on.''

''Mummy?'' a little voice asked.

''Hi, honey, how are you? How was school?''

''It was really fun, just like you promised. We played and talked. I even made some new friends, Ciara and Molly - they're very nice and they love Frozen just like me! And my teacher, Miss Froggatt, was really nice to me, too. But she made me sit next to a boy. I don't think he likes me, but it doesn't matter because I don't like him. He picked his nose during class and then he ate his bogey, Mum…'' The little girl chattered on about her first day and for a second Anna felt guilty, not being there to hear about everything in person.

''Well, well, it seems you had a very nice first day. Does that mean that I won't find you in your PJs tomorrow morning?''

''No, Mummy, you won't!'' Gracie giggled on the other end of the phone. ''And Mum?''

''What?''

''Auntie Sybil bought me a lot of ice cream, tons and tons…''

''OK, Gracie, that's enough for now. Run and play and give me the phone,'' Sybil interrupted her, afraid that the little one would tell too much to her mother.

''Bye, Mum.''

''I'll be home soon, honey,'' Anna said, but Gracie was too busy playing with Olaf to hear her.

''We didn't buy THAT much ice cream,'' Sybil quickly tried to reassure Anna.

''It's OK, Sybil. She deserved it, I'm sure.'' Anna giggled at her. ''I'll be home around 8. Give a hug to the little one for me. I have to go now...and thank you for babysitting her.''

''It's my pleasure. See you soon! Bye!''

Anna ended the call and was preparing to start reading another file when a familiar head popped through the door. ''You're still here?" Mary asked, looking at the files on the table. ''What do you think about your new friend?''

''You mean Joe? He wants me to know everything about the case in two days. That's a little bit mad, but other than that, he's sweet.''

''Sweet, hmm?''

''Mary, stop it!'' Anna laughed. ''All I'm saying is that he's nice and I'm glad you put me under his supervision. I think we'll work really well together.''

''I'm glad.'' Mary smiled at her. ''I hope you don't mind working with him. I know you are very good at what you do, but Papa always makes new people work with a mentor. It makes him more comfortable to know that someone is looking after the probies when they start working here.''

''Don't worry, it's good for me, too. I can learn how things work around this place and not be so afraid to mess anything up. So thank Robert for me when you see him.''

''Are you finished?''

''Not even close, I'm afraid.''

''Yes, you are!''

''What? Come on, Mary! I have an hour and a half before I go home,'' protested Anna, when she saw Mary putting the files back in the box.

''You've worked enough for today. Come on!''

''Where are we going?''

''To the pub. You have to meet some people from the office. Come on - put your shoes on and let's go.''

xXx

The pub was crowded when they arrived. Someone from the firm was celebrating his 30th birthday. Everybody had been invited - even the cleaning ladies had been included.

''Oh, Mary - you should have told me it was someone's birthday! I didn't bring anything,'' Anna fretted, concerned about coming uninvited and empty handed.

''Don't worry - we can share my present. Come and meet the birthday boy.'' Mary pulled her by the arm and led her though the crowd to the bar. The birthday boy was already in a happy mood; his best friend Tom had made sure of that.

''Matthew, Happy Birthday!'' Mary called, and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. ''Here is your present. It's from Anna and me.''

''Hi, Anna. Mary has told me so much about you!'' Matthew shouted over the noise of the crowd.

''Hi, Matthew...and Happy Birthday,'' Anna said loudly, trying to be heard over the music. ''Sorry for barging in without an invitation.''

''What are you talking about? Everyone is invited! Come on, have something to drink and have a good time…'' He couldn't finish his sentence; Tom was already shoving a big bottle of vodka toward him.

''He's cute, isn't he?'' Mary asked, offering Anna a glass of Scotch and Coke.

''He's nice,'' Anna replied, taking the glass.

''Nice?! Only nice!?'' Mary was shocked. ''Oh, Anna, how long has it been, hmm? You need a man, young lady!''

''I'm perfectly all right. Really I am!'' Anna asserted, when she saw the face Mary was making. ''I don't need distractions right now!''

''OK, OK. As you wish. Look, I'm going to the toilet. Will you be all right?''

''Mary, I'm 28 years old. I think I can find myself some company.'' Anna chuckled at Mary.

''OK, I'll be back really soon.'' She wasn't. She ended up bumping into Matthew in front of the toilets and spending the whole night in his company, Anna soon forgotten.

''Anna!'' someone called from behind her. Anna turned and she could see a young girl walking toward her. It was Daisy, Joe's secretary. They had talked a little at the office. ''Are you here alone? Come join us!'' She waved and pointed to the table.

''Girls, this is Anna. She's new. She is working with Mr. Moseley on his new case. Anna, let me introduce you to Ethel and Jane. Ethel works for Mrs. O'Brien and Jane works for Mr. Crawley.''

They said their hellos and started to talk. Daisy was really nice. She was very young, but very capable at her work. Anna also learned that both Ethel and Jane had young children at home, just like her, and were single.

''How old are your boys?''

''My Freddie is 8, and Ethel's Charlie is 9. Yours?''

''She's 6. She was so scared this morning! You know - new school, new faces.''

''Don't worry, my Freddie was the same when we moved. In a week, he'd forgotten everything about his old life,'' Jane reassured her.

''Yeah, we'll see," Anna replied. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Jane nodded. ''Who is babysitting for you? My friend is watching Gracie right now, but she'll be starting school soon, so I don't know what to do. Do you know of a good babysitting agency?''

''Yeah, I do. I can give you their number, if you want. They are really good - trust me.''

''That would be nice. Thank you, Jane.''

''No problem. Here's their card - you can call them any time you want. And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go home to my boy.'' Jane smiled and stood up.

''I'm going, too. I need to see Gracie before she goes to bed. Thank you for everything, Jane. Daisy, Ethel - nice to talk to you, but I have to run. See you at work!''

''Bye, Anna!'' the girls called back.

xXx

''Did I miss her?'' Anna asked, stepping into her flat.

''No, she's still up. She wouldn't go to sleep until she saw you.''

''Sybil, thank you! You can't imagine how glad I am to have you watching her.''

''It's all right. I like spending time with her,'' Sybil replied. ''But you do know I start school in a week, don't you?''

''Yes, yes, I know. I'm calling an agency tomorrow - don't worry. How much do I owe you?''

''Oh, Anna, forget about it, OK?'' Sybil started to protest.

''No, no, let me pay you.'' Anna opened her purse to get some money.

''Really, it's OK!'' Sybil grabbed Anna's hand. ''Save the money and buy something nice for the little one.''

''OK, but really - thank you for doing this for me.''

''Not a problem. I need to go now. Tom's best mate is having a party at the pub and I want to see him before he passes out.''

''Well, I think you're a little too late for that.'' Anna giggled, explaining, ''Mary insisted I stop by the pub, and when I left Tom was already sleeping on one of the tables.''

''Yes, well, that's my Tom, all right! Bye, Anna!'' Sybil gave her a quick hug and was gone.

Anna slowly made her way toward Gracie's bedroom. The light was still on but, as she opened the door, she could see her little girl sound asleep. She stepped in and tucked her blanket around her. Gracie stirred a little but did not wake. The day must have tired her out, Anna thought to herself. She left a nightlight on and closed the door behind her. She felt a little bit guilty for not being there for her girl on her first day of school, but she knew that Gracie understood that Mummy had to work.

Anna suddenly felt exhausted. She took a quick shower, set the alarm clock to 7 a.m., and collapsed onto her soft mattress, which was still on the floor, as she hadn't had time to put the bed together yet. She fell asleep the second her head touched the pillow.

my wonderful beta: annambates :)** THANK YOU

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