BooksBarbecue
Back Again, Rachel
Chapters (98)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. 93
  97. 94
  98. Acknowledgements

‘Sad. Very sad…It’s like wanting to visit a country that doesn’t exist any longer,’ I said. ‘But soon everything will settle down again and I’ll be fine.’

‘Did you…do you still, like, love him?’ It cost him a lot to ask this and my heart squeezed painfully.

I rolled nearer. ‘No, hon. But I remembered how it felt to love him back then. It was once a big deal. I’m a bit shook, but all of this belongs in the past.’

He compressed his lips, nodded—then decided we’d talked about this enough. ‘So! More coffee?’

I checked the time—ten past ten—too late for caffeine if I was hoping to sleep tonight. ‘Decaf.’

When he returned from the kitchen, he was reading from his iPad. ‘Dry robes,’ he announced. ‘Those weird coats everyone was wearing at the Forty Foot? They’re a sort of changing room/coat mashup. We need them.’

‘You want to make it a regular thing?’

‘To get the benefit, I’d have to do it every day. And I don’t want to do it without you, so you’d need to be here every day too.’ He enlarged something on his screen. ‘Would you like a black one with blue lining? Or red lining?’

‘What? One of those giant coats?’

‘Dry robe. Not a coat.’

I was so grateful I lived in a time when oversized was fashionable. A giant top made the rest of me look less giant and, God knows, you’d think I’d have outgrown that sort of thinking, but I hadn’t and from the looks of things I never would.

But those coats were insane. And once had been enough to know that the freezing water wasn’t for me.

‘Stop, Quin, you loon. Don’t get me one.’

‘The colours are a bit basic,’ he was muttering. Then, ‘You don’t want to make the swimming a regular thing?’

‘…Ah, I don’t think so. I’m not as dissatisfied with life as you are.’

That made him laugh. ‘But what if you lived here all the time, Rach?’

It kept coming back to this.

‘Our lives are busy,’ Quin said. ‘Both of us, we’re out a lot in the evenings. It would be so good to come home to each other. And Crunchie loves it here.’

She did. But…‘Crunchie loves it anywhere.’

There were a lot of considerations about moving in with Quin, the most important being his two children. I got on fine with Liberty and Finley but it would be different if I moved in full-time.