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Back All You Need Is Love Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. OCTOBER
  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. Acknowledgments
  53. More from Jessica Redland
  54. About the Author
  55. Also by Jessica Redland
  56. About Boldwood Books

‘I’ve joked about me getting older and slowing down and I think he’s accepted that. He’s too young to realise that forty-six isn’t exactly what you’d call old and that what’s happening to me isn’t typical for a woman of my age.’

‘How often are the bad days?’

‘More often than they used to be. I was fine on Friday and I’ve had a fairly good day today so I wouldn’t be surprised if I have a bad one tomorrow.’

‘Then tomorrow you rest and let me look after you.’

‘You’re meant to be doing touristy things with your flatmates.’

‘They’ll understand.’

‘No, Jemma. I appreciate the offer, but your friends have travelled all the way up here to spend the weekend with you. I won’t have you letting them down.’

‘But—’

She raised a hand to silence me. ‘It’s not negotiable. Besides, if I’m having a really bad day, I’ll want to rest and work on my latest Ju-Sea Bear so there’s absolutely no point in you sticking around. You could do something for me, though. It was good of Billy Thomas’s mum to have Logan today but I think two days in a row would be taking the mickey. If you could take your brother with you, that would be a tremendous help. If your friends don’t mind, that is.’

‘They won’t mind at all.’ It was the least we could do.

‘Maybe you could take them all to the lido.’

I frowned. ‘The what?’

‘The lido. On South Bay.’

I hesitated, feeling uneasy. ‘You mean Splash Down near North Bay. The indoor slide pool?’

‘Er, no. I mean the outdoor pool on South Bay.’

‘But there isn’t an outdoor pool in Whitsborough Bay. Not anymore.’

‘There is! Stop winding me up! It’s on South Bay and it fills with seawater. We go down there every summer although I swear it’s colder in there than the sea itself.’ Mum shivered. ‘Speaking of cold, I think it’s time to get inside and go to bed. Are you coming in?’

I hesitated, my mind whirring. ‘In a minute.’

‘Okay. Sleep well.’

‘And you. I’ll see you in the morning.’ I tried to keep my voice bright as I didn’t want to alarm her.

I watched her clamber out of the hot tub and wrap a towel round her shoulders. I hadn’t registered it earlier but, now that I knew about her diagnosis, I could see that her movements were slower and stiffer than usual. It was a worry but what was concerning me even more was the conversation we’d just had. Whitsborough Bay did have a seawater lido. But it had been closed down and filled in when I was seven.

8

Sam