BooksBarbecue
Back Before You Were Gone
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Eight
  11. Nine
  12. Ten
  13. Eleven
  14. Twelve
  15. Thirteen
  16. Fourteen
  17. Fifteen
  18. Sixteen
  19. Seventeen
  20. Eighteen
  21. Nineteen
  22. Twenty
  23. Twenty-one
  24. Twenty-two
  25. Twenty-three
  26. Twenty-four
  27. Twenty-five
  28. Twenty-six
  29. Twenty-seven
  30. Twenty-eight
  31. Twenty-nine
  32. Thirty
  33. Thirty-one
  34. Thirty-two
  35. Thirty-three
  36. Thirty-four
  37. Thirty-five
  38. Thirty-six
  39. Thirty-seven
  40. Thirty-eight
  41. Thirty-nine
  42. Forty
  43. Forty-one
  44. Forty-two
  45. Forty-three
  46. Forty-four
  47. Forty-five
  48. Forty-six
  49. Forty-seven
  50. Forty-eight
  51. Forty-nine
  52. Fifty
  53. Fifty-one
  54. Acknowledgements
  55. An Eastbourne Murder Mystery
  56. Canelo Crime
  57. About the Author
  58. Also by Sheila Bugler

She opened her arms and he jumped into them, just as he’d done countless times over the last few years. She buried her face in the top of his head, breathing in his unique Jake smell, wondering how she was ever going to find the strength to let him go again. But somehow she managed it. As she stood up and watched him run towards the waiting car, part of her hated herself for not fighting harder to make them stay. She knew it wouldn’t have made a blind bit of difference, but right now, she couldn’t help blaming herself, her mind finding all the reasons why – if she’d only tried harder – they might never have left.

‘Are you okay?’ Ella asked, as Jake climbed into the car and slammed the door shut without looking back.

‘I’m fine.’ Dee shook her head. ‘Well, I will be fine. I’m going to miss you like hell, but I’ll get used to it.’

‘We’ll FaceTime every week,’ Ella said. ‘I haven’t worked out the time difference yet, but we can still do our Friday get-togethers, even if we do them at a different time. And I meant what I said about you coming for Christmas. It would be the best present ever for Jake. And for me.’

‘Of course I’ll come,’ Dee said. As soon as the car pulled away, she was planning to go inside and check out plane fares. She was pretty sure flying anywhere at Christmastime cost the earth, but so what? She would sell the house if it meant spending Christmas with Jake.

‘Dee, I don’t think I’ve ever told you this,’ Ella said, ‘but I would never have got through the last few years without you. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for everything you’ve done for me.’

‘You don’t need to thank me,’ Dee said. ‘Having you all in my life, it’s been a joy.’

‘I love you, Dee.’

‘I love you too. Now go on. Get the hell out of here before I make a fool of myself and start crying in front of you all.’

Ella looked as if she was going to say something else, but Dee waved her away. She had never been one for long, drawn out goodbyes. The longer Ella and Jake were here, the harder it was getting to hold it together.

‘Bye, then.’

Ella turned and walked across the shingle to the car, where Jake and Tom were waiting. The rumble of the engine, a puff of dust as the car started down the narrow track away from the mobile home, a flash of waving arms, a final glimpse of Jake’s face mouthing goodbye through the car window. And just like that, they were gone.