‘There’s absolutely no way I would expect anyone to contact me on a Sunday morning and tell me they’d been up all night reading something I’d written. I never would have thought it was ready to send out to agents, never mind that an agent would actually love it.’

‘Well, clearly it was, and Graham Westbury isn’t just any agent. He’s the agent! Don’t forget where you got your start once the big deal comes rolling in,’ Libby teased. ‘The launch will have to be at Once Upon A Book.’

‘Is there a princess in your story?’ Clara asked and Jo could see she had her fingers crossed.

‘Well, darling, no. Not this one. But I will write you your very own princess story, starring Princess Clara and her best friend, Buttercup Bear. Maybe you could help me?’

‘My handwriting isn’t very good yet,’ Clara said, looking sad. ‘And I’m only learning my words.’

‘That’s what you’ll have me for,’ Jo said, opening her arms wide to pull Clara into a hug. ‘We can help each other, because I think you probably know a lot more about princesses than I do.’

That was enough to appease Clara and the pride and enthusiasm in the faces of her family and friends were enough to almost take the sting out of Ewan’s bizarre change in behaviour.

29

A Quiet Place

When everyone had finished celebrating and gone home, and Jo had put a load of washing in the machine and helped her mum tidy up, she slumped onto the sofa and suddenly found herself completely overwhelmed with exhaustion. The hangover that she had expected to floor her all day crashed in and she wondered whether it was too early to go to bed at six in the evening.

Ewan should’ve been home by then, if his flight had left on time. She wondered if he would message her to let her know he’d arrived safely. If his demeanour towards her earlier was anything to go by, she would likely never hear from him again.

A strange melancholy overcame her. Twice in the space of a week, men she thought she had made some sort of a connection with had undergone personality transplants right in front of her eyes. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, despite the high of the day.

‘You look sad,’ a small voice broke through her thoughts and Jo opened her eyes to see that Clara was standing incredibly close to her, her face crinkled in concentration.

’Oh, sweetheart, I’m not sad. I’m just very tired right now. It’s been a busy few days.’

Clara screwed her face up tighter, before standing back and crossing her arms. ‘I don’t think you look tired. I think you look like you could really do with a hug.’