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Back Just for December Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
  3. Dedication
  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. Acknowledgements
  50. Publishing Credits
  51. Keep Reading …
  52. About the Author
  53. Fiction by the same author
  54. About the Publisher

‘You always have.’ Magda shakes her head, but she’s smiling wryly when Evie dares look at her. It’s very embarrassing, being thirty-six and terrible with money. She’s not proud of it. She’s mortified, really.

‘If you have any resources or whatever,’ Evie says, ‘I’ll take them. Spreadsheets or anything.’

‘I do,’ Magda says. ‘And I can. You need several savings accounts, a proper retirement plan, a way to pay your mom’s care that is sensible and sustainable – don’t just give them all your money at once. And you can invest, too. Wealthy people don’t get wealthy by earning money, they get wealthy by having their money make money.’

‘Now there’s a soundbite,’ Evie quips.

‘And you can set up recurring donations to charity, too. If you want to give your cash away, at least make it count.’

Evie nods. ‘Yeah,’ she says. ‘I should do that.’

‘And I’m going to help you go through your stuff, see what we can sell and for how much. It’s so easy to put stuff up online, and between us we can manage the post office runs or courier pick-ups.’

‘I can hire somebody to do that,’ Evie starts, but Magda shakes her head.

‘We’ll do it together,’ she says. ‘Because you’re going to let me help you. Even if I have to elbow my way in! Surely after all this time you know I’m your ride or die, Evie. It’s you and me.’

Evie looks at her and blinks. ‘I think I blew it with Duke,’ she says, sadly, her voice wavering. ‘I don’t know how, but I know I have.’

‘Everything is fixable,’ Magda says. ‘And actually, first and foremost what we need is one last fake date – and a bit of misinformation to Katerina, too. Let’s try to catch her out. We can’t do anything about what’s already up there, but we can play her at her own game, right?’

Evie nods. ‘Okay,’ she says. ‘But you might have to talk to Duke first. He’s soft on you. You make him laugh.’

Magda smiles. ‘The man’s got good taste. What can I say?’

33

Evie

‘This is unbelievable,’ Evie marvels, as they snake up the big winding hill that Neuschwanstein, a mediaeval castle that looks like something straight out of Game of Thrones, sits upon. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so beautiful in my life.’