Clover fell still. Oh god, did he? Could this be another reason behind his new dip? Or the reason? She pressed her fingers to her mouth in concentration. ‘I’ll have to tell Mia,’ she said flatly. But how? How could she tell her friend that the man wholly responsible for her husband’s accident was not just moving on with his life but moving forward, switching it up?

There was a silence as they digested the revelation.

‘Anyway, I think we can all agree that’s a firm no for Foley,’ Matty murmured, going back to her list. Her eyes narrowed again. ‘Hmm. Edward Snowden. Traitor? Or whistle-blower for exposing unconstitutional spying? Living in Russia now. Obvious difficulties with filming there, not to mention bloody freezing . . .’

Clover looked away distractedly, not listening. She was too rattled by what she’d just learned. She tapped ‘Kit Foley snowboarding’ into her phone and scanned the few entries, all recent, nothing more than a year old. There were no big articles on his switch in careers, just a few lines showing his name in some competition line-ups in Europe – Europe? It was just local, small-scale stuff. Hardly a big splashy launch into a new venture. Perhaps people hadn’t connected the dots – they didn’t realize he was that Kit Foley?

So perhaps Cory didn’t know after all? Not yet, anyway.

She put her phone away and stared at the line of trophies running down the centre of the table, feeling some sense of calm return. A little perspective. In two weeks, she would walk the Oscars red carpet and the world’s press would do the rest for them, taking Cory’s story farther and wider than ever. After more than three years in the wilderness, this was his moment. Everyone loved him and they were rooting for him. They were on his side. Kit Foley, meanwhile, was an international pariah. His name – when it did appear in the press now – was forever attached to what he’d done in the water that day. He would never be forgiven. The surfing community was fiercely tribal and they’d picked their camp. Perhaps Cory wasn’t the only one left with an unhappy ending?

Clover looked on blankly as Matty and Johnny began bickering again. For Mia and Cory’s sake, she could but hope.

Chapter Three

The phone on the bed buzzed. Clover glanced at it and gave a wail. ‘Shit! The driver’s here.’

Johnny, who was still – in spite of the commotion – trying to sleep on the sofa in the next room, lifted his head. ‘Just get the next flight.’

Not helpful.