‘Nice. I’ve got one called Billy. Well, he’s not my boyfriend, we’re not exclusive or anything, but you know. He’s in a band. They play here on a Friday night, so you’ll get to see him then. I’m Soph, by the way.’

‘Edie.’

‘Lovely to meet you.’ She looped her arm through mine and pulled me into one of the open doors. ‘Come and see our flat.’

I wasn’t expecting the Ritz, but I found myself in a corridor where the walls looked like they were made from cardboard. There were two doors either side of the corridor, and a small fridge with a microwave balanced precariously on top at the end. Calling it a flat seemed overly generous.

‘That’s Elizabeth’s room. Don’t ever make the mistake of going in there and touching anything; if a thing is out a millimetre, she’ll know about it. This is my room.’ I glanced through the open door to a room with a bright-purple bedspread and a collage of photos Blu-tacked across one wall. ‘That’s the bathroom. And this is you.’

She flung open the door to a bare-looking room that had a small double bed with a green plastic mattress on top, a long, tall cupboard and a chest of drawers.

‘It’s a bit basic, but we don’t spend a lot of time in here. To be honest, most of the time you’ll be working and if we’re not we’re at a party or at the beach. I’m a local, so stick with me as I know where all the best places are.’

I slumped the backpack off my back and stared at the prison-like walls. Soph was rattling off pubs and bars in the town and I was only vaguely listening.

Everything was so overwhelming, and it hit me all at once; I was really doing it.

‘I’ve got some Archers in my room, fancy one with lemonade? You know, a toast for the summer?’

‘Yes,’ I said, nodding to Soph. ‘I’d love one.’

‘We’re going to be great friends, Edie. I can tell.’

Her whole face lit up and suddenly the place didn’t seem so bad after all.

Chapter 5

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the summer at Hartland’s since I got the email from the past a week ago. It’s been manic in the office since we got on the council tender, sending out quotes, meeting new clients. Usually, I throw myself into work more than usual when I want to escape real life, but even that’s not working.

The email has got too deep under my skin and opened the floodgates to memories that are popping back in my mind thick and fast. It was such a bittersweet period of my life that it’s too painful to think about. My brief taste of freedom whipped away in a flash.