BooksBarbecue
Back One Year Later
Chapters (49)
  1. PROLOGUE
  2. PART I
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. PART II
  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. PART III
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. PART IV
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. EPILOGUEAMY
  48. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  49. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS

‘Should we report the stolen iPad to the police? If we’re going to, we have to do it today.’

‘Kids!’ Matt ignores her and puts two plates of bread and cheese and a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the table.

‘In a minute,’ says Theo. ‘Just got to figure this out.’

She glances over and sees they’re playing chess, but it doesn’t look as if they’re following any rules.

‘I must say, you two are being remarkably nice to each other,’ her dad says.

Amy hopes Theo and Lotte won’t reply. They were never this close a year ago – they used to argue all the time – and now they cling to each other as if they have no one else to turn to.

Her father sits down in front of one of the plates of food and starts to eat the children’s bread. Matt makes an exasperated noise at the back of his throat and gets another baguette out of the bread bin.

‘Theo! Lotte!’ I’m not telling you again.’

‘Granddad’s eaten my lunch,’ wails Lotte.

‘Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry,’ her father says, offering Lotte a piece of cheese from her own plate.

Matt fetches plates and glasses, banging them on the table as he sets them down.

‘It’s not been stolen – it’ll turn up,’ he says, dodging round Joe, who is chopping up avocados and shaking a pan that he’s drytoasting nuts in at the same time. He glares at her. ‘Can someone help me?’

Amy looks at what he’s done so far: Lotte and Theo are sharing one plate of bread and cheese and, for some reason, are both trying to sit on the same chair, while her dad is eating the other child-sized portion. There’s a basket of baguettes, a few tomatoes and a jar of olives on the table, as well as the wine bottle and Nick’s beer. It’s not much of a lunch.

Joe slides a large salad of crisp lettuce leaves and spinach strewn with pumpkin seeds, walnuts, feta and avocados into the middle of the table.

‘Suuuper-greens coming up. There’s enough for everyone.’

Nick makes a face and slaps a packet of salami next to the bowl of leaves.

‘It’s a shame you’re going.’ Amy smiles at Joe.

Matt’s right, she thinks. She’s worrying unnecessarily. If someone had broken in, they’d have taken more than just an iPad.

26

NICK