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Back Reluctantly Home Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Nah,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘That bird’s flown. We’ve been talking round it all week. Her mind’s made up. She’s very sorry and all that, but I’m history.’

He dropped his head again and rested it on his forearms. There was nothing else Pip could say or do except let him know she was there for him if he needed her. She gave his rounded shoulders a little squeeze then left him to his misery.

As she climbed the stairs to her room, it occurred to her that for the first time in almost as long as she could remember, she was the one offering help rather than having it offered to her, and it felt good.

36

36

Pip spent the following few days thinking about her forthcoming meeting with Evelyn, and each time she did her insides fluttered. She thought it was nerves at first, the feeling, any feeling in fact, being so unfamiliar. It wasn’t that Evelyn was at all scary, but she did seem to have a way of seeing straight to the heart of Pip in a way that others hadn’t done. Pip was used to being more guarded, to keeping her own counsel, and yet all that had gone out of the window the moment Evelyn had begun to probe. Pip couldn’t decide if it was because Evelyn was particularly perceptive, or because she was ready to open up, and in the end she settled on it being a little of both.

But it wasn’t nerves, Pip recognised now – it was excitement. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt excited about something, and she liked it. She thought about what they would talk about, imagined the two of them finding numerous points of connection as each spread out their lives before the other in ever-increasing detail. There was definitely a certain something between them, a mutual understanding, a bond. Pip could feel it even if she wasn’t quite sure how it was going to pan out yet.

Audrey had sniffed a little when she told her that she wouldn’t be in the shop on Wednesday, but there wasn’t much she could do about it, and until now Pip had never missed a shift so she didn’t really have that much to complain about.

When Wednesday finally rolled round, Pip was ready and standing on Evelyn’s doorstep at exactly two o’clock. She could feel her heart beating a little faster than usual, but it wasn’t warning her of an impending panic attack. This was more about the pleasurable anticipation of what was to come.

She knocked on the door, and this time heard the bolt being pulled back almost at once, as if Evelyn had been waiting on the other side for her to arrive.