“We know that. Just enjoy your new life, okay?”

Mack grasped the keys and looked at her adoring little dog. “Are you ready to start a new chapter, Dex?” Dexter barked and licked her nose. “I suppose that’s a yes, then?”

Chapter Two

Flora Buchanan turned her car engine off and picked up her bag. It was six thirty in the morning, and she was ready for another day’s work. Her traditional family sweet shop had been started by her grandfather and passed down to her. Sweet Surprise, as it was called, had now become a Glasgow institution, and well-loved by young and old alike.

She parked her car in one of the twenty-four-hour staffed car parks. It was expensive, but that gave Flora the peace of mind to know that there were real security guards nearby and not just a camera.

She picked up her bag from the passenger seat and then turned the driver’s mirror so that she could look at herself. Most women used the mirror for checking their make-up, but not Flora. She rubbed the tip of her nose, tapped her fingers three times on her chest, and was just about to finish her little ritual when another car pulled up noisily beside her.

Flora sighed, knowing she’d have to start all over again. The older she got, the more mentally tiring her OCD was becoming. It dominated her day, but it was just who she was, and Flora couldn’t see any hope or way out of it. It was just something she had to do to keep some level of control in her life.

She waited for the person in the next car to get out and leave their car and began again. She ended her ritual by tapping the steering wheel three times. Now she could start her day.

Flora made her way down the car park stairs to the street. Even this early, the Glasgow streets had people coming and going on their way to work. Flora looked down and let her strawberry-blond hair form a barrier between her and the people she passed. The last thing she wanted to do was to make eye contact with someone.

She turned a corner onto the street where her shop was located. Flora loved the spot where her little shop sat. The grand Victorian buildings housed one of the more affluent shopping areas in the town, and quite an eclectic bunch too.

At the very bottom of the street was the Armani shop, some expensive coffee shops, food shops, and delis, plus across the road a large Victorian building was the home of a gay nightclub, split over two levels. She had often watched the patrons and imagined what it would be like to go in there.