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Back The Cliff House Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Booklist
  3. Title Page
  4. Praise
  5. Dedication
  6. Prologue
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. Epilogue
  63. Acknowledgements
  64. About the Publisher

‘You know, be an actual mother.’ She outstretched her arms then kicked a couple of times and drifted slowly to the other side of the pool. She righted herself and pushed her hair back with both hands. ‘She’s annoyed because I’ve been told I can’t go back to school. Expelled for bad behaviour. They’ve paid thousands and I’m not allowed to finish my A levels.’ She was watching something behind me. I glanced back and saw my brother was putting his T-shirt back on.

‘What will you do?’ I said as I swam closer to her in an attempt to get her attention back.

It worked. She looked back at me and gave an exaggerated shrug. ‘Who knows? I’m basically a problem now. Like Maria. How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ Then she trilled with laughter and dived backwards, twisting her body under the water and swimming beneath the surface, a pink fish glistening in the blackness.

As she broke the surface, her body brushed against my hand, which sent an electric charge skittering though me. She smiled at me. Jago walked past the pool. She gave him nothing more than a cursory glance, then looped her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, her breath hot against my water-cooled skin: ‘I’m glad we’re friends.’

Then she flipped over like a seal and swam to the end of the pool.

It was as if a fire had been lit inside me. Every cell of my body sang as I took a breath and ducked beneath the surface. The water closed over my ears. Blocked out the sound. I opened my eyes and watched the slashes of sunlight cutting through the water and the reflected ripples which danced like water piskies, finally safe from the horrors of the episode on the beach.

In the distance was a flash of pink. I pushed off and glided over to her, then broke the surface, emerging just in front of her.

Then I smiled.

‘I’m glad we’re friends too.’

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jago

July 1986

He sits with his grandfather and makes a show of trying to find a home for a piece of the ridiculous puzzle. The picture he’s trying to make is of a grassy field with sheep and cows, idyllic, with butterflies in the blue sky and a white picket fence and a lamb in the foreground with a ladybird on its back.

All he can think about is her. The moment he caught her looking at him and dropped his head to avoid her gaze.

Don’t be stupid, says the voice in his head. Why would a girl like Edie Davenport be interested in you? You’re a waste of space. Good for nothing but sanding railings.

They are from different worlds.

And yet…