Hadn’t she spoken to her union rep only minutes before? Jodie looked up at the round red clock that hung over the kitchen door and blinked in disbelief when she saw it was two o’clock. She’d been sitting there for hours. ‘Wait,’ she managed to say before putting the phone down and struggling to her feet.

She picked up the coffee mug she’d left on the counter and took a mouthful of the cold drink, then sat and picked up the phone again. ‘Sorry. I rang my union first thing and spoke to my rep. Then I put my head down and must have fallen asleep.’

‘I bet you were awake most of the night worrying,’ Rivka said, her voice soft with sympathy. ‘Listen, why don’t I come over? I’ll pick up a couple of cream cakes and we can indulge while you tell me all about it.’

Jodie looked at the baby shoes she still held in one hand. Rivka was her oldest friend, she knew all about her past. Maybe it would be good to talk. ‘That would be great. Actually, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.’

‘Say no more. I’ll be over in about an hour.’ She hung up without another word.

Jodie dropped the phone and looked again at the shoes. So pretty. And so small to hold such painful memories.

Memories that had never faded despite being locked away for nearly… she had to think… more than twenty-three years. She felt herself drifting back into that fugue state she’d been in and shook her head before getting to her feet. With the shoes in her hands, she climbed the stairs and went to the spare bedroom. Narrow built-in wardrobes with cupboards overhead were set into alcoves either side of a chimney breast. They provided valuable storage but access to the top shelves in the cupboards was hampered by their height. As a result, she used the space for things she rarely needed or things she wanted to remain hidden.

She left the shoes on the undressed bed and dragged a chair through from her bedroom to stand on. It had been a while since she’d opened the top cupboard, and she was surprised to find the box closer than she remembered. She pulled it out and climbed down.

It had originally contained perfume and moisturiser given to her mother one Christmas. Jodie had begged for the pretty box and had kept cinema tickets, photographs, and various other memorabilia in it for years. Before she’d left for Dubai, she’d burned the lot. Apart from one thing.