Chapters (48)
- Cover
- Praise
- About the Author
- Also by Tricia Stringer
- Title Page
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgements
- Excerpt
- One
She rose, stretched languorously and felt the full heat of the Kimberley sun as she stepped from the shade and slipped off her kaftan, a new addition to her sun wardrobe after another visit to the shops. She’d swum every day, sometimes two or three times, between beach and pool visits. Now she stepped carefully into the pool, allowing her overheated body time to adjust to the cold. The pool wasn’t heated but was warmer than the ocean and a far gentler alternative.
She submerged herself to her shoulders as Dot and Faye came to a stop beside her.
“I’m going to miss this place.” Dot’s expression was glum. “We go home tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Natalie was brought back to reality with a painful thud. In this bubble world of her holiday, spending her time with Dot and Faye, seeing the sights, indulging herself, relaxing with not a thing to do but to wonder where and when to eat her next meal, she hadn’t given a thought to time passing but now she realised this would be her sixth night. She’d booked eight to get a special rate.
“How much longer are you here for, Natalie?” Faye asked.
“Three more nights.”
“I don’t want to go home. Perhaps we could extend our stay.” Dot’s face brightened.
Faye gave a snort. “We’ve already spent our annual holiday budget on one week here, and the flights! It would cost us almost as much again to change them.”
“I know, and we do have bridge tomorrow afternoon.” Dot smiled at Natalie. “I know everyone says it but it’s true, once you retire you become so busy you wonder how you fitted in work. I help out at an op shop and there are a few of us away at the moment so they’ll be looking out for my return, and Faye volunteers at a school for children with special needs.”
“And one of my sons will be home from overseas in a week. He’s planning on living with me till he finds his own place.” Faye snorted again. “Forty and still sponging off his mother.”
“Still, it will be nice for you to have company for a while.” Dot floated in the water between Natalie and Faye, and caught Natalie’s eye with a knowing look. “He’s been gone for two years; you’ll be glad to see him again.”
“Humph!” Faye sniffed. “I’m doing another lap then I’m getting out. This water is too cold for me.” She pushed away and began to stroke across the pool.