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
It was Milt who found his way around the little kitchen and made them a cup of tea. It was Milt who spoke again to Bob, gently taking the mobile from Veronica’s shaking hands, to let him know they’d stay with her until he got there, and it was Milt who rang up for takeaway. He put the heater on low when he noticed Veronica shiver. The unit felt chilly and not just because of the weather.
Natalie watched him find his way around the sparsely furnished rooms. Perhaps intentionally devoid of clutter, it was probably deemed minimalist. She thought impersonal a better description but even so Milt’s big frame seemed to crowd the space. He brought them both a glass of the wine he’d found in the fridge. It was moscato. Natalie shuddered at the sweetness of it but took another sip all the same.
“Can I do anything else?”
They both looked up at him and shook their heads, mute, or in Veronica’s case numb perhaps.
The food came. They moved to the table. Natalie was surprised to see it was only six o’clock but she was ravenous. She’d not eaten anything since breakfast and then she’d only picked at some toast. Milt tucked in to the gourmet pizza as well but Veronica barely touched hers. Natalie could only imagine what must be going through her head.
The other woman punctuated their all-but-silent meal with short bursts of what the doctor had said. An aggressive cancer but found early. Several treatment options to be discussed. Possible mastectomy. Natalie had found it hard not to look at Veronica’s breasts then. They filled Veronica’s t-shirt to full stretch, at least double the cup size of Natalie’s bra.
She glanced down, remembering she’d stuffed hers in her bag, and made an excuse to use the bathroom and got herself re-dressed. She left her cardigan off, gripped the handbasin with both hands and pressed her forehead to the mirror. The cold was a relief from the living room, which was way too warm now but she didn’t dare ask to turn the heater off.
Cancer was a blow Natalie wouldn’t wish on anyone, not even the person she felt she disliked more than any other person in the world. Veronica may be a bitch but she didn’t deserve this. Her son, Jack, was only three years older than Laura. Natalie hadn’t seen him for years. She wondered if there were photos of him in the unit, then pushed the thought away. She couldn’t face that old worry now. She thought instead of Veronica’s two daughters who were younger. Back then she and Veronica had nearly ended up in the local hospital together when the Halbots’ first daughter was born only a few days after Laura.