The three of them walk down the hall and onto the street. It’s now that Darcy realises the limousine is here for them. A driver appears and opens the door of the luxurious vehicle for Zoe and Ed.

‘Bye Darcy,’ Zoe calls over her shoulder, linking her arm through Ed’s. He doesn’t shake it off, but he does look back and give Darcy a little smile. He’s sorry she caught him with Zoe. Darcy wonders if he would have told her if she hadn’t shown up at his place. Darcy feels a panic starting to spread that maybe he does like Zoe. Maybe Darcy missed her chance to tell him how she feels. Maybe everything for them has already changed.

Chapter 59

59

‘You’re leaving?’ Bonnie feels panic seep through her body as she tries to digest the news that Paige and Andy are moving. The sushi roll she just jammed down her throat has now wedged itself in her chest.

Paige reaches out and squeezes her hand. ‘We need the distraction of something new.’ She glances out to sea for a moment but then leans back against the park bench they’re sitting on. ‘I was pushing Andy to do just one more round, but …’ She trails off.

Bonnie’s heart stings. It feels like IVF has been a part of their conversation for so many years now. Bonnie had hoped and believed her friends would have a success story to tell.

‘Andy can’t do it anymore.’ She shrugs. ‘We’ve been focused on having a baby for so long that we’ve let it take over. I can see it’ll destroy us as a couple if I insist we do another round.’

Andy once confided in Bonnie that the reason he finds it so hard is that it’s unbearable to see Paige’s devastation. He doesn’t want her to feel that loss over and over again.

‘Once upon a time we were enough. We’ve just got to learn to find that again.’

Bonnie remembers Paige and Andy in the early days of their relationship. He’d moved to town for work and had instantly been taken with Paige. He swept her off her feet. Paige had been like a giddy schoolgirl, giggling all the time. The two of them couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Bonnie hadn’t been sure whether to be amused or sickened by it.

‘You’ll find it.’ Bonnie can’t bear the idea of her friends not getting through this.