When Nick agreed and glanced at her to make sure he hadn’t signed her up to something she didn’t want, she had the sensation of floating. It was entirely possible she’d drunk too much on an empty stomach, but she wasn’t convinced that was it. She felt strangely at home in Nick and Freddie’s company, and she wanted to hold on to this feeling forever. But was it possible to get over a heartbreak so quickly? She’d never thought so before, and always criticised TV programmes or films when it happened on screen. It all seemed too unrealistic, but she couldn’t deny the way she was feeling right now. She wanted to explore what this thing was between her and Nick. It felt important, constant, pure.

Wouldn’t it be stupid to ignore something so special because she’d arbitrarily decided she should be heartbroken for longer? Especially as, when she compared the way she felt now to everything she’d believed her relationship with Evan to be, she realised it had never even come close.

‘I’d like that very much, Freddie,’ she said quietly and pressed her feet into the floor to make sure this was all perfectly and wonderfully real.

Chapter 19

The next day, Bella knocked on Mr Cole’s door and stepped back. She’d never been so nervous in all her life and wasn’t sure who she wanted to answer more: him or Mrs Cole. Either was a daunting prospect but given that it was Mr Cole she needed to speak to, it was probably better that he answered so she could get this over and done with.

Last night, after dinner with Freddie and Nick, she’d gone home and followed Nick’s unwitting advice. The list she’d made of all the things that had been going wrong with her and Evan’s relationship was far longer than she’d expected and went further back in time. How had she missed so much? They were all things she’d put down to off days or bad moods but even that provided a startling realisation. They must have been having far more off days than good ones. The list was now safely tucked away in her handbag. She wanted to show it to Caro and see what she thought. There was every possibility she’d think she was crazy, but Bella was willing to take the risk given how much it had helped her and seeing it all written down had unexpectedly strengthened her resolve to help Nick as much as possible.