Colette looked at her. So it seemed it was now or never. “Are you absolutely sure you’d be OK with this? With my leaving you on your own?”

“I’ll be perfectly fine,” her mother insisted. “Really.”

“Hey, like I said, I’ll be here, too,” Noelle added with some annoyance. “Stop being such a worrier, Colette. I can take care of Mum just as well as you. Things are different now. We’ll be fine, honestly. It’s time you got out there and lived some of those dreams you’re always banging on about.”

“An escape,” their mother said. “High time you had some fun back in your life and came out of your shell.”

“And live it up a little, too,” Noelle added with a grin. “Go and meet a nice Italian who’ll show you a good time.”

“Well, maybe not too much of that,” her mother cautioned automatically, though unlike Noelle she knew well that her eldest wasn’t much of a party person. “But, love, it is definitely time to see what’s out there for you, don’t you think?”

It sounded all too good to be true, and rather frightening, to be fair, Colette thought. She supposed she’d become quite dependent on her routine, so the idea of going somewhere outside of Brighton, let alone to a foreign country on her own, was a little overwhelming.

Oh, come on, a voice inside chided her. You took care of your mum, a business, and a household. What’s so scary about the Amalfi Coast?

She looked again at the brochures and the ticket with her name on it. Italy had always been such a dream, and like Noelle said, she’d studied Language and International Relations in college, so she did already speak quite a bit of the language. She could view this as a chance for some practical application of her skills. A chance to try new things, meet new people and the opportunity to push herself out of her comfort zone and widen her worldview.

You need this.

Colette had worn the badge of responsibility like a true soldier, never faltering or complaining, but she was tired. She was weary of the routine, of having to always say no to social invitations or a chance to just be flighty or careless. For feeling as if her life was on hold with a terrible end awaiting her. The thought that her mother might die had been a shadow that always loomed in the back of her mind, clouding her decisions. Now that cloud was lifted. She could breathe again.

An escape...

“All right,” she decided, smiling. “I’ll do it.”

Chapter 9

Then

There was an incessant drilling sound that was annoying Annie O’Doherty to no end. It was Saturday morning. What the hell...?