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Back Where The Story Starts Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clio looked at me, imploring me to see things from her point of view. This was a pivotal moment, I knew. She had opened herself up dangerously wide and was now hoping that I was sensitive enough to see things the way she did. If she’d miscalculated, then I’d just scoff at her lament, assuming that if you had money there was nothing else to worry about.

She hadn’t miscalculated. From what I’d seen so far, Clio’s analysis of her own life looked spot on. Those vacuous photos on Facebook, her beautiful, empty house with no food in the fridge, the way she had attached herself to me and the kids so quickly – not that I minded that part. I mean, I really liked Clio, but still. It all pointed to an empty life.

‘Well, you’ve got me now,’ I said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Your empty and pointless days are behind you! Maybe we could swap lives for a couple of weeks, see how you get on doing your own housework.’

Clio flinched. Had I gone too far? I really hadn’t meant to upset her and now, thinking that I might have done, I realised how much I wanted her to stick around.

But then she grinned. ‘Touché,’ she said, and I grinned back.

I stood up, anxious to move on from this confessional and get things back to something lighter.

‘I’d better go and see if Poppy is getting ready for bed,’ I said. ‘If I leave her to her own devices she’ll still be up at midnight! Back in a minute.’

Clio nodded, but then, just as I reached the door, she said, ‘Thanks, Leah.’

‘What for?’ I asked.

‘For telling me all those personal things about your mum and dad.’

I shrugged like it was nothing, although we both knew that it was very far from being nothing.

‘And for being my friend,’ she added.

‘Oh, don’t be so soft,’ I said. ‘But if you set me up on any more blind dates you can consider our friendship terminated!’

‘Something tells me I won’t have to do it again,’ replied Clio with an expression that I could only describe as sly.

33

33

GRACE – THEN

Grace had always been inquisitive. Even as a child, she had been the one with her eye to the keyhole, her shoulder to a locked door, trying to discover what was hidden just out of sight. ‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ Mrs Finn had warned her, but Grace wanted to know what colour the cat was and how exactly it might meet its maker.