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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

Another silence. Oh God, I thought. I really had misread this. For all Clio’s talk about being envious of my life and feeling pointless and all that stuff, when push came to shove it seemed that she was perfectly content to stay part of the idle rich and not sully her hands with an honest day’s work. I could feel my hackles starting to rise. Was I just a plaything to Clio after all? I suddenly had visions of her entertaining her friends with hilarious stories of her adventures with the working class by the seaside. I felt like such an idiot. How could I have been so stupid? Obviously, someone like Clio wouldn’t want anything to do with someone like me. And all that crap with Marlon. I’d fallen for it hook, line and sinker. I’d just been a puppet to them, a stupid toy . . .

‘I think that’s a wonderful idea,’ said Clio down the phone, and I had to reverse my thinking so fast that it made me feel dizzy. ‘And the landlord knows that I know nothing, right? I mean that I have precisely no experience at all.’

Relief flooded over me. ‘Yes, but I told him you were smart and happy to learn and so he said he’d give it a go. He’s a nice bloke, Eddie. You’ll like him.’

‘Wait till I tell Mummy,’ said Clio. ‘She’ll be delighted. She’s always telling me to get out there and try new things. Hector will probably have a heart attack on the spot.’ I could hear her tinkly little giggle. ‘Actually,’ she added, ‘maybe I won’t tell them just yet. It can be our little secret.’

‘It’s just for a couple of lunchtimes to start with,’ I explained. ‘You need to be there at ten on Monday and Eddie will show you round, explain how the till works, that kind of thing. Is that okay?’

‘Yes! That’s totally fine. I mean, it’s not like I have anything else to do,’ said Clio.

She sounded so excited and I couldn’t help but smile down the phone. It was bonkers really, to get so buzzy about a crappy little bar job, but I was thrilled.

38

38

GRACE – THEN

In the end, something had stopped Grace from telling Charles about her adventure to the house in Whitley Bay, although she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was. She certainly hadn’t intended to keep the whole episode a secret and it wasn’t as if she’d done anything wrong. She had taken herself there without mishap, which was a tale in itself; the house that Charles had bought was delightful and she had got along famously with Melissa, or at least the friendship had great potential. No, there really wasn’t any downside to the story and yet Grace felt a reluctance to share her news.