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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

‘I think I’m getting used to it, slowly. It’s hard when someone dies just out of the blue like that. You don’t get a chance to prepare yourself. It can take a while to come to terms with, but I think I’m getting there. I used to have my dad up on a pedestal, like he could do no wrong. But no one’s perfect, are they?’

She looked right at me then, straight into my eyes, like she was trying to tell me something else, something important. Was she talking about me? Maybe Stacey told her what Craig and I had done, after all.

‘No,’ I said with a shrug. ‘I don’t suppose anyone is.’

I waited to see if she was going to say anything else. I wasn’t going to go first in case I was wrong about Stacey having told her, but she didn’t speak.

‘Well, looking on the bright side,’ I said, trying to stop things being so weird, ‘if your dad hadn’t died we would never have met, and that would have been a travesty! I’ll never forget you turning up on my doorstep like that. I had no idea what to make of you. You seemed so posh and so scared. And look at you now! Working in a pub and breaking up fights!’

Rather than smile at my joke, Clio still looked all thoughtful. ‘I was right, though,’ she said. ‘About having been to the house before.’

Now I was confused.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked, but she didn’t reply.

Instead she stood up, brushing the crumbs from her lap on to the grass, and looked at her watch. ‘I have to go or I’ll be late for my second shift but I’ll see you again soon. And expect a call from Marlon. Thanks for the picnic. And . . .’ she paused. ‘Well, thanks for everything, Leah.’

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but I said, ‘You’re welcome,’ anyway.

50

50

GRACE – NOW

‘Mother!’

Grace could hear Hector’s voice searching her out, but she did not respond for a second or two. She inhaled slowly, deeply. She needed a moment of preparation before going to see what he wanted. She wished he wouldn’t bellow so, or call her ‘Mother’ for that matter, an affectation that he had acquired at boarding school and never seemed to have totally shaken off. It made her feel about a thousand years old and she’d asked him to call her something else – even Grace would be preferable – but Hector didn’t seem to be able to lose the habit, even though he was now thirty-five.