BooksBarbecue
Back Where The Story Starts
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

Then she found the perfect activity. Ten-pin bowling. She had tried it once, as far as she could remember. A friend from school, whom she could no longer bring to mind, had had a bowling party. Obviously the friend’s father had hired the entire place, which she wasn’t about to do, but Clio remembered that it had been fun and she’d actually been not that terrible at it. Bowling would be the perfect activity to do with Leah and the children.

When she’d mentioned the idea to Leah, her enthusiasm had been unrestrained and so, feeling buoyed by this, Clio had booked a lane for them all.

She had arranged to meet Leah outside the leisure complex, but now, as she waited, Clio could feel butterflies in her stomach. It was a mixture of excitement about the fun they were going to have and fear that she would do or say something that might spoil everything.

‘They’re late,’ said Marlon, who was standing at her elbow and surveying the approach to the complex.

Even though this was true, Clio felt irritated with Marlon for pointing it out. She didn’t want to hear any criticism of Leah, no matter how small. It crossed her mind again that she might have made a mistake in inviting Marlon along, but he had been so good with the children at the Hall; and it made it more of an outing, she felt, if there was a gaggle of them. Her main motive, however, had been that tiny little spark that she thought she had detected between Marlon and Leah. She hoped she hadn’t imagined it.

‘Barely,’ she replied sharply, and then, ‘There they are!’ as she caught sight of Leah rushing up the pavement holding tightly on to Noah’s hand, Poppy trailing a few steps behind them.

‘Sorry we’re late,’ said Leah before she had even reached them. ‘The Metro was all to pot this morning. Oh. Hello, Marlon,’ she added when she caught sight of him.

Clio saw her shoot a hand up to check her hair, but also thought she heard a note of wariness in Leah’s voice.

‘Hi,’ replied Marlon with a little wave. He looked less flustered than Leah, Clio noted. Had she got this wrong? Well, there was no time to worry about it now. She would just have to play things by ear.

‘Let’s go in, shall we?’ she said.

Noah transferred his hand neatly from Leah’s to Clio’s and Leah looked at her and grinned, eyebrows raised.

‘Someone’s popular,’ she said, and Clio couldn’t help smiling.