Sun sparkled on the azure sea as the motorboat chugged and bobbed on the waves, leaving behind a stream of white foam. Standing at the bow, saltwater specked Georgia’s face. The beach ahead shone gold and she couldn’t wait to sink her toes into the warm sand and maybe catch a fish or two. She licked her lips and wondered if he’d be there to greet her. Just thinking about him made her body ripple with expectation.
But wait. Georgia squinted at the water. Was that a woman’s head bobbing up and down and a hand reaching out?Was that a shark fin circling around? A woman’s cry for help split the air. Without a moment’s hesitation, Georgia dove into the choppy water and front-crawled towards the woman in danger.
A rap on the door interrupted her reading. ‘Mum, do you know where my sports bag is?’ Johnny said.
‘It’s in your wardrobe,’ Liv shouted out.
‘I’ve looked in there.’
Liv sighed, irritated. ‘Look again.’ She reached over the side of the bath and let the book fall from her fingers. Holding her nose, she sank down until the water covered her face.Hold on, she called out in her head to the imaginary woman in trouble.I’m coming to get you.
The next day, when Liv woke up and went downstairs, the house was already empty. Jake had left a note stuck to the fridge.
Gone to the park for a kickabout x
The sink overflowed with three sets of used cups, bowls, plates and cutlery. Butter sat on the worktop going soft. Liv put it back in the fridge, unsure if the empty feeling in her stomach was hunger or something else.
She used to look forwards to spending Saturdays at the park with Mack and Johnny, before their love of football became competitive and all-consuming. After that, Liv started to meet up with friends instead, but most of them had younger kids. They dragged them along to hip coffee shops where it was tricky to have an adult conversation,and the price of a latte could mean taking out a small loan.
Her spirits lifted when she got a text from her mum.
Hi, love. Fancy a coffee in the park café? I’ll be there at 10 x
Yes!Liv replied.Would love that x
She took a quick shower, pulled on jeans, Johnny’s old Pac-Man T-shirt and a warm coat, then pushedThe River After Midnightinto her handbag before speeding out of the house.
Artisan bakeries, healthy cafés and exclusive boutiques were cropping up around Manningham city centre. Situated between Leeds and Manchester, the city in the north-west of England was often viewed as their less glamorous neighbour. But things were changing rapidly. Liv passed a new coffee shop called Launderette and another named The Hub. It was virtually impossible to buy a sandwich made without chutney or sourdough bread these days, and property prices were shooting up. When Liv looked around her, she spotted people driving expensive cars and clasping designer handbags, and felt like she didn’t fit in any longer.
In the park, she strolled past the tennis courts towards the three-tiered stone fountain. Her heart pulled when she recalled holding up small versions of Mack and Johnny to toss coins into the water. When they were toddlers she’d fitted her work around them, cleaning in the evenings so she could look after them during the day. She bought them soft fabric books as soon as they were born and read to them throughout their childhood. The three of them spent many happy afternoons wedged on the sofa together, progressing fromWhere the Wild Things AretoDiary of a Wimpy KidtoHarry Potter. She took them to the playground, swimming pool and the Manningham Museum of Writing,and still missed the feel of their small hands in hers. Time had flown by so quickly.
She was delighted Johnny was following Mack to university. He was going to study English literature. Both boys would only be a couple of hours’ travel away, yet it felt like an ocean. She and Jake seemed to have less and less in common these days, and she couldn’t help wondering if their sons were like scaffolding around a crumbling building that might collapse when the supports were removed.
Liv spotted her mum, Carol, heading towards her. She wore a paisley skirt and a loose purple T-shirt with a diamanté star on the pocket. Her auburn curls framed her round face.
‘Hiya, love,’ she said, her eyes lighting up when she saw Liv. She was a good hugger, using both arms and her body to squash her close. After finding a table inside, Carol set down her bag on a chair and took out an Essie novel.
Liv set hers down, too. ‘Snap.’ She laughed. ‘We’ve both brought Georgia Rory along for coffee.’
Her mum often joked Liv could read before she could walk. At an early age, she had mastered the art of reading and walking at the same time without tripping up. Family picnics were never complete without Liv and her parents bringing along books to complement the food.
After they ordered coffee and a slice of lemon drizzle cake to share, Carol tapped her book. ‘I’ve just got to a juicy part. Georgia’s heading into the desert with either Mike the rugged aircraft pilot, or James the marine biologist. I don’t know who she’ll choose.’
Liv pretended to zip her lips with her fingers. ‘I’m not saying anything, except that things get rocky.’
‘Ooh, love, I don’t know how you remember all the stories.’Carol shook her head in amazement. ‘I get them muddled up. I put a tick on the title pages, to remind myself I’ve already read them.’
‘I’ve had lots of practice.’ Liv had read her first ever Georgia Rory book at twelve years old when she won it in a writing competition at school. Georgia helped to get her through some tough times, and she’d read the full series many times over.
‘And how are things with Ms Starling? Is she still as warm and welcoming as ever?’ Carol grinned.
‘She’s actually getting a bit better,’ Liv said.
A few weeks ago, the author left her a copy of Stephen King’sOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. The yellow sticky note said, ‘Enriching, enlightening, extraordinary. Read and learn, Olivia.’ She’d read the book from cover to cover hanging on to every word.
The note was a welcome change to ones Essie used to leave for her. ‘Olivia, do use an alternative solution to clean my bath. I hate the smell of grapefruit.’ And ‘Olivia, please store your cleaning equipment on the second shelf in the hallway cupboard, not the third.’
Liv thought about her conversation with the author yesterday and stirred her coffee too many times. ‘Actually, I’m a bit worried about my job. Essie caught me reading her new manuscript then asked for my opinion on a review. I think I was too honest.’
