Page 43 of So, I Met This Guy . . .

Uh-oh. Flick tried to hide beneath her sun visor.

‘Are you telling me you don’t know who Simon Le Bon and Duran Duran are?’

Flick pretended to have something in her eye as Maggie drew herself up indignantly behind the steering wheel and went on about how if she hadn’t heard ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, and no, her singing it drunkenly in the street didn’t count, she hadn’t lived.

‘Seeing as we can’t agree on music, what about listening to a podcast?’ Flick suggested, a few moments and one imaginary eyelash later.

‘OK.’ Maggie shrugged, still slightly in a huff.

‘How about some true crime?’

‘I don’t need to listen to true crime, I’ve been living in a true crime.’

Fair point, thought Flick, as Maggie threw her a sobering look.

‘I know,’ suggested Maggie, ‘what about a celebrity podcast instead? There are some new ones I’ve been reading about.’

‘You mean, the ones where rich and famous people we can’t relate to interview other rich and famous people we can’t relate to?’ remarked Flick.

Maggie laughed then. ‘I take it you’re not a fan of celebrities?’

Flick shook her head. ‘No, it’s not that. It’s just the people I find the most fascinating aren’t even remotely famous. They’re ordinary people who are just quietly going about their lives, but they have all really interesting stories to tell, they just haven’t got a voice . . .’

Breaking off, she stared out of the window as the French countryside sped by in a blur. ‘That’s why I wanted to become a journalist. To give a voice to those that haven’t got one. Because everyone’s got a story to tell, you just have to listen.’

She shook her head, invigorated now.

‘I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching chat shows but mostly famous people are just there to promote their new film or album or book. Same when you read their interviews. I’m not really interested in hearing another Hollywood actor’s life story; I’m interested in people like us. You know, normal people.’

‘Not sure I call what we’re doing normal,’ retorted Maggie, putting her foot down and overtaking a truck.

‘Exactly!’ Flick turned back to look at Maggie, her face energized. ‘But that’s why it’s so interesting. It’s like your story. One day you were just like everyone else, living your everyday life and the next it’s all stolen from you—’

‘And you’re on some mad caper across Europe to try and get it back,’ finished Maggie with a grimace. ‘That doesn’t make me sound normal; it makes me sound like I’m nuts.’

‘No, it does not,’ rubbished Flick. ‘Women will relate to you. If it can happen to you, it can happen to them, too.’

But Maggie didn’t look convinced.

‘They’ll find it shocking and unbelievable but mostly inspiring.’

‘I’m hardly an inspiration, more like a complete idiot for making such a massive mistake.’

‘I think you’re inspiring.’

Maggie glanced across to see Flick looking at her and felt oddly touched.

‘I just never want anyone else to go through what I went through.’

‘And that’s exactly why I wanted to interview you, so you can explain why and how it happened, so you can warn other women.’

‘Oh, it’s a long story.’

‘Well, we’ve got seven hours and forty minutes and six hundred and seventy-nine kilometres,’ said Flick, pointing at the sign ahead that said Roma. ‘It’s either that or Eye Spy.’

‘What? You want to interview me now?’

‘I’m not going to record it. Just tell it to me, in your words.’