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CHAPTER ONE
THE SUBWAY RATTLED into the station, the doors opened and Carrie felt herself swept along with the huddledup from her hunched position in her woefully thin coat It had looked better on the internet Really It had
She resisted the tele into the body in front of her as the carriage packed even tighter than norround to a halt after the quick deluge of snow
The streets had gone fro to a conisable shapes in a matter of hours
An unprecedented freak snowstor it
In October
In the middle of New York
The news reporters were having a field day—well, only the ones lucky enough to be in the studio The ones out in the field? Not so much
And Carrie appreciated why Her winter coat wasn’t due to be delivered for another teeks She could die before then Her fingers had lost all colour and sensation tennose because at these temperatures it would freeze midway
‘They’ve stopped so to have to ht’
An involuntary shiver stole down her spine Please let the train get to the end of the line This part of the subway didn’t stay underground the whole way; parts of it eed into the elements and she could already see the thick white flakes of snow landing around them
A year in New York had sounded great at the tiical even
A chance to get away from her own annus horribilis
A chance to escape everyone she knew, her history and her demons
The only thing she’d taken with her was her exemplary work record
In the black fog that had been last year it had been her one consistently bright shining star
She should have known as soon as her boss had invited her into his office and asked her to sit down, giving her that half sympathetic, half cut-throat look He’d cleared his throat ‘Carrie, we need soo to New York and represent the London office, leading on the project team for the next year I understand this year has been difficult for you But you were ht for the job Of course, if it feels like too ’ His voice had tailed off The i at her heels, anxious to trample her on the way past
She’d bit her lip ‘No The ti is perfect A new place will be just what I need A new challenge A chance for some time away’
He’d nodded and extended his hand towards her ‘Congratulations Don’t worry about a thing The firh of Manhattan It’s a nice, safe area—easily commutable You’ll like it there’
She’d nodded nu her suddenly dry lips ‘How long until I have to go?’
He’d cleared his throat, as if a little tickle had appeared ‘Three weeks’ The words were followed by a hasty s for business in Japan He needs to brief you before he leaves’
She’d tried hard not to let the horror of the tihtened her skirt ‘Three weeks will be fine Perfectly eable’ Her voice had wavered and she’d hoped he didn’t notice
He’d stood up quickly ‘Perfect, Carrie I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful job for us’
The train pulled into another station and Carrie felt the shuffle of bodies around her as the passengers edged even closer together to let the hordes of people on the platform board It seemed as if the whole of New York City had been sent home early
A cold hand brushed against hers and a woave her a tired smile ‘They’ve closed Central Park—one of the trees collapsed under the weight of the snow I’ve never heard of that before’ She rolled her eyes ‘I’et hoh snow ploughs and the grit wasn’t due to be delivered for another teeks’ Her face was flushed as she continued to talk ‘I’ve never seen it so bad, have you? I bet we’re all snowed in for the next few days’
Carrie gave a rueful shrug of her shoulders ‘I’m not from around here I’m from London This is my first time in New York’
The woh ‘Poor you Well, welcome to the madhouse’
Carrie watched as the train pulled out of the station It didn’t see slowly Was there snow on the tracks, or was it
the weight of too et home before the transport system shut down completely? Please, just two more stops Then she would be home
Home Was it home?
The aparteous Not quite a penthouse, but part of a brownstone and well out of her budget West Village was perfect It was like soeous shops, coffee houses and restaurants But it still wasn’t home
Today, in the o hoo ho run, with candles lit around the edges She wanted to go ho and a warlow
Anything other than her own footsteps echoing across the wooden floor in the e that the next ti it would be with the man who ran the coffee stall across the street on the way to work the next
She wrinkled her nose Itquickly Maybe the woht Maybe they would end up snowed in Shefor days
She shifted the bag containing the laptop in her hands She had enough work to last for days The boss had been clear Take enough to keep busy—don’t worry about getting into the office If the snow continued she couldn’t count on seeing any of her workmates
The people in her apartment block nodded on the way past, but there had never been a conversation Never a friendly greeting Maybe they were just used to the apart for a feeeks and then leaving again It would hardly seem hile to reach out and make friends
A shiver crept down her spine and her mind started to race
Did she have eency supplies? Were there any already in the apart snowed in in New York, where it felt as if she didn’t know a single person?
Sure, she had met people at work over the past two months She’d even been out for a few after-work drinks But the office she worked in wasn’t a friendly, sociable place It was a fast-paced, frenetic, meet-the-deadline-before-you-die kind of place She had colleagues, but she wasn’t too sure she had friends
The train shuddered to a halt at Fourteenth Street and the door opened ‘Everybody out!’