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The house was small, tired, and didn’t touch hiardens were a riot of weeds and kids’ toys, and he felt alay on the front porch, too lazy to lift its head when he stopped at the front gate He and Rosie had intended getting a dog one day when there was ti the setter sprawled over the spot Rosie had used to sit in the sun didn’t raise any feeling other than nostalgia
‘I one As has the house with all our hopes and dreams It’s someone else’s paradise now’ Like Rosie, it had et on with his life, to make a new future with Molly He’d alwaysher was to waste the life he’d been given As Rosie had told him in that last hideous week, ‘Life’s precious, Nat Grab it andabout what ht’ve been Do it for me, if not yourself’
‘Actually, Rosie, I a in his step as he walked away from the past
The band was so loud her eardruuy at theif he’d tried
‘That’s terrible’ Molly griht Turning into a lush, girl
Vicki raised her glass in salute ‘At least he’s still upright, unlike the drummer’
They were at a bar in Randwick, close to the ar to be busy, Molly had offered to drive Vicki out here toAfter checking into ato the pub for a h Molly had barely touched her food, her stomach permanently tied in knots Her clothes were a little looser too Funny how once she’d have been thrilled about that, and now thought she looked better with a little weight on her hips to fill out her gorgeous trousers and skirts
Molly looked around at the crowd and wished she’d stayed in the city She didn’t belong here Standing up, she set her half-full glass aside ‘Let’s go I can’t take any more of this’
‘Spoilsport’ But Vicki was quick to follow her Outside they both checked their phones Vicki scowled ‘Nothing Where’s Cole?’
Molly stared at her screen ‘One missed call’ She knew the nuh not in a relaxed way as before He hadn’t phoned her since they’d gone their separate ways If he hadn’t said it wasn’t urgent, she’d be starting to worry
‘What did he want?’
Molly shrugged ‘No idea’ She’d love to talk to him, to touch his hand, and feel his lips on her cheek It wasn’t going to happen She’d left him It was over
‘Here we are’ Vicki gestured to the bright neon lights flickering on and off ‘Why are we staying in aTV?’
‘Because Cole is about to ride into town, looking for you,’ Molly said ‘Plus I don’t drive after drinking’ Neither did she want to go hoers crossed, she’d bevery soon The owner of the place she’d inspected thatback to her tomorrow after he’d checked exactly when the current tenants werefor somewhere to buy Seemed she wasn’t as far ahead in her new life as she’d hoped
Right then Vicki got a text ‘Cole says he’ll be knocking down the door at six’
‘I’ll get out of the way by a quarter to’ Molly set the alarm on her phone
‘Don’t rush off on ets it right’
She grinned ‘Sos we can’t control But I still don’t want to be here for the reunion’ Molly stripped down to her underwear and slid under the covers of the nearest bed ‘Get so off on your husband’
Molly fell asleep iht so with her heart Ti up her phone, she brought up the calendar
Closing her eyes, she drew air into her lungs, and tried again It had been due last week Her periods were never reliable This would be another exa her loss in her face But—what if No She tossed the duvet aside and clas tucked under her, her body tre Sleep would be inant
She couldn’t be
She showered, dressed, and crept out of the unit at five thirty, leaving a note saying, ‘Have a great couple of days See you at work’
In the car with the engine running she blew on her cold hands Nohat? It was too early for any shops to be open to buy a test kit But she wanted to be at home when she found out the result so headed for Bondi Junction, concentrating on driving and not what she’d do if the test was positive Go knock on Nathan’s door and apologise for walking away from him so quickly?
What had to happen was that she did not make any rushed, eret
Da wheel This was crazy Here she was already thinking the test would be positive when in all reality there’d be no blue line Her stoht chance of having a baby