Page 107 of Ride the Wave

That unnerves me because my mum doesn’t really get flustered, not often anyway.

‘Has something happened? Is it Dad? Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine, everything’s fine,’ she says, swatting my questions away with her hand. ‘But I’ve been thinking about our conversation yesterday.’

I groan. ‘Mum, do you really want to talk about all that again?’

‘Not really,’ she says abruptly. ‘I thought we should probably do something about it, instead. Or rather,Imight be able to do something.’

‘Okaaay?’ I say slowly, folding my arms. ‘What did you do?’

‘Something very unlike me. Something I should have done a while ago. Something reckless and spontaneous and something that quite potentially has overstepped the mark.’

My eyes widen with horror as she rummages in her bag to get her phone out.

For a terrifying moment, I wonder whether she might have called Leo or Toni or even Michelle Martin, but the logical part of my brain assures me she wouldn’t go that far.

Would she?

After scrolling for something in her emails, she looks up at me, a wide grin on her face, her eyes twinkling with excitement and mischief.

‘Iris, I think it’s about time that you and I grab life by the balls,’ she states, before showing me the screen of her phone that’s displaying a flight booking to Melbourne. ‘How would you feel about coming with me on holiday to Australia?’

29

Hey, can you do me a favour?

Flora

Name it

Don’t go into labour early I have to go away for a bit

Flora

Got it

I’ll tell the baby to stay in there

You travelling for work again?

Yeah. Sort of

Flora

Where are you going?

Australia

Flora

WHAT?

Oh my God

You’re going for him, aren’t you

IRIS ARE YOU GOING FOR LEO???

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