Page 4 of The Riviera House Swap

‘Popping in to see Mum and Dad. Haircut. Nails,’ said Nina.

‘Good. Well, it’ll keep you occupied. No more miserable introspection, OK? I forbid it.’

‘Yes sir!’ Nina grinned.

Once she’d hung the phone up, she pushed the envelope, complete with its life-altering certificate, into a drawer and shut it determinedly. Enough for one day. She wanted to be able to embrace her former mood. To shake the cobwebs off her glad rags and really see in the new decade with a smile on her face.

But as she walked upstairs into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she felt her determination slip slightly. There was no denying the date on the calendar, the lines on her face. Her hair, a grown-out short cut that needed a good tidy and some seriously bright highlights to lift the dull brown, wasn’t helping things. She was truly, absolutely, middle-aged. Was this a moment she could use to pivot her into a brand-new life? Or had she simply missed the bucket-list boat?

2

JUNE – THEN

‘Just think,’ said Bess, as they looked out over the choppy Channel waters. ‘This is what freedom must feel like.’

Nina looked at the huddle of teachers out on the deck, two of them engrossed in conversation, the others chatting or looking out to sea. ‘You think?’ she said.

‘Oh, don’t worry aboutthem,’ said Bess. ‘Imagine, you and me a few years’ time, setting off for an adventure. Once we’re eighteen, we can goanywhere.’

‘If we have the money,’ Nina said.

‘Well, yeah. But think about it. Complete freedom, no parents, seeing the world.’ Bess sighed. ‘And this trip, it’s just the start, isn’t it. We’re practically out of school. A-levels and then boom!’

‘Boom?’

‘Freedom!’ Bess laughed. She scrunched her hand in her hair to make sure her curls hadn’t fallen out on the coach journey, then reached in her pocket for a cherry lip-gloss.

‘What about uni?’ Nina asked.

‘Gap year,’ Bess said, firmly. ‘Everyone expects it these days.’

Nina smiled. It did sound tempting. ‘You really think we could do it, just us?’

‘First France, then everywhere,’ Bess said, dramatically. ‘The world is ourescargot!’

‘Isn’t it meant to be an oyster?’

‘Nina, we’re on the way to France. It’sescar-GO big or escar-GO home!’

Nina couldn’t help but laugh.

3

NOW

DIVORCE

Pros:

Whole bed to myself

No more arguments

No joint account – can buy shoes without having to explain

New start!

Cons:

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