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‘Okay. A little bumpy. They were a bit upset that I felt I couldn’t tell them the truth. And amazed that I made all those trips up.’ Darla pulled a face. ‘But they like The Brambles, they want to meet Elliott and they’re really supportive of my new business. And the best bit was I got loads of hugs.’ She wiped away a tear. ‘I’ve really missed them.’

‘I know you have. But it sounds like it went brilliantly. Well done.’ She gave her a hug. ‘Does it feel like a weight has been lifted?’

Darla took a deep breath. ‘More like all the little chickens that have been roosting in my mind have been let out into the run.’

Ros wasn’t sure what that meant. But rather than challenge her friend she said, ‘I’m glad they’ve gone.’

‘I guess they’ve made room for all the trials running my own business is going to throw at me.’

‘I know you’re going to be just fine on that front. Remember who did the risk assessment?’ she said with a smile. ‘Come on, let’s get some food.’ Ros linked her arm in Darla’s and they walked back to the barbecue.

Cameron turned around and smiled at them both. He was the happiest person Ros had ever met and it was infectious. He went to hand her a hot dog just as Gazza barked. Cameron tightened his grip and the sausage flew out the end of the bun.

‘Gazza!’ The little dog grabbed his prize and ran off at speed, making everyone laugh, even Amanda.

THE END

Acknowledgements

Firstly a big thank you to everyone at Team Avon. It has been my home for ten books and I am hugely thankful for everything they’ve done for me. Special thanks to my editor Rachel Hart for her support and for loving the character of Ros as much as I did! Thank you to Enya Todd for the illustration for the fabulous cover, and to Emily Langford for designing it.

Thanks to my long-suffering agent, Kate Nash, who is always there with support and wise words. Sometimes they make me sit and rock in a corner for a while, as I did when she said the original second thread of this book needed to be swapped out. It was a mammoth task but she was absolutely right and this is a much better book for it. So thank you for being there for the tough conversations as well as the lovely lunches!

Big thank yous to my technical experts – Heather Guppy and Anne Boffey – for all things nautical. Thanks especially to Heather for going above and beyond with a visit to her yacht, being a beta reader and for providing a demonstration of how to put on a life jacket in the garden centre café. Thanks to Andy Hobbs from Solent Superyacht Charters who I met at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club where he answered all my questions about superyachts.

Thanks to Sarah Bennett, Donna Ashcroft, Pernille Hughes, Anita Chapman and Jules Wake for an exciting writing retreat ;-) which was where this novel was born and the planning began.

Thanks to Christie Barlow and Paula Fleming for brainstorming, great food and laughs in Norfolk which helped to get this book written.

Love and thanks, as always, to my family for their ongoing support. I couldn’t do this without you.

Big shout out to all the book bloggers, booksellers and library staff for reviewing and recommending my novels. And, of course, a huge thank you to you my lovely readers for choosing my book – happy reading!

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