Page 30 of My Summer of Magic Moments

‘Na-dah, I’m not buying that. I miss my bestie. And you are in serious need of a night out, girl. Tonic for the soul.’

‘But I can’t do all that seven or eight cocktails in a go any more. My body’s been through enough.’

‘Understood. So, you can have a couple of lovely glasses of wine, and when we hit the mojitos, you can have some of those great mocktails they do. Problem solved. And I’m not thinking of clubbing as such, even I feel a bit old for that now. Just a few really nice cocktail bars and we can have a dance down at Bella’s Bar too. It’ll be great. I’ll even find a chair and a knee-blanket for you, if you’d like.’

Claire swiped at her friend with a tea towel. It was beginning to sound quite appealing. And it wasn’t the knee-blanket that had swung it.

‘We could even invite Gary from the Sports section …’

‘Now that’s taking things too far.’

Andrea was convinced that Gary from Sports had a crush on Claire and was determined to matchmake. He seemed a nice enough chap, to be fair, but he wasn’t someone Claire had ever imagined a date with. And working relationships? Not a good thing.

‘I’ll cancel on you if you ask him. You said a girls’ night.’

‘So that means you’re up for it, then. Great.’

‘Okay. Yes. Take me out.’ She laughed. She really was coming back to life.

‘You are going to have so much fun!’

Claire wasn’t quite sure if that was a promise or a threat, but she was smiling as she handed the mug of coffee over.

13

Cocktails, high heels and dancing on the tables

Time to drink champagne and dance on the tables.

Well, it wasn’t quite champagne yet. But the bottle of chilled rosé they were sharing between them, as their group of five sat outside the Pitcher & Piano bar down on the quayside, was going down rather well. The coloured lights looked so pretty as they shifted hues on the Millennium Bridge joining the Newcastle and Gateshead sides of the River Tyne. The wonderful Baltic Gallery building and the snail-shaped silver dome of the Sage were just across the river, and they also had a view down to the iconic Tyne Bridge, with the smaller Swing Bridge just along from it. The arc of the river. The rippling reflections of evening sky and bold orange street lights. What could be better.

Andrea had been right. It was about time she came out and let her hair down, at least what hair had regrown so far! This was a nice way to start – sitting outside on a warm, sultry evening – which you could never quite count on up in the North East – chatting away with her friends. Along with Andrea, Jo and Emma from work was her close friend Lou, who’d been with her through thick and thin since Sixth Form. This team had been her support group as well as her lovely family, through the ups and downs of her cancer treatment, having been good friends before that time. They were here for her now, too. The best kind of therapy.

‘Tell me more about this seaside cottage of yours,’ Emma said.

‘Yes, it was like you’d sneaked off to be a hermit for a while,’ Lou added.

‘Hah, it was pretty ramshackle to say the least. We’re not talking glamorous residence or even shabby chic.’

They laughed.

‘But you know what, I really loved it. Just waking up to that view …’ Damn, why had she started talking about that? Now she’d conjured up the derobing of Ed. She really didn’t want to mention him, so she continued, ‘Watching the sun rising over the sea. And then the beach. It would be empty, just me and the view, and then it would gradually start filling with dog walkers and families. You could people-watch to your heart’s content.’

‘Nothing like the view from Café 9, I bet.’ Andrea was thinking about their butt-rating sessions.

Hah, if only she knew!

‘Dog walkers, that sounds exciting. Weren’t there any handsome life guards or anything?’ Emma chipped in.

‘Nope, sorry to disappoint. It’s not that kind of beach. Just wide stretches of unmanned sand.’

‘What about Hot Guy next door?’ Andrea blurted out.

Claire grimaced. She should have known Andrea would do this. She’d been trying so hard not to mention him, knowing they’d be onto this snippet of information like a flock of vultures.

‘Ah, now that sounds more interesting.’

‘Tell all.’