The Secret To Happiness. Jessica Redland

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СКАЧАТЬ but when the body count gets a bit high, it’s good to have some light relief.’

      He unlocked number six and they stepped into a light hallway with stairs ahead of them. She widened her eyes, not expecting a duplex.

      ‘There’s a video intercom system there.’ Aidan pointed to the technology by the door. ‘The lounge is to the right and the kitchen’s to the left.’

      Danniella walked towards the huge bay window in the lounge, taking in the sweeping views from the Sea Rescue Sanctuary in the north round to the castle in the south. ‘It’s stunning.’

      ‘It’s not too shabby, is it?’ Aidan said, the pride in his voice obvious. ‘Kitchen?’

      She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the window and crossed the landing to the kitchen.

      ‘It was re-fitted in February,’ he said.

      The high gloss cream units, cranberry-coloured range cooker, and real wood worktops and flooring were unexpected in an old property. It was exactly to her taste, not that she’d have cared if it had been decked out in seventies’ Formica; the security arrangements had met the fourth requirement that she hadn’t mentioned to Lorraine. It was safe.

      They ascended the stairs. ‘There’s a bathroom through there and a separate shower room. Two of the bedrooms are the same size so it depends on whether you want a sea or park view.’ He pointed to another door. ‘Third bedroom. Smaller, but still a good size.’

      Danniella ran her hands through her hair and shook her head. Damn! And it had been going so well. ‘Sorry, but I think three bedrooms will take me over my budget.’

      Aidan smiled. ‘You might be surprised.’

      Wrinkling her nose, she told him what she’d hoped to pay. ‘There’s some leeway, but not much.’

      ‘Then we’re good,’ he said. ‘Steve paid £20 a month more than your ideal. If you can match that, it’s yours.’

      ‘I can, but are you sure?’

      ‘Mum’s a good judge of character and she rates you. No pets, non-smoker, tidy, pays on time. You sound like a dream tenant, so you’d be doing me a favour. Bedrooms?’

      Stepping into the master bedroom, Danniella turned on the spot, taking in the stylish cream shabby-chic bed, wardrobe, drawers and dressing table. ‘I love it. You’ve got good taste, Aidan.’

      He smiled. ‘I can’t take credit for it. The flat and furniture belonged to my wife.’

      ‘Belonged?’

      ‘She died in a car crash three years ago.’

      Car accident? Danniella felt the ground shift beneath her and the blood rush from her head. She grabbed hold of the door to steady herself. Don’t faint. Don’t be sick. Please. A few deep gulps of air helped slow her racing heart.

      Aidan had stepped out onto the balcony and, thankfully, didn’t appear to have noticed her reaction. ‘There’s a table and a couple of chairs out here,’ he called. ‘Perfect for morning coffee.’

      By the time he stepped back into the bedroom, she’d managed to compose herself. ‘I’m sorry about your wife. That must have been tough.’

      ‘Thank you. It was but Elizabeth was terminally ill so we were expecting it. The accident made it a little sooner, but only by a couple of weeks, if that.’

      Imagine knowing your spouse was going to die and preparing for that, only for them to be killed ahead of their time? One of those scenarios was bad enough, but how could someone even begin to recover from both?

      Looking at the bed in the second bedroom, it struck her that nobody would ever sleep in it. No family. No friends. Nobody. This was it. This was her life from now on. Sadness enveloping her, she followed Aidan out and closed the door.

      ‘I didn’t ask you what you do,’ she said.

      ‘Similar field to you. I’m a travel writer. No dead bodies, though, unless you count the occasional unwanted cockroach.’

      She probably wouldn’t see much of Aidan once she’d settled in but, if she did, at least she could steer conversations towards work; anything to avoid talking about the past. Or death.

      ‘Why don’t I leave you to look round on your own?’ Aidan said. ‘I’ve got some calls to make so I’ll meet you outside.’

      He disappeared down the stairs and Danniella headed for the small balcony off the first bedroom. Leaning against the metal railings, she closed her eyes and gulped in the salty air. Gulls squawked overhead, the occasional engine revved, and she could just make out the gentle lapping of the waves.

      She opened her eyes again, looked towards the sea twinkling in the unexpected sunshine and, for the first time in eight months, she relaxed. Properly relaxed. This was it. This was the place.

      At last.

      3

      Karen

      ‘Breathe in, lift your arms…’ Karen swooped her arms in a wide arc and held them above her head, her gaze sweeping around the group of fourteen bootcampers stretching out on North Bay’s promenade. ‘Breathe out, lower your arms… and give each other high-fives or fist-bumps because you smashed that bootcamp. The Awesome Award goes jointly to Becky and Jayne for some seriously impressive planking so it’s photo time for you two. Everyone else, have a great weekend and I’ll see you again on Tuesday.’

      The bootcampers said their goodbyes and set off along the promenade while Becky and Jayne posed for their photo holding a bright yellow branded Bay Bootcamp flag. They’d been great supporters of Karen’s business, being personal training clients for six years and the first to sign up when her bootcamps started two years later.

      ‘Where do you think Ryan will take you tonight?’ asked Becky, as they walked towards North Bay Corner together.

      ‘I’m hoping for Salt and Pepper Lodge. We haven’t been there for ages,’ replied Karen.

      ‘How many years is it?’ Becky asked.

      ‘Thirteen since our first kiss at the end of college party, which is when we started seeing each other, and five since he proposed.’

      ‘I can’t believe you still haven’t set a date,’ Jayne said. ‘It was one of the first things we did.’

      Karen shrugged. ‘Developing the PT business had to be the priority at first, then bootcamp. To be fair, we’d probably have set a date by now if Ryan and Steff hadn’t started that bloody running club last year. I can’t believe how much time we’ve spent apart thanks to that.’

      ‘Why are they still doing it?’ Jayne asked. ‘I thought it was just for the London Marathon and that was, what, three weeks ago?’

      Karen nodded. ‘Tell me about it. It was the Hemmerby Half on Sunday so they snuck that in too. It’s finished now though, thank God. Tonight will be our first proper evening together in СКАЧАТЬ