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?? From Auntie Kay
Happy moving in day! My favourite niece and my favourite customer… couldn’t be happier for you both xxx
‘Could you use an extra pair of hands?’ Elise said when I opened the door at Seashell Cottage.
‘I thought you’d been summoned to the mother-in-law’s for Sunday lunch.’
‘I was but I put my foot down. Considering what we found last time I helped you move, I had to help again to see if we could top that.’
I ushered her inside. ‘Don’t remind me. If anything else from my past re-appears, I’ll swear I’m being haunted. Are you feeling brave?’ I led her to the dining room.
‘Why? Have you got your pet dragon chained up in there?’
‘Worse. You know how we both like things to be really organised and have paperwork filed neatly away? Imagine the exact opposite.’ Cringing, I opened the door wide.
Elise gasped. ‘Sarah Peterson! I think you’ve been burgled.’ There wasn’t an inch of wood showing on the dining table througha sea of paperwork, post, and folders. More piles sprouted on the chairs and the floor. We looked at each other and started laughing.
‘I warned you,’ I said. ‘I know it’s really unlike me. I hate it. If I kept the door shut, I could just about ignore it.’
‘Just think how satisfied you’ll feel when it’s all done, though. How do you want to do this?’
We worked for about half an hour, singing along to Abba.
I picked up what I thought was an empty cardboard folder and was about to add it into a crate of stationery when I felt something stiff still inside it. ‘How the hell did that get in there?’ I gasped.
‘What’s up?’ asked Elise.
‘The clairvoyant CD’s in here.’
‘Where was it meant to be?’
‘In the CD player in the lounge. I swear I’venevertaken it out of there since I moved in.’
Elise did a little shiver. ‘Ooh, goose bump moment. That’s just like you suddenly finding it in your Treasures Box last time.’
I removed the CD and stared at it thoughtfully. ‘Do you think we should listen to it again?’
Elise put down the papers she’d been sorting through. ‘Is that a good idea? Won’t it stir up the whole searching for Steven thing again?’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t think so. Nick’s The One and I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I was just wondering if we’ve missed something on the CD.’
‘Like what? A hidden track?’
‘I don’t know but there’s only one way to find out.’
Giggling like schoolgirls, we raced to the lounge. Elise hurled herself onto the sofa while I put the CD in the player then curled up on the armchair next to it.
‘It started with the CD. It seems fitting to end my little journey with it too.’ I pressed play.
We listened in silence until we arrived at the key question:
‘Will I ever get married? All I’ve ever wanted to do is get married.’
Next came the prediction about Steven and the crossroads choice leading to the true Steven.
‘Surely there’s something else you can tell me about Steven,’[I said on the CD.]‘How will I know it’s him? Steven’s a common name.’
