Rita bit her lip at Teo’s comment, then stared down at her stones, her chest thudding with the tiny heartbeats she carried and the tangled worries she hadn’t dared share.This one’s for me, she thought, letting go of the weight of all the fears and ‘what-ifs’ pressing on her. Her fingers closed around the second stone.And this one… maybe for him, she whispered silently.For forgiveness, for trust.
With a deep breath, she tossed them together into the silvered tide. They skipped once,twice, then sank, carrying a flicker of calm over her chest as the water swept some of her worry away, if only for a moment.
A hush fell over the circle. Even the tide seemed to pause, reflecting the moon like a mirror to their quiet triumphs.
‘And that,’ Zenya said softly, ‘is the power of intention. Nothing more, nothing less.’
Cass exhaled audibly. ‘I just need to enjoy life a bit more.’ He looked at Rita and grinned, a small, secret smile.
Davie nodded, feeling a lift he hadn’t in months. ‘I’ll still get help,’ he admitted, ‘but for the first time, I feel… ready.’
Priya’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight. ‘I think I can do this. Make a space for myself here.’
Odette’s laugh broke the quiet. ‘Rita, just imagine ifeveryguest gets the new Odette Wilder treatment.’
Rita laughed. ‘Just leave me out of it, please. And maybe don’t cite the actual name of the retreat. I don’t want to be getting sued.’
‘I think you’d be even more popular,’ Davie guffawed. ‘I can see the headlines on theSeahaven Bay Gazette. MOONLIT TANTRAS AND MIDNIGHT MOANS: WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON AT THE SEAHAVEN BAY RETREAT?’
Even Imogen smirked.
‘Come on,’ Teo chivvied. ‘Let’s head back. This night is still young.’ He did a little shimmy in the sand. ‘Fiesta time!’
TWENTY-NINE
Rita cruised into Seahaven Bay harbour, the mid-May morning sun glinting off the waves and warming her face. She parked up, glanced down at her bump, and adjusted her hoodie. With her keep-fit regime fully in place, she was headed straight to a one-on-one Reformer session with Jilly. She was feeling slightly apprehensive to see her friend as she had not had the chance to have a proper chat with her lately.
The effervescent Jilly greeted Rita with a huge grin at the door of the Pilates studio. As Rita pulled her hoodie over her head to reveal a baggy T-shirt and leggings, Jilly’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She stared directly at her friend’s breasts, then cupped her own, which were looking equally large and resplendent in today’s pink Lycra.
‘You’ve either secretly had one of what I have had several of, been eating too many pies,orshut the front door, you’re not for realup the duff, are you, babe?’
Rita took a huge breath. ‘Yes, Jilly. Up the duff. Very, very up the duff.’
Jilly leaned back with a dramatic gasp, then clapped her hands together. Then on seeing that Rita didn’t look so happy,she locked the front door, flicked the kettle on, then pulled two balance balls over for them to perch on.
‘Shit. It is Jago’s, I take it?’
Rita raised her eyebrows and let out a little a laugh. ‘Course it is and wait for it: two for the price of one.’
Jilly dragged her syllables, ‘Fuck… ing… Hell, la.’
‘Tell me. For a moment, I actually wished I were going through the menopause! I could have coped with that. Make sure you’re careful with Joel, won’t you?’
‘No worry of that, I struggled in that department, had to have the whole lot whipped out in my late thirties so it’s probably like throwing a sausage up an alley down there now.’
Rita shook her head. ‘You’re so wrong, but I do love you.’
Jilly got up. ‘Are you drinking caffeine?’
‘No, I’ll have a mint tea, if you have it, or just water if not.’
Jilly sat back down with two steaming pink mugs. ‘And don’t even think of asking me to be a godmother. My friends back home all thought the same. It’s more stressful trying to remember all their bloody kids’ birthdays than having me own, and costs me a fortune at Christmas!’
Rita grinned. ‘OK, noted.’
Jilly took a sip of her coffee and nodded towards Rita’s bump. ‘How far gone are you?’
Rita cradled her tummy. ‘Around fifteen weeks. I look bigger, though, as it’s twins.’
