Page 100 of The Time of My Afterlife

I hold her close and stroke her caramel-coloured hair. ‘Do they?’

She gazes up at me, and I’m lost in her beautiful, honey-dipped eyes.

‘I know we made a mess of helping Jane, but her podcast is now live. Through it she will help others.’

Florence nods. ‘She’s already helped my mum.’

‘Pearl knows that her true love is alive and well in Pixie Cove. She can take her time to decide whether she wants to meet him again.’

‘Yes, she can do that, and it doesn’t feel forced.’

‘Molly is in a better place as she knows her mum loves her.’

Florence grimaces. ‘I wish Laura would spend some time with her but we did our best.’

‘Mary’s crimes will soon be out in the open which means the families of her victims can finally get the answers they’ve been searching for.’

She nods. ‘I feel better about that. Making her book a bestseller didn’t feel right. Also, I know where I’ve seen that detective before. She was in my café the day we got run over.’

I take her hand. ‘We also found each other during all those tests.’

‘Yes.’ She smiles as I kiss her.

When we break, I stroke her cheek. ‘At least we will be together.’

A new feeling of calmness washes over me, and an idea unfolds in my mind. ‘Let’s enjoy what time we have left. Forget the test and what’s about to happen. Let’s have a brilliant last day.’ I plant a kiss on her lips. ‘Let’s go and enjoy ourselves.’

Her face lights up. ‘Really? Do you have any ideas?’

Harry’s face appears in my mind. ‘If your dad were here now, he’d say, “Get the barbecue out, Clark.”’

41

FLORENCE

Clark’s right – we need to enjoy what little time we have left on earth. I should be crying or in the depths of despair, but weirdly, I feel calmer than I have felt in a long time.

‘Hang on,’ I say as he grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house. ‘Do you have any food we can cook?’

He grins. ‘Earlier, Pearl’s supermarket delivery came, and she realised she’d bought too much meat. She gave a load to me. We’re going to feed the cul-de-sac.’

I gasp. ‘Are you sure?’

He laughs. ‘Yes, come on. It’s time to party.’

‘But… events like this need planning and…’

‘Florence,’ he says, ‘the best things in life are unplanned. Trust me.’

This is madness. We are going to each house in turn in the cul-de-sac to invite them all to an evening garden party at Clark’s house.

Jane opens her door and when she hears about our impromptu party plan, a huge grin spreads across her face. ‘This is a great idea. I haven’t made tea yet as I was being lazy. Sunday evenings are for mingling and hot dogs.’

Clark nods. ‘Give me half an hour and come over. Bring Jack.’

Her smile falters. ‘He’s in a mood but I’m sure I can tempt him with food.’

Laura jumps up and down like an excited child when she hears about our idea. ‘Ronan might pop by – would that be all right?’