Page 98 of The Time of My Afterlife

‘He’s a good man, Florence. You need to let me have my freedom.’

Tears stream down my face. ‘Mum… I’m sorry. I don’t want you to get hurt.’

She wipes my eyes with a tissue. ‘But that’s not a life for me or you, Florence. I don’t want to be wrapped up in cotton wool any more.’

I glance at the empty wall. ‘I miss Dad so much.’

She pulls me into a hug. ‘I know you do, my girl. You’re also still hurting from losing your baby.’

Tears pour out of me.

‘I wish Dad were still here,’ I sob.

‘I know,’ she soothes. ‘We all do, but he’s not coming back. Florence, you and I need to rebuild our little world. He wouldn’t want us sitting around pining for him.’

I nod and sob. She’s right. Dad was a man of action. He hated people sitting around with nothing to do.

‘When I get back from Tenerife, I’m going to get a job as well,’ Mum says.

I lift my head from her shoulder. ‘Really?’

She smiles. ‘I am a grown woman who needs to get back out into the world.’

‘I’m sorry, Mum. For everything.’

She smooths down my hair. ‘I will always know where you are if I need you.’

‘Please be careful on this holiday?’

‘You will like Steve. I promise.’

I dry my eyes. ‘I need to go and get Clark.’

She strokes my hair. ‘I love you, Florence.’

Once we step outside my house, I pull Clark into my arms. ‘Thank you.’

‘For what?’ he asks with a wry smile.

‘For being assertive with me. Mum and I needed to talk.’ I lean in and kiss him.

40

CLARK

‘This test and my chat with Mum has made me realise a few things too,’ Florence says as we’re walking back, hand in hand.

‘Oh?’

She takes a deep breath. ‘I haven’t been a nice person lately. I hold my hands up.’ I watch as her shoulders drop a little. ‘Mum has been trying to tell me about her loneliness for some time, and I’ve been wrapped up in myself… and you, Clark. Losing my dad and then the miscarriage last year has turned me into someone I don’t recognise.’

‘Hey,’ I say, squeezing her hand. ‘You’ve been through some horrible things. Give yourself a break.’

She nods. ‘I want to stop being so distracted and not having time for the people I love.’ Pulling us to a stop, she plants a kiss on my cheek. ‘Clark, I think I’ve been in love with you all my life too. When you kissed me for the first time the other day, I realised I’d been waiting for you to do that for years.’

I kiss the back of her hand. ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’

‘Yes,’ she says and laughs as I lift her up into the air.