Page 69 of The Sunrise Sisterhood

‘No, no, you carry on, I insist,’ said Patrick, clearly feeling the same.

‘Not much to report, so far,’ she admitted. ‘I registered with one of those dating sites, but I feel as if I’m trying to sell myself on eBay, like a second-hand car. And I get asked for all sorts of details, things I wouldn’t even want to discuss with my doctor, let alone a stranger on the internet. I think I’m going to delete it before someone decides to come round and “kick my tyres”, so to speak.’

Patrick looked appalled. ‘Now you’ve put it like that, I’m glad I didn’t get around to doing anything about it.’

‘Didn’t you?’ Liz was surprised by how much this admission pleased her. Patrick on a dating app would no doubt be snapped up in twenty-four hours and she wasn’t sure that was what she wanted.

‘Not online, at least. As coincidence would have it, Rachel’s sister called and said she had a friend who she thought I’d get on well with. So she set us up on a date.’

‘That’s nice.’ Liz tried to hide her disappointment. ‘I hope it goes well.’

‘It has already been and gone,’ he said. ‘There was no chemistry, at least not on my side. But at least I tried.’

‘Oh dear,’ Liz said in sympathy. ‘When was this?’

‘Last night.’ He pulled a face. ‘And she knows nothing about boats.’

Liz started to laugh.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘Well, that was at least one thing you had in common.’

And then they were both laughing, and they carried on laughing until Liz thought they’d better turn the boat round and go back, especially as Patrick was a bit sketchy on how much petrol there was in the tank.

‘So, I’ve told you why I was up at the crack of dawn,’ he said, once they were on their homeward journey. ‘Why couldn’t you sleep?’

Liz hesitated, wondering where to start.

He glanced at her. ‘You don’t have to tell me.’

‘No, I want to tell you.’ She chewed her lip. ‘I suppose I’m worried that if I tell you the truth, you won’t feel the same way about me anymore.’

‘And how do I feel about you?’

She swallowed. ‘I don’t know.’

He held her gaze and smiled softly. ‘Then you’ve got nothing to lose.’

‘And you won’t judge?’

He shook his head. ‘Promise.’

‘OK.’ She took a deep breath. Talking about her problems, about any personal stuff, wasn’t what she did. But then, bottling it up and escaping into the bottom of a glass hadn’t done her any favours either. She had an unshakeable feeling that Patrick would be a good listener. Wellness started with we, after all. ‘I’m afraid to say that I had too much to drink at work yesterday and I made quite a mess of things …’

As the boat puttered along back to Whitestrand, Liz told Patrick about the good, the bad and the ugly events of the previous day. About how nervous she’d been without Jen, how drinking had become her way of dealing with anxiety, about her oyster sauce crime, making a show of herself at Angel’s party and how Skye had been forced to call for backup. And how the party had ended with a trip to hospital for Clare and a ride home for her with one of the guests. Above all, the deep, deep shame of knowing she’d let everyone down.

‘Good grief, Liz, what a traumatic time you had.’ Patrick reached across for her hand and squeezed it. ‘Thank you for trusting me with that.’

‘It’s bad, isn’t it?’ Her throat felt tight, and she couldn’t meet his eye.

‘It’s human,’ he argued. ‘I do feel differently about you now; I knew you were wonderful and now I know you’re brave too.’

Liz felt her heart lift. He was so lovely and kind.

They were almost at the dock and Liz pointed out a space for him to head towards.

‘Thank you, Patrick. They say every journey begins with the first step,’ she said. ‘And that’s where I am now; right at the start of a new path. The girls have said they’ll help. Although Clare is the one who needs the help. Poor thing, I’ve never seen her so defeated.’