Page 89 of The Sunrise Sisterhood

Skye obliged and Clare managed to scroll, one-handed, to his number.

Hi Adam, this is Clare. Just wondering if you wanted to come over next Sunday afternoon, if you’re free? Liz and Skye are out working, so Ivy and I will be at a loose end. No worries if not.

‘I’ve sent it,’ she said, letting out a deep breath. ‘And now we wait.’

They didn’t have to wait long; her phone beeped almost immediately.

Hi Clare, sounds great. Just to clarify – you’ll be on your own at home?

She exhaled to steady her nerves; this was really happening. ‘He said yes,’ she told them, already typing her response.

Yes, just the two of us.

‘I thought he might.’ Liz arranged the warm scones on the cake stand, a smug smile on her lips.

OK. Fancy going for ice cream at the Winking Prawn instead?

I’d love to, but you’d have to push Ivy’s buggy. I’ve tried doing it one-handed – impossible!

I think I can manage that:)

Full disclosure, there’s a small chance you might have to change a nappy. Feel free to pull out now …

So this is the real reason you want me to keep you company?! Never changed a nappy in my life, so would you mind starving her for a couple of hours beforehand to lessen the chances? Joking. Sort of.

Lol. There’s probably a tutorial about it on YouTube.

Thanks, but I’ve only got my work laptop with me and I’d rather not have that pop up in my search history.

Don’t you mean poop up?

Very good. See you Sunday.

Looking forward to it x

Me too x

When Clare looked up from her phone, Liz and Skye were watching her eagerly.

‘Looks as if that went well,’ said Skye.

‘We’re going for ice cream together!’ Clare’s stomach flip-flopped from excitement, to dread and back again. ‘I can’t believe how easy that was.’

‘Well done, darling.’ Liz rubbed her back. ‘You’ve done the right thing.’

‘Are you sure you’ll be OK on your own?’ Skye frowned, looking at her own phone again.

‘No, but I’m doing it anyway.’ Clare smiled at her sister’s concern; how far they’d both come. Only a couple of weeks ago, a comment like that from Skye would have really grated. Now, she was simply grateful. ‘Thank you both for your support, I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to do it otherwise.’

‘Expecting a call, love?’ Liz asked Skye.

‘Nothing important.’ Skye went pink and put her phone face down. ‘I had a call come through from my boss in Kampala when I was at my first yoga class, and had to cancel it. I’ve left a couple of messages since but not had any response. It’s just unusual, that’s all.’

Clare studied her sister. She was getting attuned to Skye’s body language and mood. Skye had talked a lot about Uganda and the charity she worked for and the children at the school. But there was something missing, something she wasn’t telling them. The one thing she did talk about was her sunrise yoga classes; she raved about how amazing it was to greet the day stretching on the sand.

Clare didn’t want to pry, but she hoped in time that Skye would open up to her. Whenever she pressed her about what had made her leave Uganda earlier this summer, she muttered vague excuses about needing a break. But that didn’t ring true; she wasn’t having a break, she was working really hard.

‘What time is it over there?’ Clare asked. ‘Could that be the problem?’