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“Then call me Lydia.”

“So, Lydia. Do you admit this is the best hot chocolate in all the UK?”

Laughing, Lydia took a hearty gulp. The chocolate assaulted her taste buds in the most delicious way. “Holy cow. That’s yummy!”

“I told you so. It’s a secret family recipe.”

“Are you a local here?”

“My family owns it. That’s my sister.” Zoe tilted her head to the barista, who wasn’t even trying to hide the fact she was eavesdropping.

“Oh, wow. So could you tell me what the secret ingredient is?”

“I could, but that’s reserved for very special people. We’d have to go out on a few dates first.”

* * *

“A date, Monty. Can you believe it?” Monty clearly didn’t believe it either. How had Lydia left the house for a blood test and returned with a date? So much for swearing off people. That lasted all of a couple of weeks. “She’s super-hot though, Monty. If you saw her, you’d totally understand. Nurse Bell, that’s her name. Well, Zoe is her actual name, but I enjoy calling her Nurse Bell. Maybe we can roleplay?” Monty yipped. “You’re right, I shouldn’t be thinking like that. We need to have dinner before any sexy times.” Lydia had finally stopped bleeding, so she was ready for action if it came to that.

Wow, it was good to feel that side of herself again. Like a normal sexual adult. Halle’s face flashed across Lydia’s mind. Nurse Zoe wasn’t the only one that made her feel that way, but Halle was off limits. Shaking her head, Lydia busied herself by rifling through her wardrobe. Jogging bottoms and baggy t-shirts wouldn’t do.

Lydia would usually call Fe with any type of wardrobe emergency. Picking up her mobile, Lydia scrolled to Fe’s contact. Huffing out a breath, she hit the green call button. If Lydia didn’t make an effort, she would have her mum on at her until she gave in anyway. Add on to the fact that Lydia was worried about her sister, she knew there was no point sulking. Fe’s words cut deep, and Lydia would need a little time to forget, but her sister was struggling. If anyone could understand what it felt like to be out of control, it was Lydia.

“Lyds, oh God, I’m so sorry!”

“Jesus, were you waiting with the phone already to your ear?” The speed at which Fe answered the call was shockingly fast.

“Yes. I was just deciding whether to call again. If you didn’t pick up, I was going to come to your apartment with a boombox.”

Lydia chuckled. “That’s a tad romantic, Fe. You can just buy me a drink sometime.”

“Do you forgive me? I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you, Lyds.”

“It’s okay. Let’s just forget about it, yeah?”

“Alright. But I will definitely buy you that drink and a takeaway, too.”

“Deal. Now, how are you? Did you speak to Clark?”

Fe’s sob told Lydia everything she needed to know. “He moved out this morning.”

“Shit! Fe, what happened?”

“He’s been sleeping with Janey.”

“His fucking secretary. Oh, for Gods’ sake.” Could you be any more cliché, Clark? Arsehole.

“What do I do now?” Fe wasn’t looking for an answer. Her sobs grew heavier, and Lydia’s heart broke for her sister.

“Right, I’ll be over in half an hour. Where are the kids?”

“Halle took them to the park.”

“Good. I’ll be there soon, sweetie. Don’t worry. We’ve got you.”

Grabbing her duffle bag from the bottom of the wardrobe, Lydia crammed as many clothes in as possible. “Come on, Monty, we need to see Aunty Fe.”

The cab arrived just as Lydia locked the front door. Hopefully, the driver wouldn’t have an issue with Monty riding along. Throwing everything into the backseat, including herself, Lydia wrapped the seatbelt around herself and Monty.