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She walked out of the shop to a cheery goodbye and got two ‘good mornings’ and one confused ‘afternoon’ from passersby as she walked the length of the high street.

A friendly place then. Not at all like her suburban home in the States. Jesus, she’d barely be out of her subdivision walking at this rate at home. It was pleasant, she decided. Different, but nice, not to have to drive, to have everything within walking distance. Nice even to have strangers greet her on the street.

Maybe Quinn had been right about teaching English kids. Maybe the teenagers here would be calmer, more polite, less antisocial.

Following the map Mila had given her, she took a short detour to walk past the town school.

In fact, she almost walked right on past it before realizing what it was.

The building was short and squat and red brick, older than she’d expected, enclosed in a large playground that had games etched onto the tarmac in yellow and white paint.

She paused to take a good, long look.

It certainly didn’t look like anyplace she’d ever taught before. But then, that was the point of all this, wasn’t it? Change, moving on, trying to piece her life back together.

Maybe she should join that book club. It was something different. Maybe she needed to change more than just her country.

Ava gripped hold of the metal railings that surrounded the small school, feeling them cool despite the summer warmth. She could change, she wanted to change, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she could change all she wanted but that horrible afternoon would still be there, would still over-shadow everything else, casting itself over every second of the rest of her life.

That afternoon when Serena had finally told her, not just that she was leaving, not just that she’d been cheating, but who she’d been cheating with.

Ava squeezed the railings so hard that rusty flecks of paint came off on her palms. She let go, brushing her hands off onto the sidewalk.

It was better not to think about things, better to move on, to keep moving, to stay in motion like some kind of shark. That way maybe the pain wouldn’t catch up with her.

Keep moving. She’d told Quinn she was coming back. The truth was though, that there was nothing to go back to except Quinn herself and Quinn had her own life to lead.

Just don’t think about it, Ava told herself. Don’t think, just move, let the future bring what it may.

She pushed herself away from the railings and started to walk toward home. As she passed the school gate she saw a proud blue and white painted sign. Whitebridge Primary School. She smiled. The sign looked hand painted and just as old as the building. Obviously, small as it was, the school was an important one. If it was a primary school then it was probably the best in the area, probably a central hub, maybe even a school that was difficult to get into, one that held gifted students.

She was still smiling as she turned the corner toward her new home. Yes, things were changing, but one thing wasn’t. She still loved her job and she couldn’t wait to get started.

As far as Ava Stanford was concerned, the new term couldn’t start soon enough.

Chapter Four

Hope put the oven on to preheat and started running warm water in the kitchen sink. “It’s not like I never leave the house.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” said Caz, seated comfortably at the kitchen table. “I’m saying that you should get out more as in, you know, get out.”

“You’re saying I should try and meet someone.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

Hope sighed and pulled out a kitchen chair to sit on. “Mum, I’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

“I’ll look after Alice, you know I will.”

“Not really the problem.”

“Then what is?” Caz asked.

Hope pulled a face. She didn’t really know how to answer that question. Maybe because there were too many answers. She wasn’t ready to date again. She wasn’t ready to risk herself, her heart, her trust. And she needed to protect Alice.

Besides, she was busy. What, with a job to do and a child to raise and her mother to look after.

“You’re getting old before your time,” Caz said, leaning forward. “Unnecessarily so in my opinion. There’s nothing stopping you getting out there and finding a new partner, male or female, and building something new.”