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“There are three bedrooms upstairs, though that office space downstairs could also be used as a living space of any kind,” he said, climbing the stairs two at a time.

Caz jogged up behind him.

They’d need safety gates, that was for sure, she thought.

“Okay, single room straight ahead, then the first double to the left of that, bathroom with full suite and shower, and then the master bedroom to the front.”

She moved easily into each room, imagining her bedroom in one, Grace’s room in the other, and a child sleeping soundly in the small room.

Grace was right; there was nothing not to like.

“So, where do we stand with the buyers? Grace said they’re looking for a quick move?”

Clasping his clipboard to his chest, Pete nodded sagely. “Yep. They’ve found a property abroad they want to buy as a holiday home, but there are time constraints. So—

“A deal is to be made?”

“Precisely.”

“Okay…so, I can make an offer now and—”

“I will call them up and let them know, then it’s up to them to agree or not. What figure were you thinking?”

Caz puffed out her cheeks. She hated dealing with money, especially when it felt a bit underhanded, but Grace was the expert so she trusted the process.

“What about a cheeky three three five?” She tried to sound confident and make sure she looked like she knew what the game was.

Pete grinned and pulled his phone out. “I’ll give them a call.” He was already walking away, phone to his ear. She heard him exuberantly say, “Hey, Kathy, yes, it’s Pete from Osgood’s, uh-huh, yes, I do—”

Caz walked to the back of the house and looked out of the bedroom window into the garden. It had a nice patio area where a table and chairs could sit, maybe a barbecue. They’d have their friends round and sit out in the sunshine with a paddling pool.

“Okay, so they’re going to have a think about it,” Pete said, coming back into the room.

“Not a no, then?”

“I’ll be honest, I expect a no, but the fact they’re thinking about it tells me we might not be too far off it.”

Chapter Seven

June 2025

Finally, Caz felt like herself again. Standing in front of the mirror, she adjusted the jacket of her suit and the collar on her shirt.

“I don’t know why you haven’t been snapped up by a hot lesbian,” Grace said from over her shoulder. Once more, they watched each other through the glass. “I mean, you’re literally everything a girl would want: Kind and loyal, funny…” She winked. “Sometimes.”

“Hey, I am funnyallthe time.”

“Maybe that’s the problem—your jokes put them off,” Grace laughed, “whereas, I’ve known you for so long, they’re quite endearing now.”

“Cheek of it.” Caz smiled at her.

The air grew still as they continued to stare at one another, a comfortable silence between them. There were moments during their friendship when Cazdidwonder if they’d be able to cross that line. It was the subtle stuff, nothing too loud, just a little echo of something she could never quite label, but it was there. She was sure she hadn’t imagined it.

She’d always ignored it, pushed it away, and not allowed her curiosity to ruin their friendship. But every now and then,Grace would say something. It wasn’t so muchwhatshe said, but thewayshe said it, and it would pique a question:Did Grace have the same curiosity?

“Right, enough faffing, we have a party to attend.” Grace grinned and headed for the door. She stopped and looked back. “Come on, we’ve already given them enough time to imagine what we’ve been up to.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that.”