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“It’s a very promising opportunity and, looking at all the numbers, a financial one too. I would be surprised if your offer is not accepted.”

My accountant looks over the proposal and the confirmation from the bank of the loan. “Are you ready to move to the other end of the country? It seems to have come out of the blue.”

Should I tell him? It will lead to more questions. But if I get my offer accepted, especially after the first was turned down, I won’t be seeing him again. “I grew up there.”

Colin raises an eyebrow. I shouldn’t have expected anything else. In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never mentioned my childhood. Very few people know my past. It’s so far behind me in years as well as memories. The only time I go back there in my mind is when I think of Ben and the way he made me feel, how one touch from him had me wanting so much more. I gave it to him. I gave him everything, including my heart. For the first couple of years at university, I tried to screw him out of my head, but he wouldn’t leave. No one has ever made me feel the way he did. Even now, it’s him I imagine when I’m alone in bed.

“I best get going. Thanks for your help, Col.”

I stand and take the folder he offers.

“Good luck, and don’t go without us having a pint.” He grins.

As I walk briskly down the street to the car park, my phone rings. The Scottish winter wind is cruel as it whips around my ears and neck. “Hello.”

I have to raise my voice over the wind.

“Jethro, it’s Stacey.”

I stop in the middle of the pavement. Someone has to dodge me, grumbling as they pass. I nip into a lane between two shops to get out of the cold. “Hi.”

I don’t want to ask if my offer has been refused. She can let me down gently.

“I have news. Your offer has been accepted. Isn’t that great?”

I can hear the smile in her voice. It warms me through the freezing weather.

“Really? Oh my god, Stacey, that’s more than great news. Wow!”

I shove my free hand through my hair, knocking off the beanie I pulled on outside Colin’s office. “What do I have to do next?”

She runs through the procedure and timeline of the sale to go through smoothly. When we end the call with a promise of getting back in touch tomorrow, my cheeks hurt from smiling.

The smile is still on my face when I walk back into the surgery building and give Maeve a thumbs up. She does a little squee. The partners and the staff have been supportive of my decision to move on. I think they were surprised I’d stayed so long. It’s been a good place to start. I’ve learnt so much away from the university teachings.

Now it’s time to face my demons and maybe punch them in the throat.

I give Maeve the option of flying down again, but she chooses to drive with me. She sold her car, which was so old it wouldn’t make the long journey. For the first one hundred and fifty miles, her cat is yowling, but then it settles down, and the trip is going uneventful. Isla, my black lab, is getting bored from looking out the window and falls asleep in the back seat.

Finally, we arrive in Calston Cove. We’re staying at Ivan’s Airbnb again until the work on the little cottage that came with the practice is ready for habitation. It’s been Gurney’s home for a long time and dated. I haven’t seen it yet, but it can wait until tomorrow.

We don’t plan to open for a few weeks. The practice is so outdated I want to get the whole place remodelled first. I want a whole new experience for the customer, and I need to employ a new receptionist, seeing as the old one decided to retire when Mr Gurney passed away.

Stacey told me that Drew, her brother, still lives in Calston Cove and is a builder. No surprise. He was always into that kind of shit at school. I check out his website. The reviews all sing his praises, and some of the photographs are impressive, including the one of the old Mill House we all used to hang out in. He’s at the top of my list of people to call tomorrow.

“Come on, girl. Time to stretch your legs,”

I say to Isla, who jumps out of the back of the car, and just like any other labrador, she springs around with all the energy and enthusiasm of a puppy. I could do with some fresh air and stretch my legs, my whole body really. Eight hours in a car is not good for my back. Maeve is carrying the cat basket inside. “I’m going to take Isla for a walk,”

I call back to her.

After attaching Isla’s lead to her collar, I wander down the street into the town that brings back many memories. The conscious decision not to think of any negative parts of my past allows me to look at my surroundings with new and eager eyes, ready to make new memories. It only takes me five minutes to come out of the small housing estate and onto the high street leading down to the beach. Isla gives a yip of excitement and bounces towards the steps.

As we reach the row of cars parked in front of the steps down to the beach, we’re forced to stop and allow a group of ten runners to pass. Why are people out running on a cold early November night? I let my gaze roam over their faces. I get some flashes of recognition as well as a couple of curious glances. But before I can put any names to the faces, they’re speeding up and sprinting away from me. The pathway is clear for us to cross, and we head down to the beach.

For the next ten minutes, I let Isla race around. She darts down to the sea and back again, barking happily at me, wagging her tail frantically the whole time. We need to wrap it up when it’s too cold to hang around any longer. “Come on, girl. Let’s go home to get warm.”

The walk back is quicker as rain decides to join the cold wind. We’re both ready for a warm house and a towel to dry off.

“I’ve ordered a pizza,”

Maeve says as we walk back through the door. “It will be twenty minutes.”

“Great, thanks. I’m going to get her fed, then jump into the shower.”

As I walk down the stairs, the doorbell buzzes. “I’ll get it,”

I say over Isla’s enthusiastic barking.

The kid at the door smiles politely and hands over the box of excessively greasy, carb-loaded meat and cheese delight. My stomach rumbles as I carry it through to the kitchen. Maeve has a wad of kitchen roll ready on the table. She knows, like me, that pizza tastes better straight from the box.

“Do we have a plan for tomorrow?”

Maeve asks around a huge bite.

I nod, swallowing my food. “Yep, first I want to get a good look around the surgery and the cottage, then call the builder. He’s a guy I knew from before. I want to see if and when he can start.”

“I think being back here is going to be good for you, Jet.”

I sure hope she’s right.