Hearing Richard’s familiar step on the stairs, Jessica looked up from her book. ‘Find anyone?’ she asked. Her husband shook his head. ‘Nope. I heard the shower going in Paige’s room but other than that we’re on our own.’ ‘I take it they didn’t bother leaving a note?’ ‘Nah, but you know what they’re like. They’ve probably all gone over to Nancy’s for a night on Josh’s Switch. Rather her
‘You want one or two?’ Trevor shouted, leaning heavily against the Riveras’ fridge. ‘What do you think?’ Andrew replied. ‘I’ll bring three,’ Trevor chuckled and snatched up half a dozen beers. After stumbling back to the cabin in the evening gloom they had decided to raid the cabin’s fridge, which was fortunately stocked with plenty of booze. Staggering back into the lounge, Trevor dumped his haul onto the coffee table
Jogging through the stunning scenery a broad beam painted Christy’s lips. She hadn’t felt this good in months. The fresh air, the balmy breeze, the pleasant shade of the canopy arching over the path: she couldn’t imagine a better place to start running again. She had packed her running clothes half-expecting to unpack them guiltily the following week, unused and forgotten. As luck would have it, however, she had woken
Crossing one of the many burbling streams that snaked down the mountainside to feed the glittering lake below via a well-worn bridge, Josh, Ashley and Spencer continued to pick their way down the slopes. Mother Nature narrated their progress with a chorus of birdsong and the mournful creaking of old trees in the wind. The trails they navigated were well-used and they wondered how many others had passed this way
With the sun throbbing down and Andrew acting as a human drain, it was a wonder there were any cold beers left in the cooler by the time noon broke by the lake. Nevertheless, by some miracle the mismatched group of sunbathers and swimmers still had ample booze to fuel their day and, not long after noon, Glenn took up one of the frigid bottles, popped the cap and took
The warm breeze meandering through the canopy added a chorus of rustling leaves and creaking boughs to the orchestra of the forest. A dirt path wound through the stands, frayed at the edges by swathes of grass, nettles and low ferns. It was seldom used, evidenced by the gnarled roots that riddled the path with wooden veins, yet as the orchestra played on two figures picked their way up the
Pouring the smoothie into her favourite mason jar Paige stirred it with a paper straw. Clutching the chilly glass she took a long, refreshing gulp and gave a contented sigh. The smoothie almost made it feel like she hadn’t had an entire bottle of wine to herself the night before. It was her favourite thing to drink before her morning run: blueberry, raspberry and mango, with a sprig of mint
Tilting her head to one side as the door opened, Hayley tried to look sexy. Fingers tangled in her hair, she spread her legs just enough for the plaid shirt to ride up and give a peek at her lacey underwear. ‘Hey babe,’ she purred as Will caught sight of her, ‘how do you like my new outfit?’ Her voice dripped with youthful innocence and for one brief, glorious moment
Dropping the suitcase onto her bed, Maddy admired her find. She had always loved vintage things and how they stood out from the crowd of sleek, modern items lining shop shelves and internet pages. They seemed out of place in all the best ways. As such, she had been attracted to them for as long as she could remember. Charity shops were always a good (and affordable) place to start.
Staring up at the bottle-lined shelves behind the bar, Carl wondered if any of them might contain the answers he was looking for. Having so far worked through about half of them he was beginning to suspect not, but with a swelling rock of misery throbbing in his chest he could not think of any other option besides testing out the rest. With doleful eyes, he glanced down at his
