Me and You. Claudia Carroll

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      CLAUDIA CARROLL

       Me and You

      To my old* pal, Karen Nolan.

      With love and thanks, always.

      *though when I say old, she’s actually really young.

      *(Ok, so maybe she told me to write that last bit.)

      Hands trembling, heart palpitating, she recognised the handwriting instantly.

       I’m fine. I’m sorry.

       Please take care of him for me.

       And maybe one day I’ll get to explain.

      Table of Contents

       Title Page

       Dedication

Part One: The Lady Vanishes

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Part Two: Forget Me Not …

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Part Three

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-One

       Chapter Twenty-Two

       Chapter Twenty-Three

       Chapter Twenty-Four

       Chapter Twenty-Five

       Acknowledgements

       About the Author

       By the same Author

       Copyright

PART ONE

       Chapter One

      Christmas Eve,The Sanctuary Spa, 9.30 a.m.

      My birthday. My actual birthday and I’ve just been stood up.

      No hang on, keep reading, it gets worse. By my best friend. In the same week I was turfed out of a flat I really loved, (and v. annoyingly, after the landlord had finally got round to getting Sky Atlantic in). In the same month I lost a job I loved even more. In the same year I got dumped by the man I loved most of all. Bastard not even having the good grace to leave me for someone younger or thinner.

      Will spare you the details. Whole other story for a whole other day.

      9.44 a.m.

      Maybe Kitty’s just a tiny bit delayed? Then suddenly I think, maybe it’s me? Maybe I got the day wrong?

      Remind myself; it’s my birthday. Got the day right. No question.

      Have to accept it; definitely in stood-up territory here.

      9.52 a.m.

      V., v. weird. Can’t quite get my head around the fact she’d do this to me. Today of all days. Getting a bit wobbly lipped and almost on the verge of tears now.

      9.53 a.m.

      Wouldn’t mind, but this whole spa day was Kitty’s idea, not mine. She booked it, made appointments, even made brekkie and lunch reservations at the Spa Café, the whole works. Not a chance in hell of my being able to afford it right now, for starters. But Kitty insisted, said it was my birthday treat. Said it was something she really wanted to do, to make it up to me for having had the single shittiest, annus horribilis anyone ever had to suffer. Kitty’s like that, though, ridiculously generous. Would gladly give away her last bean. Can’t even walk down a street without running into the nearest Starbucks to buy a sandwich and a hot drink every time she sees a homeless person. But now … is it really possible that she just hasn’t turned up? Has even forgotten?

      Anyone else I know, not a chance. Absolutely none whatsoever. But reluctantly, I have to admit with Kitty? Meh. Very distinct possibility.

      9.55 a.m.

      This is ridiculous! I’m a complete and utter bitch for not even giving my best friend in the whole world the benefit of the doubt! Because she will get here, I just know it.

      9.56 a.m.

      She doesn’t, though. Kitty was supposed to meet me for a big birthday brekkie at eight this morning; she’s really, seriously late now. So late, I’m actually starting to palpitate, but