Never Saw You Coming
Page 33
And if Jim was here, what good could come from us seeing each other anyway, when we live so far apart? I mean, perhaps it would have been lovely to sit down face-to-face over a drink. But when it comes to Jim and me, it’s always been perhaps. Which is why it never was.
The sun has started to lower. Through the pub windows it casts a sharp orange hue against the overbearing greyness of the sidewalk. I twist around, catch a glimpse of the gang again, all talking loudly over one another. I’m going to go home and pour myself a nice cold gin and tonic, add a slice of lime, open the windows and put a record on. Fleetwood Mac, maybe.
I leave the Pacific Arms, and there, on the street; there he is.
‘I would say, fancy seeing you here,’ Jim says. ‘But, you live here.’
‘And you don’t,’ I say.
He’s holding a portion of chips from Wong’s wrapped in paper, a salty warmth that I’m more than familiar with lacing the short space between us.
‘Hungry?’ I ask.
‘Not particularly. Mr Wong only gave them to me when he realised I’d been waiting so long.’
‘Why? Is Wong’s really busy tonight?’
‘No, love,’ he says, taking a step closer to me. ‘Wong’s isn’t really busy tonight.’
‘Oh. So why were you waiting so long?’
Jim gives me that one-sided smile and I can’t work out whether he’s amused or irritated.
‘Oh!’ I say.
‘Yep,’ he says.
‘You weren’t waiting for chips, were you?’
‘Nope.’
And as we stand there between the pub and the chip shop, in a place that we’ve both had the pleasure of calling home, there is no almost. There is no perhaps.
All there is is now.
Acknowledgements
This book was born from a journey in itself, from taking a risk after being stuck in a rut and turning that risk into a whole new life. So an eternal thank you must go to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, for becoming my second home for seven years. To all the wonderful expats I lived and worked amongst, from the forever friends to the acquaintances; we made memories to cherish always. All of you opened my eyes and my heart to something new, something different. Thank you.
And, of course, thank you to the city of Liverpool, a place I’m lucky to always call home.
A huge thank you to Camilla Bolton, my agent at Darley Anderson. Camilla, you got me. To the Rights and TV/Film team at Darley Anderson; Mary, Kristina and Georgia, and Sheila in TV and Film; to Celine Kelly, for your initial belief in this story, and to Roya Sarrafi-Gohar for reading with such a sharp eye for detail. Thank you all so much. To Helen Huthwaite and her lovely team at Avon, HarperCollins, thank you for welcoming me to your family with so much warmth and smiles.
Thank you to David Runacre-Beck for the broken brainstorming chats between chasing toddlers around London; to Owen Walters for his super-sharp and efficient advice on flashy cars; to DC David Purcell for the facts and helping to keep them creative; to Rose-Mary and Luca and their delightful staff at Two Spoons, Honor Oak Park, where I endlessly wrote over brunch, lunch and coffee (decaf while pregnant!).
For supporting and believing, I’m eternally grateful to my Scouse family. Angela and Paul – my mum and dad – you allowed me to dream whilst keeping my head screwed on.
And thank you to Oli, who I dedicate this book to. My husband, best friend and wonderful daddy to our bears, you’ve been by my side long before the first word and you’re always on the journey with me.
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An unforgettable love story that will grab your heart with a twist to break it.
Click here to find out more about Hannah Sunderland’s gorgeous debut novel.
About the Author
Born in Liverpool in 1981, Hayley Doyle trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, LIPA, and worked as an actress for more than a decade, including playing Ali in West End show Mamma Mia! She then went on to live and work in Dubai, where she founded Hayley’s Comet: a children’s theatre company specialising in musical theatre, acting and playwriting. During her time in Dubai, she was also a regular talk-show host on Dubai Eye 103.8, the UAE’s no.1 English-speaking talk radio station. Hayley currently lives in London with her husband and their two children.
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