Head Over Heels

by Felicity Price

  ‘Like sex,’ Fran laughed.

  ‘You’re joking!’ Helen cried. ‘That was the last thing on my mind.’

  ‘Yes, it’s a bit redundant when you’re already up the duff.’

  ‘Thank God those days are long gone,’ I laughed. ‘I’d hate to be starting all over again …’

  ‘Like Steve,’ Liz threw in. ‘It’s bad enough now they’re teenagers.’

  ‘You’ve certainly done the time for the crime,’ Fran said.

  ‘It’s never-ending,’ Liz said wryly.

  ‘Well, I hope you focus a bit more on yourself from now on, Penny, and a bit less on running around after everybody, trying to keep them all happy,’ Helen said.

  ‘That’s exactly what I’m going to do. No more juggling with jelly. No more trying to satisfy everybody. No more rushing from pillar to post …’

  ‘We’ll see about that, Penny Rushmore.’ Simon came up behind me and ruffled my hair affectionately. ‘You’ve a name to live up to.’

  I leant back into him as he lowered his hand and put his arm around my shoulders.

  I thought about it for a moment. It might just be possible. I’d delivered Adam and Charlotte from clear and present danger; Dad had escaped arrest for manslaughter; Stephanie had escaped with her marriage intact; and Simon had escaped with his life. It seemed that pretty much everything that could go wrong had, and pretty much everything had come right again.

  ‘Maybe I should change my name then,’ I teased. ‘I’m going to have a cruisy year and just take it easy.’

  ‘I’ll believe that when I see it,’ Simon said, smiling. ‘You’d be bored.’ He gave my shoulders an affectionate squeeze. ‘Then again, maybe you could change your name — to something that begins with W …’

  I turned to look at him, eyes wide, astonished. Was that a marriage proposal or what?

  Before I had a chance to say anything, we were interrupted by the arrival of Adam waving my cellphone above his head. At least it looked like my cellphone but its ringtone sounded remarkably like Take It Easy.

  ‘Your phone’s been ringing in your coat pocket,’ Adam said, handing it to me.

  ‘Oh, I wondered where it had got to. Thanks, Adam.’

  I looked at its little blue dial and noticed the caller was Stephanie. She must have left the party and be having another crisis already.

  Should I answer it? Would I? Could I?

  I pushed the off button and Stephanie’s name faded with the light.

  She could wait.

  Acknowledgements

  The Penny Rushmore trilogy wouldn’t have made it to print if it weren’t for the assistance and advice of many friends and colleagues over the past four years. My thanks to you all, and to my readers — especially those who have told their friends how much they enjoyed the books then refused to lend them a copy! The more people who have to buy a book the better!

  Throughout Penny’s frenetic journey of juggling with jelly, I have come to rely on those close to me: my husband Chris, my mum Katharine, my colleagues Christine and Amy, my fellow Sozzle Society members Paddy, Linda, Sue and Vicki, my editor Sarah Ell, and my mentor at Random House, the felicitous Harriet Allan. I would never have made it this far without her.

  For Head Over Heels, considerable thanks are also due to geriatrician Gerald Johnstone.

  Thank you all for helping me on this enjoyable journey. I hope you will be at my side again as my next writing project takes shape.

  Felicity Price

  Copyright

  A RANDOM HOUSE BOOK published by Random House New Zealand 18 Poland Road, Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand

  For more information about our titles go to www.randomhouse.co.nz

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand

  Random House New Zealand is part of the Random House Group New York London Sydney Auckland Delhi Johannesburg

  First published 2010

  © 2010 Felicity Price

  The moral rights of the author have been asserted

  ISBN 978 1 86979 320 3

  This book is copyright. Except for the purposes of fair reviewing no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Layout: Carla Sy

  cover photo: Gettyimages & istock

  Cover design: Matthew Trbuhovic, Third Eye Design

  Printed in Australia by Griffin Press an Accredited ISO AS/NZS

  14001:2004 Environmental Management System printer.