Lost & Found (33 page)

‘Maybe he was just a product of his mother.’

‘Perhaps, but I misjudged Pete too. I was awful to him, blamed him for my father’s disappearance,
yet I was so wrong. He’s a wonderful man who has taken us all under his wing.’

‘Yes, and Tommy is probably a smashing bloke too, but you won’t even give him a chance. Why not risk it, Mavis? A date doesn’t commit you to anything. If it doesn’t work out you can tell him to bugger off.’

Rhona’s words sunk in and at last Mavis smiled. There hadn’t been any dates with Alec, hardly any chance to get to know him before they married. If she went out with Tommy it would have to be different. She would want them to take things slowly, to get to know each other first, and then maybe, just maybe…

‘So, what are you going to do?’ Rhona asked.

Mavis had come to a decision and felt a surge of excitement. Yes, she’d do it, but it would be on her terms.

‘I’m going to ring Tommy, and he’s going to get the shock of his life. This time it’s going to be
me
asking
him
out.’

My thanks go to a very special man, Steve Armitage of TheWebShop, who came to my rescue when I had a huge problem with my computer. Without thought of reward he kindly gave hours of his time to find my lost data and without him this book would never have been finished by the deadline.

Thanks, Steve, and may your web design business here in Spain go from strength to strength.

Kitty Neale was raised in South London and this working class area became the inspiration for her novels. In the 1980s she moved to Surrey with her husband and two children, but in 1998 there was a catalyst in her life when her son died, aged just 27. After joining other bereaved parents in a support group, Kitty was inspired to take up writing and her books have been
Sunday Times
bestsellers

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By the same author:

Nobody’s Girl
Sins of the Father
Family Betrayal
Desperate Measures

This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are
the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is
entirely coincidental.

AVON

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A Paperback Original 2009
1

First published in Great Britain by
HarperCollins
Publishers
2009

Copyright © Kitty Neale 2009

Kitty Neale asserts the moral right to
be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library

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EPub Edition © 2009 ISBN: 9780007336869

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