Chapter 35

“It was a-mazing,” she says. “I had a glass of champagne and a piece of a fantastic chocolate torte. So good.”

I grin as we cross to the car. “There’s something to be said for having a rich boyfriend.” I open the car and start helping Mum into the passenger seat.

“Absolutely.” Charlie concentrates on getting her suitcase into the boot, helps me attach the wheelchair to the rack at the back that Kip had fitted for me, then gets into the back seat.

I glance at her in the rear-view mirror before starting the engine and pulling away. “Everything okay, sweetie? You’ve lost weight, and you’re

“Oh, just been working super-hard. I’ve got a dissertation this year, and the assessments are coming thick and fast, too.”

“Are you eating well?” Mum asks. Charlie has a student allowance and a loan, and she works in a bar in the evenings and at the weekends, but Mum and I both know money is tight for her. We suspect that, like with a lot of students, her diet suffers occasionally so she can pay her re