Minnie Chase Makes a Mistake (33 page)

‘But I want to work out
why
he stopped loving me.’

‘He’s not a prime number, Minnie, he’s a lost cause.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, I am, especially when I think about him with that other woman. When I said he didn’t think he would get caught, I was wrong,’ replied Angie quietly. ‘I think he
did
want to get caught – he’s not stupid.’ 

The truth took the strength out of Minnie’s legs, and she sat down heavily on top of her suitcase. 

Minnie breathed in. The biggest reality check of her life flashed up before her like the information on the departure board. James George didn’t want to be her husband. He probably never did. Husbands-to-be didn’t roll around naked on a bed with someone else even if it was ‘nothing’. He didn’t work hard, in fact he hadn’t worked at all at winning her back, no matter what the time difference was. 

Then she thought about the last time she had seen him; the last words he’d shouted as she ran as fast as she could into the night. No longer lost in the darkness, the five words came back to her now:
Stop, Minnie, I love you…

And this is how she would remember the end of their relationship.

Minnie breathed out. ‘Actually, Angie, I’m going to miss my flight,’ she said.

‘WHAAAT!’ squawked Angie. ‘Then get to your gate, girl, go… go now!’

‘No. I love you, Angie, but I’m not coming back. Not yet.’

‘Oh no. Oh shit. Oh now what?’

‘There is someone else I need to say sorry to.’

‘You’re kidding, right?’

‘No, I’m not, but it’s fine. This time I know
exactly
where to find him.’

‘Wait, not Frosty?’

‘Snowflake. Actually, Jackson.’

Angie laughed. ‘Did you know that no two snowflakes are the same?’

‘That doesn’t surprise me.’

‘I didn’t know you two had a fight.’

‘I hurt him. He was just trying to be a good friend.’

‘Just a good friend?’

‘Yes, definitely, which is a
really
big deal for someone like me.’

Minnie said goodbye to Angie and walked out of the airport. It was still surprisingly light outside with the promise of a stunning sunset. 

The cab driver nodded when she said Mavericks.

‘What takes you to Pillar Point Harbor?’ he asked curiously. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look like a big-wave rider.’

‘People watching,’ said Minnie, feeling surprisingly fine considering she was Officially Heart Broken. 

The car hit the freeway and accelerated in the right direction. Minnie relaxed back into the seat and thought about Angie – her one and only friend. She realised what pressure this must have put on Angie over the years; the responsibility of looking out for Minnie since they were 13 years old. She owed it to Angie to start looking out for herself. Greene, Bachmann and Jackson had made the transition easier.

‘Have you had a good day?’ enquired the driver.

‘It’s been a long one,’ answered Minnie truthfully, ‘and I have a lot less money than I did this morning.’

‘Tell me about it,’ laughed the driver. ‘I work two jobs and still don’t have money in the bank. It’s called an Ex-Wife… or Freedom, depending on which way you look at it.’

Minnie grinned and stared out the window. The coastline opened up in front of them and she studied the vastness of the ocean.

The car pulled to a stop. The driver accepted Minnie’s fare but told her to keep the tip. ‘Are you going to be okay?’ he asked as he put Minnie’s case down in the car park.

‘Oh, yes,’ answered Minnie, nodding her head. ‘I’m going to be fine.’

As the car pulled away, Minnie waved and then walked towards the beach. The giant waves looked insurmountable. She saw black shapes on surfboards – so small from this distance. 

She felt terrified and elated at the same time as she watched the waves rise close to 60 feet and crash down with ferocious power. She marvelled at the tenacity and strength of the human spirit as she thought about people who threw themselves headfirst into formidable surf and somehow, miraculously, came out the other side. 

Acknowledgements

Thanks to: mum and dad, Anne and Donnie, who keep the home fires burning, always; my dear sister, Caroline, who promotes my books like there’s no tomorrow; and nephew Ian; my ‘unofficial’ editor, Dr Kevin Morton, cannonball who is worth his weight in gold, for working on the Minnie manuscript with such dedication and enthusiasm (any mistakes are mine – meddling at the last minute); Penny Lawson and Jane Akers who have been on this fiction trip since the very first draft of Four Widows; Ignite Studio (ignitestudio.co.uk) for the cover design; and, of course, you, the reader – as an indie author, I truly value the support and the reviews.

In addition, mathematician Max Little, who built the machine algorithm that listens to the faults in your voice (parkinsonsvoice.org). Sid Zane is a fictitious character; therefore, all credit goes to Max and his talented team. Also thanks to parkinsons.org.uk; and The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (michaeljfox.org). These organisations are not affiliated with this book; I have consulted them for research purposes only.

Special thanks to my husband, Tim, who surfed into my world on a Manly wave, and our daughter, Libby, for being so good when mummy had to spend time with her imaginary friend, ‘Minnie Cheddar’. Dream big, baby girl. 

About the author

Helen MacArthur has worked as a writer and copy editor on national newspapers and magazines. Other jobs include web and e-commerce content, article and eBooks writing, and ghost writing. She lives in Surrey and escapes to Scotland whenever she can with her husband, young daughter and two guinea pigs, Crystal and Sunny.

Other eBooks available:
Four Widows.

Helen on Twitter:
@hmacbooks