Page 38 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

As she opened her mouth to speak, all that escaped was a strange gurgle. The prenup. They had signed a prenup. It had been against her wishes. They’d been in love after all. What could go wrong? But she’d done it, scribbled her name on the stiff legal document.

‘Goodbye.’ His voice echoed in her ear, followed by silence. He’d hung up.

She could feel the blood rush from her face as she struggled to steady her breathing. She had nothing. Nothing. He would walk away with everything: the house, their savings, the business. Everything. And she’d be left with nothing.

When Tracey popped her head through the door, all Megan could do was force a smile and nod feebly when Tracey asked, ‘All sorted?’

Megan tried to slow her breathing as Tracey slipped back behind the desk.

‘Ready to try again?’ she asked, taking the card reader and holding it out to Megan.

What should she do? Should she tell her the truth? That she couldn’t pay the bill? That she had no money? That she’d been cut off? What would happen then? Would Tracey call the police? Or let her pay it off once she’d found a job?

She needed a job. That’s what she needed. But how? Who would take her on? An accountant that hadn’t practised in ten years? No one would. Things had probably changed, new policies, new software. They had – she knew that much from the research she’d done whilst making a start on the accounts for Flora. She was penniless and had been out of the workplace for long enough to be deemed unsuitably trained.

‘Megan? Is everything okay? You look very pale.’ Tracey frowned.

‘I… I’m so sorry, but I’m not going to be able to pay my bill right now.’ She clasped her hands in her lap, her knuckles turning white. ‘My soon-to-be ex-husband has cut me off.’

‘Cut you off? From everything?’

Megan nodded. ‘From everything.’

‘Oh dear.’

‘I’m so embarrassed, but I’m going to have to ask you if I can pay the bill when I’ve found a job.’ Megan rubbed her temple as a searing headache encompassed her. ‘I don’t know what else to offer.’

Tracey pursed her lips and shook her head.

‘I’m so sorry.’ Megan could hear her own voice wavering. What else was she supposed to say? How else could she make this right?

‘Oh, love, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry for you.’ Reaching across the desk, she patted Megan’s shoulder before turning to her computer and clicking on the keyboard. ‘It looks as though your previous payments went through just fine, so it’s only this past week that you owe.’

‘Okay.’

‘Now let me see.’ Tracey leaned her elbow on the desk, resting her head on her hand and looked up, thinking, before giving Megan a short smile. ‘Let me make you a proposal. I’ll pop the payment on hold and then when you’ve got yourself a job you start by paying it back to us in instalments. How does that sound?’

‘That sounds amazing. I don’t know what to say.’ Megan relaxed her shoulders a little. ‘You’d really let me do that?’

‘Yes, I would. I’ve been through a difficult divorce myself and if my ex could have wangled it so I’d walked away with nothing, then he would have. We’ve got to stick together, us divorcees, haven’t we?’

‘Thank you.’

‘The only thing is, I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. One week’s missing payment I can live with, but the business just can’t afford to rent rooms free of charge. Do you have someone you can stay with?’

Did she have someone to stay with? She had no one. Megan placed her hands on her knees and pressed down as her legs began to shake. She needed to keep it together.

‘I understand, and you’ve done enough by allowing me to pay you back when I can. Thank you.’ Megan leaned down and retrieved her phone from the floor before standing up and grabbing her bag. ‘I’ll go and pack up my room now. Thank you so much.’

Standing up, Tracey met her gaze. ‘You do have somewhere to stay, don’t you?’

‘Yes, yes. I do. And thank you.’ She pulled open the door and made her way to her room.

Hefting her holdall further up her shoulder, Megan gripped her handbag in one hand and the array of canvas bags brimming with clothes in the other and used her elbow to open the bedroom door. She kicked the door open and leaned back against it as she manoeuvred herself and her bags out into the corridor.

‘Hold on, I’ll get that for you, Megan.’ Lisa ran towards her and held the door just as Megan fought herself and her bags free.

‘Thanks.’

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