Page 1 of Sunsets and Happy Ever Afters

CHAPTER 1

Three months later

Maya, tucked away in the corner of her favourite coffee shop with Emma, took a sip of her skinny latte. “If I go to another candle or card party, I think I might scream.”

“Or another child’s birthday party,” Emma mumbled into her coffee cup.

“Exactly! Right now, it’s my only form of socialising. It’s the closest I get to going out.”

“And you won’t meet a new man at an Avon party!” Emma added.

Maya rolled her eyes. Herewego.

With it raining and blowing a gale outside, Portishead’s seafront was looking particularly bleak and grey, and the café was a cosy refuge from the icy January wind. Maya warmed her hands around the latte glass as Emma fixed her dark brown eyes on her.

Emma Thear had been Maya’s best friend since Amber and Emma’s son, Finley, had been born within two hours of each other. Bedside buddies in the maternity ward in St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol, they’d helped each other with breastfeeding and nappy changing, plus sharing the worries only new mothers had. Then, just over two years later, and three weeks apart, Maya had given birth to Lewis and Emma had had Owen, cementing their relationship further. Over the years they’d become quite a team; Emma was a mobile hairdresser, so she cut and coloured Maya’s hair and in return Maya would give her perfect nails — or the odd, much-needed back massage.

Emma was Maya’s physical opposite with her long auburn hair, brown eyes and voluptuous figure. And when out together, she always attracted the attention of men, even though she was the married one.

“Hmmm … I’m not sure,” Maya said, ignoring Emma’s comment. “But I do know the kids have a better social life than me. Every other week there’s a birthday party to attend.”

“You need a date!” Emma was always unfailingly forthright, and her current favourite subject was finding Maya a boyfriend. “It’s been nearly two years now, Maya. You need to start dating again. New year, new you!”

They had an hour before they had to pick up their kids from school. This was their regular Monday afternoon treat: a catch-up over coffee. It had started years ago, when Amber and Finley were asleep in pushchairs, then as the children started pre-school, they’d meet at this café because of the play park outside. While Amber and Finley played, Lewis and Owen would be asleep in pushchairs — if timed right.

Now, they got to relax and talk, undisturbed. A small part of Maya did miss pushing the kids on the swings — it meant they’d grown up, and no longer needed her for some things. Today, however, with Emma’s nagging, Maya wasn’t finding the catch-up quite so relaxing.

“Emma, we’ve been over this. I’m not sure I’m ready. I’m quite happy being single,” she lied. She did miss cuddles on the sofa, watching the TV, sharing a bottle of wine, the intimacy…

“You’re not even forty.” Maya would be thirty-nine in May. “You should be dating, being wined and dined…” Emma added.

“How am I going to meet anyone? I’ve got the kids, remember. Kyle has them once a month — if I’m lucky! And all my friends are happily married.”

She knew a couple of friends who were also divorcing, but if truth be told, a heavy night out wasn’t Maya’s style. She’d been there, done that in her early twenties. Her days of burning the candle at both ends were over. She was too knackered running around after two kids.

She’d started to enjoy her girls’ nights out with the mums from school, and she’d figured that if someone was going to come along, then they would. But those nights out happened rarely. Emma was right — she did miss the company of a man, but she could hardly afford to get dolled up and go out every Saturday night in the hope she might meet someone. And one-night stands weren’t really her thing. Her ex-husband, Kyle, had only been her third boyfriend, and he had been the love of her life — until he’d cheated on her.

“You don’t have to leave your front room, silly. These days, everyone meets online.”

Maya screwed up her face. Emma had mentioned online dating in the past, but Maya didn’t like the idea of it. It made sense in some ways, but she wasn’t convinced it worked. She’d met all her previous boyfriends while out socialising, and they’d shared that instant attraction that had grown the more they’d been together. With Kyle, it had very quickly turned into love rather than infatuation. But back then, she hadn’t had two children and responsibilities like a business and a mortgage.

Emma sipped her coffee, swallowed then said, “Why don’t you ask Selina? She met her bloke online.”

“I don’t know…” Maya placed her empty latte glass on the coffee table.

“Talk to her tonight at the PTA meeting.” Emma looked at Maya sternly. “Please, for me, give it a try.”

Maya chuckled. “For you?”

“You know what I mean. I think you need to get out there. Be brave, Maya, like you once were.”

“I am brave. I don’t think I have the time — that’s all.”

“Excuses, excuses.” Emma rolled her eyes. “You’re beautiful. You’ll be snapped up in a flash.”

Maya doubted that very much. Yes, she was blonde with blue eyes, and didn’t look too bad with make-up on — which she wore most days due to her work. But in all honesty, it was her confidence holding her back. But would she get any more confident leaving it longer? She feared finding no one once her looks were gone. She’d been with Kyle for so long he was all she knew — she hadn’t had a relationship with anyone since he’d left. Twoyearswithoutsex. She was too young to be celibate. But Kyle had loved her before children, when her breasts could stay up without a bra, and after, with the stretchmarks and post-pregnancy body.

“Go on, Maya, what have you got to lose?” Emma insisted. She wiped her hands on a napkin, then flicked her hair back over her shoulders.

---