Lost for WORDS

Clare shivered, her breath coming out as clouds in the freezing air. Her hands and feet were so cold that any sensible person would have gone home. She glanced at Izzy asleep in her wheelchair, tucked up beneath several blankets, and decided on one last tour of the town centre, just in caseÉ

It was pointless, really. Jack obviously wasn’t coming. She’d been stood up. Not that it had been a proper date or anything. They just met for coffee every Saturday lunchtime – a casual arrangement between acquaintances. Nothing more than that.

Except that it had become the highlight of her week. A week of filling shelves at the supermarket and looking after Izzy. Her life for the past seven years.

Clare manoeuvred the wheelchair along the pavement. Her limbs felt heavy with disappointment. She scanned the crowds of shoppers, hoping to catch sight of him.

It was foolish to think there could be anything between them. At 28, Jack was 10 years younger and full