Leah’s dream 60th birthday had taken months to save for and weeks to plan. Now it was all systems go. Sort of… She peered through her car’s windscreen. The rain was getting heavier.
‘Can’t you go faster?’ her front-seat passenger Delia said. ‘At this rate, it’ll be dinner time before we get there.’
‘Better late than never,’ came Irene’s voice from the back.
Leah shot Delia a look. ‘I’m doing my best.’
‘You shouldn’t have turned off the satnav.’
‘She told me to drive off a cliff, remember?’
‘I don’t trust technology,’ Irene said. ‘Follow your nose is my advice.’
‘Look where that’s got us,’ Delia said. ‘We’re in the middle of nowhere. I can’t even find it on the map.’
‘Can we all calm down, please?’ Leah said. ‘We’re not going to enjoy this weekend if all we do is snipe at each other.’
By some miracle, Spike, who shared the back seat with Irene, was staring quietly out of his window.
‘It was supposed to be sunny,’ Delia said. ‘Cold, but clear. No
