Midsummer Magic by Julia Williams Page B

miserable. Life hadn’t quite panned out the way she’d thought From such promising beginnings, when she’d got promotion after promotion in the travel company she worked for, her career had stalled of late. The global recession had meant big cutbacks in her industry. And now she was beginning to think the unthinkable; maybe her job wasn’t safe. The text she’d received before losing the signal had been ominous. Perhaps her dad had been right all those years ago. She should have done that law degree. The world always needed lawyers.
    She heard her phone give a familiar beep. Brilliant, there must be a signal up here. Two seconds later she wished she hadn’t checked.
Sorry to have to tell you but your services are no longer required
, followed by dozens of texts from work colleagues similarly affected. Overnight the company had gone into liquidation and everyone had been given the sack. Shit, shit, shit. Now what was she to do? She could just imagine Dad’s reaction when she told him.
    Stop, stop, stop. Old familiar feelings of self-hatred surged through her. Dad couldn’t be right. Otherwise the life she’d carved for herself over the last few years was meaningless.
    That was why Ant had seemed so special, of course. He’d been the first person to see through her spiky defences and find the real Diana, the vulnerable Di she kept hidden from the world. And for a time they’d been happy. She’d been properly happy, for perhaps the only time in her life. And then … he’d let her down. As everyone did. Ant had reminded her why she didn’t let anyone get close to her, why she didn’t trust anyone. She’d vowed never to make that mistake again, and up till now, she’d been true to her word.
    But Ant, here; this weekend, when it was all about Josie and Harry and their marriage (despite having eschewed it for herself, she loved her friends and was genuinely happy for them). It was unsettling looking at him, and remembering a time when life had been very different.
    This was no good at all. She and Ant were history. Diana took one last look at the view, and got up. Time to get back before they sent out a search party. No point letting Ant get to her. After the weekend she wouldn’t have to see him till the wedding, and then he could disappear out of her life again. This time she hoped, for ever.

Chapter Six
    ‘Do you really think that Freddie can hypnotise people?’ Josie was laughing at Ant, who was pontificating once more about the conversation he’d had with the wonderful Freddie. He’d talked about nothing else since they came back from the pub, when Harry had whispered a hurried apology for staying out so long. Josie had never seen Ant so in awe of anyone. It was quite funny, as was the idea that he thought it was so real. Josie was a complete sceptic about that kind of thing. ‘I thought all of that was just nonsense for the TV.’
    Laughing at Ant was at least making her not so cross with Harry, who’d been behaving like a naughty little schoolboy since he came back. Why could he not just stand up to Ant and have come back at a sensible time?
    ‘No, straight up. I went to see him when I was still at school. He could do it, definitely. He had people dancing with complete strangers on the stage, doing handstands. All sorts. You couldn’t have faked it!’
    ‘They might have been plants,’ suggested Di, who had found her way back from the Standing Stones a few minutes earlier. She seemed flushed and thoughtful, but was making an effort to talk to Ant.
    Ant bridled, ‘I don’t see how everyone could have been a plant,’ he said. ‘At one point he had the whole audience doing the
Birdy Song
. Well, I don’t quite remember doing it myself – I just remember him talking and standing up in the aisles with everyone else – it’s weird, I’ve watched that episode and
everyone
took part.’
    ‘Mass hallucination,’ said Josie swiftly. ‘Don’t believe a word of it.’
    They were sitting round