Freia Lockhart's Summer of Awful (30 page)

“Mmmm, marshmallow-y,” he said through a mouthful of tail.

“I wanted to say thank you,” I told him. “For being there when I felt all alone.”

“It was my pleasure. In fact, the one good thing that's come out of Nicky going away and your mum getting sick and Dan taking off is that it's given me a chance to get to know you.”

It's weird to hear Jay say that there's a positive side to the Summer of Awful, but when I think about it, it hasn't been all bad. My brownie business is growing, I have great friends who I know I can rely on, Mum's treatment is going well and Dan seems ultra keen to make up for our weeks apart.

“I guess it's like they say,” I told him. “Every cloud has a silver lining.”

A crashing noise in the distance, followed by a string of small explosions, makes me jump.

“It's too early for fireworks,” says Dan, looking in the direction of the crashing, which is now punctuated by the banging of drums.

“It must be time for the lion dance,” says Vicky, jumping up from the bench excitedly.

We follow Vicky back to the stage area. Three feathered and spangled “lions” dance on the stage while three more weave their way through the thick crowd. Even though it's after eleven o'clock and the moon is high in the clear sky above, the little kids around us are too excited to be sleepy. Billy and Tina stand looking up at the stage with their mouths agape, so taken by the whirling gymnastics of the lions that they don't seem to notice the two young guys under each costume. The whole crowd is mesmerised.

“Come on,” says Dan. “Now's the perfect time to make our escape.”

“Where are we going?” I ask as he leads me away from the crowd.

“Somewhere where we'll get a great view of the fireworks. I saw them setting up near the river when we were coming up the hill.”

We walk until we come to the big white Buddha, which gives off a silvery aura in the moonlight. I stop and gaze up at it.

“Do you believe in karma?”

“I'm not sure,” says Dan, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. “It certainly doesn't explain Dr Phil's success. And if you're meant to be good in order to get good stuff back, then I don't think I'd qualify to be with you.”

I turn to face him. “Don't be so hard on yourself. Even Sooz thinks you're a good person, and she's an even harsher judge of character than my gran, who, by the way, thinks you're the cat's knees or the bee's pyjamas or something like that.”

“Well, if those two think so–”

Dan's sentence is cut off by a loud whistling, followed by a bang and a shower of golden sparks. Within a minute the sky is lit up red and green and silver.

“I guess that means it's midnight,” says Dan before his lips brush against mine.

It's only seconds old, but I can tell this is going to be a great year.

Freia's Peanut-Buttery Brownies

Gran's Easy Ganache

There's only one name on the cover of this book, but so many people have helped me make it. My huge thanks and gratitude go to the amazing Walker Books Australia crew, especially my editor, Jess Owen, for her understanding and patience in dealing with an author with an extreme case of baby brain for most of the editing process. Thanks also to Sue Whiting and Nicola Robinson, for their eagle eyes; Gayna Murphy, for the gorgeous design; and Sarah Foster, for giving me the opportunity to take Freia's journey further, and to Superagent Sophie Hamley, for her always-excellent advice.

I am grateful to the many organisations that make excellent, accessible information about breast cancer and its treatment available, especially Breast Cancer Network Australia, Cancer Australia and the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre. Any errors or omissions in interpreting this information are, of course, my own.

As usual, I owe deepest thanks to David, who encouraged me through the bad patches, convinced me to keep going when it looked like I'd (literally) lost the plot and made endless cups of tea for me to cry into. I am so, so lucky.

For Phoebe Marmalade