Dawning (Dysmorphia Series #3)

Setting Sun

Florence realised as she sprinkled chocolate on top of Cole's cappuccino that she was the happiest that she had possibly ever been in her life, she looked the perfect picture of health and here she was doing things she had vowed she would never do in a relationship, such as making a cutesy breakfast in bed for Cole.

Later on that day she was going to visit Cooper and Sam at their new home, she hadn't quite known what Cooper's big surprise had been until last night when she'd been messaged a picture of keys in Cooper's hand with a lot of happy screeching occurring next as the whole story was accounted to her. 

This year had proved a lot to her, Sam hadn't moved to Phillipson straight away, in fact as far as relationships went he and Cooper had taken things really slow, he'd come on weekends to visit her and Amberly but other than that he'd given them space, space was what they had needed to fix through things and then to come to the conclusion that they were better off together, it made Florence happy that her best friend seemed to constantly have a smile fixed on her face these days, they'd been through so much together and now finally things were looking up.

As she did every morning Florence crossed off  day on her calendar, she'd had one specially printed with twelve images for each month, it was something Johanna, her new therapist had suggested.

"Everyday when you wake up cross off the date and remember all the reasons there are to be happy in the world, remember you are loved and go into your day with only positive thoughts in mind"

It had been Cole who'd made her go and see a therapist in the first place, she'd protested, he'd walked out of her flat after a massive fight and she'd booked herself into a place at Dr Johanna Stevenson's clinic the next day, she had learned that it was better to sometimes accept help, that the whole world wasn't against you if you weren't against yourself.

Amberly's chubby face beamed at her from the calendar, gappy teeth and pink wellingtons brought a smile to Florence's face, children grew up so fast, her goddaughter was already almost two, the thought made her slightly wistful, soon she wouldn't be a baby anymore.

Think positive.

She glanced at her phone screen, it was ten to eight, technically she should be waking up Cole about now but he'd come back at almost midnight yesterday and she couldn't bare to interrupt what had seemed like a peaceful sleep, she checked her phone instead promising herself that she would wake him in three minutes, she didn't want his coffee getting cold.

Her usual notifications greeted her, her inbox had exploded ever since she'd announced that there would in fact be a third book in the Dysmorphia Series at the Oregon book convention, Florence avoided the tabloid offers like the plague, pressing delete on every single one of the offers for promotion, exclusivity and inside interviews. 

She'd learned from her experience with one Sadie Stewart who had sat her down and straight away asked her whether her anxiety sometimes still played up.

"We understand at the Daily Star you see, we know about your... condition and we'd be delighted to do an exclusive piece on how the shrinking violet of Phillipson became a national sensation"

It was the shrinking violet part that had made her leave the cafe, banging the door shut as she went out, tabloids were not your friends she had quickly come to realise, they were in it for the sensational headlines and the money, not for the person who had unwittingly spilled their life secrets into a dictaphone.