One Day With You

ONE DAY WITH YOU SHARI LOW CONTENTS On This Day We Meet… 9 February 2023 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 10 A.M.–12 Noon Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Noon – 2 p.m. Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 10 p.m. – Midnight Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Midnight – 8 a.m. Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Epilogue More from Shari Low About the Author About Boldwood Books To Caroline Ridding, the best editor and friend a writer could have. To Jade Craddock and Rose Fox, who go above and beyond to turn my words into books. And to John and our brood, who are, as always, everything. xx ON THIS DAY WE MEET… Tress Walker, 42 – interior designer, originally from Newcastle, Tress was working in Glasgow on the day she met her husband, Max. Now pregnant with their first, much-wanted child. Max Walker, 35 – finance director at Bralatech, raised in Weirbridge and has now returned to live there with his wife, Tress. Noah Clark, 35 – paediatrician at Glasgow Central Hospital, Max’s best mate since childhood, just celebrated his eleventh wedding anniversary with his wife, Anya. Anya Clark, 34 – sales director at Bralatech, daughter of an American dad and Scottish mum. She met Noah and Max on her first day at Glasgow University and has been with Noah ever since. Nancy Jenkins, 66 – widowed after losing her husband of over 40 years, Peter, to cancer. School dinner lady, head of Neighbourhood Watch, force of nature. Eddie Mackie, 66 – Nancy’s teenage boyfriend. Val Murray, 66 – Nancy’s friend since they met at Weirbridge Primary School a million years ago. Married to Don, the love of her life, and heartbroken that her wonderful man has dementia. Big Angie, 50 – another of Nancy’s friends and neighbours, a bus driver and fond of sharing her menopause woes with the world. Johnny Roberts, 66 – an old school pal of Val and Nancy. Dr Cheska Ayton, 35 – head of A&E at Glasgow Central Hospital and Noah’s friend since medical school. Dr Richard Campbell, 44 – head of ICU at Glasgow Central. Georgina and Colin Walker, both 66 – Max’s free-spirited parents, who live in Cyprus and love a good time. 9 FEBRUARY 2023 8-10 A.M. 1 TRESS The two furrowed stress lines between her husband’s brows made Tress smile. If he carried on like this, Max Walker was going to have aged ten years before their baby was born. He dropped his overnight case on the hall floor and reached for her, his voice matching the anxiety on his gorgeous face. ‘Damn, I don’t want to leave you. It’s such crap timing. I’ll be back tomorrow night, though, so keep that little guy safe and warm in there and tell him to take it easy.’ The beeping horn of the taxi outside forced a pause before she could reply. Out of habit, Tress’s hand rested on the space-hopper-like curve of her belly. ‘Stop worrying. We’ve still got three weeks to go, and if he’s anything like me, he’ll be late because he’s floating around in there having a chill time to himself.’ It still gave her a thrill to say ‘he’. They’d thought about waiting until the birth to find out the sex of the baby, but only for about five minutes before dismissing the idea. Max was desperate to know because he couldn’t bear the suspense, and the interior designer in Tress wanted a heads up so she could start dreaming about the perfect nursery. ‘Now go. Have fun. Stop fretting. Be brilliant. Then come home tomorrow night and feel up your wife,’ she teased, stretching over her bump to kiss him on the lips. His hand came up to her neck, cupping it, his thumb gently rubbing her cheek. ‘Do you have any idea how much I love you, Tress Walker?’ he murmured, his face still so close she could smell the lingering minty aroma of his toothpaste. ‘Enough to get me knocked up and saddle yourself to me until the end of time.’ He grinned as he kissed her again. ‘Exactly. It was your romantic outlook and sweet tender words of love that got me.’ Another beep from outside. A giggle caught in her throat as she nudged him away. ‘Yeah, well, doesn’t sound like your taxi driver is feeling the love, so move your impressively tight arse so he’ll stop pressing that bloody horn. Nancy next door will take him out with a swift right hook if he carries on with that.’ She wasn’t wrong. There was a reason there had been no crime in the street since Nancy Jenkins became the head of Neighbourhood Watch for this area of Weirbridge. Originally a quaint village just outside Glasgow, it had now grown to the size of a small town, and with that came the occasional crime. Nancy, who was the most big-hearted sweetheart of a woman, unless she was crossed, knew everyone in the village, so, even though she officially qualified for a pension, a bus pass, and a quiet life, she’d volunteered to protect the streets. Even the local scumballs were terrified of the woman who once caught a thief trying to break into her house and threatened to puncture his kidneys with her knitting needles if she ever saw him again. He was relieved when the police took him into custody. Another beep. ‘Max stuck his head out of the open front door and shouted, ‘Okay, okay.’ Tress’s heart melted at the sight of his still-furrowed brow. The conference couldn’t have come at a worse time. As the