Seven Steps to Happiness by Stella Newman

Author:Stella Newman [Newman, Stella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472220097
Publisher: HeadlinePublisher
Published: 2016-06-03T04:00:00+00:00

PART FIVE

‘Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.’

Abraham Lincoln

28

Lenny woke up severely dehydrated and confused, thinking at first that she was in her own bed, then in Amsterdam, before finally realising it was 5 a.m. and she was in a hotel room in Lisbon. It had been silly of her to fly from Amsterdam to Lisbon last night – or rather, silly of her to visit another coffeeshop after Juliet had headed home. Still, positive thinking … She didn’t have to give her speech till noon, which meant she could visit the famous custard tart place after all!

She was first through the door of Pasteis de Belem, and her research proved accurate: these were the greatest custard tarts in the universe – heavy custard with the crispest, crunchiest flakiest pastry. She’d wolfed down two, taken a savoury break with an exceptional ham and cheese toastie, then gone back in for more sweet, when her work phone pinged an email alert. An all-staff memo from Occy: more new Wappen offices, spreading pan-globally like the plague.

To celebrate the opening of our 25th office, in Kyoto, all staff will be given a free sushi lunch and a selfie stick. Shoot your favourite Wappen moment – submit with the hashtag #iheartmyjob to appear on our virtual Wall of Selfies and you could win an Apple Watch.

That had Cooper’s paw print all over it. She was drafting a reply, suggesting The Wall of Selfrees – photos of anything but one’s own face – when Juliet rang.

‘Eight thirty a.m.?’ said Lenny. ‘You’re keen!’

‘I want to get cracking – what’s our next stage, guru?’

Lenny clicked on the app. Hmmm. ‘“Let your body take risks and your mind will follow. Try sky-diving, trapeze, parachute, or find the tallest building in the city and head to the roof.” I presume that doesn’t mean to jump off. OK, so I think the Shard has a restaurant at the top?’

‘Come on, Lenny, let’s be more ambitious!’

‘Let’s not.’

‘SJP did trapeze in Sex And The City and it looked fun.’

Lenny thought back to the episode. SJP had been fearful at the start, but she’d learned to let go – it was all some big metaphor to do with Big or Aidan, she forgot which one.

‘And Martha’s friend had her eighteenth at some circus school in Bromley,’ said Juliet. ‘I’ll google it.’

‘No, don’t. Trapeze is too dangerous.’

‘Their website says they’ve been in business for twenty years, accident free.’

‘They’re hardly going to advertise the broken limbs.’

‘Lenny, we’re doing it.’

‘We’re not.’

‘You owe me.’

‘For what?’

‘Yesterday? Being totally useless and getting stoned when you should have come with me and looked at some amazing paintings?’

‘Oh,’ said Lenny, sadly, reaching for another custard tart. ‘I suppose that is one way of looking at it.’

Juliet hung up from Lenny and booked two tickets for trapeze class on Saturday. She looked out of the window – it was about to rain, but she’d go for a run anyway, it was only water. Then she

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