Wednesday, 19 June

The morning after arranging to meet Alix, Josie studies herself in the mirror and puts on mascara, bronzer, lip balm, and a favorite denim dress. Josie wants to look good for Alix but avoids explaining the effort to Walter, who is working by the window. Before leaving with Fred, Josie pauses outside Erin's room, wanting to look in on her daughter but unable to face what is inside.

On the walk, Josie carries Fred in his dog carrier and remembers using baby slings for Erin and Roxy, despite Walter's contempt for them. Josie spots Alix on Salusbury Road, and the two greet each other with kisses, which unsettles Josie because she is not used to such intimacy. Alix takes Josie to a trendy coffee shop and pays, calling the meeting a business expense, which makes Josie feel that the podcast idea is becoming real.

Alix explains that Josie's proposal is unlike her usual completed stories because the ending is still unknown. That uncertainty has made Alix interested: Josie has promised that the story will be worth following, and Alix thinks listeners may feel the same. Alix proposes a new one-off podcast, separate from All Woman, built around Josie's life, locations from her past, the traumas Josie mentioned, and what Josie plans to do next to escape her trap.

Alix suggests the title Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin!, using the words Josie first said to Alix at the Lansdowne, and frames their meeting as the spark of an unpredictable journey. Josie is overwhelmed by the thought of Alix's audience hearing her story, but she focuses instead on the idea of being alone with Alix in the studio and sharing what she needs to say. Josie agrees to try a test recording at Alix's house, with the option to walk away if she dislikes it.

When Josie returns home, Walter notices that she has had coffee and asks whether she went alone. Josie starts to tell him but stops because she believes Walter would be horrified and would talk her out of the podcast, so she says she met a mother from the girls' old primary school. The explanation is technically true, and Walter does not press her, though the narration links his lack of involvement in the girls' schooling to an earlier incident with social services when Erin was in year six.

Walter then notices Josie's dress and says she looks lovely and very slim. Josie accepts the compliment, but Walter's smile has no warmth, leaving the exchange uneasy. By the end of the chapter, Josie has committed to beginning the podcast while deliberately keeping it from Walter.