by Katy Cannon
“Your dad told me how neat and tidy you liked things,” Mabel observed as we watched Willa’s performance. “I assumed you were being messy because you didn’t like me. Turns out, that’s just Willa.”
“Sorry,” I said, for what had to be the hundredth time.
Mabel shrugged. “I should have figured it out sooner, was all I was thinking.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m kind of glad you didn’t,” I said. “I think we’ll have a nicer visit now.”
“Me too,” said Mabel.
Willa zipped up my suitcase again and wheeled it over to me. “So.”
“So,” I echoed.
“We should really do this again sometime,” Willa said, her eyes dancing with mischief.
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing.
“No, I mean it!” Willa spun me round so we were both facing the adults. “Alice and I have been thinking. We really have become friends this summer – and we’ve both made friends in London and Italy too. We’d hate to never see them – or each other – again.”
Willa’s dad exchanged a look with Mabel and Sofia. “So, what were you thinking?”
“I’m so glad you asked!” Willa said lightly, but I knew she wasn’t joking. Being asked what she wanted for a change was one of the things this summer had been about. “I think that next summer, Alice and I should get to holiday together. A week in Italy with Aunt Sofia, and another week in London with Mabel and Alice’s dad. What do you think?”
“You didn’t ask me what I wanted,” I muttered to Willa as the grown-ups huddled to discuss.
“Did I need to?” Willa asked. “I figured that after being you for three weeks I knew what you wanted – the same as I do. Right?”
I thought about a week in Italy with Luca and the others, but this time as myself, and with Willa along too to join in the fun. And then I considered having her to keep me company in London if I had to stay with Mabel.
“Yeah, OK. You were right.”
“I knew it!” Willa beamed with satisfaction. “And maybe you can even come out to LA and stay before then, if you’d like?”
“Sounds brilliant.”
The grown-ups separated again and turned to look at us.
“Well?” Willa asked.
“I’ll need to talk to Alice’s dad,” Mabel warned.
“And we’ll need to factor it into our discussions about holidays,” Willa’s dad added, while her mum nodded along.
“But since you’ll probably just figure out some other way to make it happen if we don’t agree,” Sofia said, grinning, “I think it sounds like a great idea.”
“Yes!” Willa threw her arms round my shoulders and we hugged each other tightly.
I felt like I was back at Cascata della Fuga once more. I’d see Luca again. And Rosa and Antonio and Mattias and Sofia and Achilles and Hercules and even the chickens.
Most of all, I’d get to keep the friendship I’d built with Willa.
And maybe I even had the chance of building a new relationship with Mabel. Not with her as my mother, but as another part of my family.
If my summer swap had taught me anything, it was that family could be found anywhere – and you could never have too much of it.
Mine had definitely grown this summer. And I couldn’t be happier about it.
WILLA: Good luck with your dad tomorrow.
ALICE: Thanks. And good luck with your negotiations with your parents.
ALICE: Let me know how it goes.
WILLA: Will do. You too.
WILLA: We need to start making plans for the holidays…
ALICE: Definitely!
WILLA: I was thinking, do you reckon if we told Mabel we were in Italy and Sofia that we were in London, anyone would notice if we skipped off to Disneyland Paris for a week next summer…?
Acknowledgements
Any book I write is always the result of a huge amount of support from others – all of whom have my heartfelt thanks. For The Switch Up, I’d particularly like to thank:
• My agent, Gemma Cooper, for not laughing when I said, ‘Okay, so, new idea: two fourteen year olds meet at an airport and swap lives for the summer’
• My publisher, Stripes, and everyone there who has worked so hard to make this book a reality, including the people below (but not limited to, because I’m bound to forget someone! If it’s you, I’m really sorry and I love you really)
• The fantastic editors who worked on this book with me; Rachel Boden, Emma Young, Ella Whiddett and the always awesome Ruth Bennett
• Paul Coomey and Sara Mognol for designing a cover I absolutely adore
• Leilah Skelton, Lauren Ace and Charlie Morris, for getting the book out into the world and into readers’ hands through great publicity and marketing strategies
• Elle Waddington for taking the book overseas and finding even more new readers through foreign rights deals
• Team Cooper, always, for support, love, and amazing advice at all hours
• My husband, Simon, for simply being the best person anyone ever married
• My daughter, Holly, for being my first reader and laughing in all the right places
• My son, Sam, for cuddles at vital moments, and putting up with pasta and pesto for dinner every night when I’m on a deadline
• The Cannon Family Singers, for constant WhatsApp entertainment. Also for being incredible parents and brothers
• All the Cannons, Watsons, Reeveses, Whitleys, Nichols, McAleavys, Quigleys, Freemans and Woods, for showing me what true family means and why it matters so much
• My incredible friends, for demonstrating daily what great friendship looks like, and how to support the people we love. Thank you all for loving and supporting me, always. Also for the tea, cake, spreadsheets and takeaway curry
• My wonderful readers – especially every single person who messaged or emailed to ask when my next book was coming out. I love knowing you’re as excited for my stories as I am. I hope it was worth waiting for!
Copyright
STRIPES PUBLISHING LIMITED
An imprint of The Little Tiger Group
1 Coda Studios, 189 Munster Road,
London SW6 6AW
First published as an ebook by Stripes Publishing Limited in 2019.
Text copyright © Katy Cannon, 2019
eISBN: 978–1–78895–145–6
The right of Katy Cannon to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any forms, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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