‘Not this again. There was a queue, I told you.’
‘For forty-five minutes? I called you several times to add the fishcake onto the order for Rosie.’
‘My phone was on silent.’ I can’t look at him. He knows that I’m lying and it’s not sitting well with me either. My stomach is grumbling. After pushing chips around my plate for twenty minutes, I had to say I wasn’t feeling good.
‘And you stank of smoke.’
‘A couple were puffing like chimneys in the queue outside.’
‘Look at me.’ He places his fingers gently under my chin and lifts it so that I can see him fully. ‘I don’t feel like we’re right at the moment and I understand that you must be feeling out of sorts with what happened here all those years ago.’
‘I didn’t go straight to the chip shop.’
‘Okay.’
‘I went to the harbour and took a few moments to think about Jess. I went to the bench where it happened.’
He still doesn’t believe me. ‘And that’s all you did?’
‘Yes. It’s my way of getting through this. I’ll be ready to say my goodbyes at the end of this week but I need a bit of space to work through everything.’
‘And we can’t be together as a family while you do this? The girls know about Jess now. They want to be a part of this. Don’t shut us out, Kate.’
‘I’m not.’
‘I know you are.’
I should tell him where I was but he’ll go off on one if he knows I’m chasing up leads on a Facebook message from someone who’s using a pirate’s name. I lean into him and kiss him. ‘I’m sorry.’ He kisses me back, then he reaches down and puts his hand inside my pyjama top, caressing my breasts. All I want is him close to me. I want to enjoy this but with my mind whirring, I can’t.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’m tired.’
He withdraws his hand before turning to place his phone on charge. ‘I guess we should get an early night, then.’
My phone beeps and lights up. I grab it and turn away from Damien. With all that’s been happening, I need to see what it is. My heart quickens. It’s Will and there’s also a message from Nadine but I open Will’s.
It was lovely to see you at the harbour. X
Damien sits up and I close the message. ‘You’re not too tired for your phone.’
I reach over and turn my bedside lamp off. Damien does the same, and we turn away from each other.
My blood runs cold and all I want to do is wrap myself around Damien to steal his warmth but he’s clearly not happy with me right now.
Will was at the harbour. He saw me and he didn’t say a word. It has to be Cody. I can’t think of anyone else who saw me. My mind wanders to the drunken man at the pub, Kyle, or the woman in the ice-cream shop. It creeps me out that someone is watching me. I wonder if Will is outside right now, looking up at the bedroom window.
The house clatters as a gust of wind passes and the creaks and cracks of the night feel sinister. Damien’s gentle snores fill my ear. He’s already asleep.
I think of the figure who was watching me on the day we arrived and I wonder why. When I was out, I should have been more vigilant. Gently, I step out of bed. The cold air hits me and I feel goosebumps rising on my arm. It’s like a mild gale is blowing outside. Heading over to the window, I pull the heavy curtains back and stare into the darkness. The pub across the way has closed for the night. Raindrops bounce in the gutter and I notice that there’s a dark figure in the same place as before. I press my nose onto the glass for a better look but the figure hurries out of sight. I know I didn’t imagine it. There was someone there and they were looking my way. Whoever Will is, he’s watching my every move. I need to be careful. My presence here has stirred up the hornet’s nest and it’s about to get dangerous.
EIGHTEEN
KATE
Monday, 24 October
The girls giggle and run towards the harbour for the fishing trip in their matching denim dungarees, wellies and sunny yellow raincoats. Thankfully, the stormy weather calmed down in the night and now golden rays reach through the morning cloud, bouncing off the puddle splattered paths ahead. A part of me hoped that the weather would cancel the boat trip but another part keeps telling me that I need to be on that boat so that I can snoop around. I also need to do my best to give the girls a happy memory of this holiday.
