Addie finished her speech with a smile and came to give Aunt Gayle a hug, as Gayle insisted everyone continue to enjoy themselves and eat as much pudding as they liked. She could barely hold back her tears after Addie’s speech. The three of them had come a long way in such a short time. They still had a way to go, but maybe they could really make it and be the family they should’ve been all along.
24
ADDIE
Aunt Gayle had seen the last of the stragglers to the door and as the sun began to set, it was time to get underway with the big clean-up.
It was Susanna who had suggested they help out now. At first, Addie had thought it was because she felt guilty about not helping with the setting up, as they’d initially said they would. Instead, Susanna had had them boxing their father’s belongings that they wanted sent back to the mainland, and she’d even gone all the way and arranged for their shipment. What had changed Addie’s mind, however, was when right after Susanna’s suggestion they help now, she’d added that the sooner they cleared up, the sooner they could get out of here.
Susanna had been unusually tetchy since last night, a different person to the woman who’d been in the kayak laughing her head off, the sister who had relaxed as they ate and drank and shopped and enjoyed one another’s company. And Addie hadn’t had the chance to ask what was wrong because Susanna seemed to be on autopilot, getting things done as fast as she could.
Maybe Alex was the problem. The sisters had talked about him on their holiday, but not much. In fact, Susanna had been having fun and seemed to have put him out of her mind, but maybe now she was getting closer to going back to Cambridge, she was worrying all the more about what might be happening in her marriage.
Addie thought of how her sister had looked at Mateo during the gathering, and the body language which suggested there could easily be something between them again. She hoped Susanna wasn’t going to do anything silly. She and Alex belonged together – surely they could work it out. She’d been sorely tempted to call her brother-in-law and have a word with him, but she didn’t want to interfere. Susanna wouldn’t ever thank her for that.
Addie took her phone out when it buzzed with a message from Maurie. She felt her insides settle when she saw a picture of Isaac with Jonty. For once, Isaac’s dad had actually shown up, and despite the unease she felt that Jonty wasn’t used to parenting, she knew Maurie would have everything in hand. She’d hit the jackpot with her and Jarrett as her son’s grandparents.
As she picked up some debris from the floor and left it on the side of a table to pop in the bin later, she thought about her encounter with Samuel earlier. She’d wondered whether the man who had rescued her from being tangled with his son’s kite would be on the guest list today, and although she hadn’t spotted him when she first arrived, her eyes had locked with his right after she finished her speech.
She’d finally plucked up the courage to go and say hello after chatting with Nancy, Gayle and some of the other locals who welcomed her back.
She’d caught him midway through a mouthful of pudding.
‘Sorry.’ She grimaced. ‘I didn’t time that well, did I?’
His hand covered his mouth for a moment. ‘I’ve had four helpings already. Maybe it’s a sign I should stop and talk instead.’
‘Don’t worry, I could never resist Gayle’s baking, either.’
‘My son would’ve loved coming home from school to fresh bakes, but I’m afraid I’m not all that good in the kitchen.’
Susanna had told her that she’d noticed Samuel hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring when they’d met for the first time, and she found her gaze drifting to his hand to double check. Susanna was right.
Billy came barrelling over to his dad.
‘Lovely to meet you again, Billy. Did you ever get to fly your kite properly?’ Addie asked.
‘We got it so high!’ His hands flailed out to demonstrate. ‘I almost got it tangled around a post, though, and then I almost let go of it.’
Samuel put a hand on Billy’s shoulder. ‘First kite. It’s a learning curve.’
Addie had thought how marvellous it would be to let Isaac have a go at flying a kite. She could take him to one of London’s many open green spaces, but how lovely would it be to have vast open spaces and the beach at your fingertips the way everyone on Anchor Island did.
‘How old are you, Billy?’ she asked.
‘I’m seven,’ he announced with confidence.
She looked into the same big brown eyes that his father had and told him, ‘I have a little boy too, and he is seven just like you.’
‘What’s his name?’ Billy asked.
‘Isaac.’
But Billy had caught sight of more chocolate puddings arriving on a tray and wriggled out of Samuel’s grasp.
‘Careful, Billy,’ Samuel called after him, wincing as he narrowly missed knocking into someone on his quest to reach the pudding. ‘I’m afraid he’s overdosed on sugar today.’
She laughed. ‘I think we all have. My son is just as energetic, with or without sugar.’
