Harper lets her arms drop, pushing a damp strand of hair out of her face.
‘God, that is such a relief. These past months have been so hard keeping it from you …’
‘Months? You’ve been broken up for months?’
Harper and Raj came over for dinner. Was that just a front? And has Tilly really been so wrapped up in her own problemsthat it’s taken her this long to realize that her sister’s life has also been falling apart?
‘OK, maybe Idowish you’d told me earlier, but only so I could be there for you. If anyone understands heartache, it’s me.’ She attempts a smile but notices that Harper’s eyebrows are creased in a deep frown.
‘Broken up?’ A breeze ripples up the valley, making the leaves on the lemon trees shake and Harper’s hair blow back from her face. ‘We haven’t broken up. We’re getting married. I thought that’s what you meant.’
The words hit Tilly firmly in the chest, taking her breath away.
‘You’re … engaged?’
Harper nods slowly. When she speaks again there’s a pleading note to her voice.
‘I meant to tell you. I wanted to. But I just couldn’t find the right moment.’
‘But surely you would know I’d be happy for you both!’ Tilly ignores the twisting feeling in her stomach. Sheishappy. Isn’t she? ‘But you said it’s been months … When did you get engaged?’
Harper looks down at the fountain, gentle streams of water trickling on to stone.
‘In Sri Lanka.’
‘Sri Lanka? But that was last summer. You’ve been engaged for … a year?’
Harper nods, biting down on her bottom lip.
‘Jesus, Harper. A wholeyear…’ She rubs her forehead, her mind racing.
Everyone else must know. Their parents, Raj’s family, Harper’s friends, everyone except her …
‘God, I can’t deal with this right now. It’s Joe’s anniversary …’
‘That’s why I didn’t want to tell you today!’
‘Don’t put this on me!’
Harper flinches. ‘I’m sorry, I –’
‘Hold on,’ Tilly says, raising a hand as a memory from yesterday enters her mind. ‘I saw you on a dating app.’
Tilly can see Harper’s throat move as she swallows, looking up.
‘You saw that?’
‘I saw you on your phone yesterday. If you’re getting married, what were you doing on a dating app?’
Harper bites her lip again.
‘I wasn’t on there for myself. I was on there for you.’
‘What?’
‘I … I set you up a dating profile.’
From the waver in Harper’s voice and the way she steps backwards slightly, Tilly guesses that she must look as angry as she feels. Her whole body feels rigid.
