He stepped back, winding his fingers through hers. “I haven’t seen nearly enough of you this week.”
“I feel the same way. I still don’t have any spare time today, but I had to make sure you have everything you need. I was able to duck out to help with your grand opening since Betsy hasn’t come to work in days — I locked up the shop before I left and put the ‘out to lunch’ sign in the window. I’m sure no one will mind. But I’m getting a bit worried about her. The police told us she was missing, but I thought for sure she’d turn up. Have you seen her?”
Bradford shrugged. “Have you spoken to Frank yet?”
“No. I tried to call him, but he didn’t answer.”
“She’s on the run, I guess,” Evie said as she sorted flyers into stacks. “She confessed to Bea and then left town. We probably won’t see her again.”
“Confessed what to Bea?” Bradford asked, one eyebrow arched.
“That she killed Mary Brown.”
“Betsy did?” Bradford gaped.
“Sorry, honey. I would’ve told you, but as we already established, I haven’t seen you.”
“I would never have guessed,” Bradford said. “So, it wasn’t Buck?”
“Apparently not,” Evie replied.
A few people lined up outside. Bradford hurried to open the door and held it open with a stopper, then welcomed them all in. For the next hour, the tourists wandered in through the front doors of Bradford’s new office, and he, Evie and Charmaine spoke to them about the services on offer—yacht rentals, deep sea fishing guides, coral reef snorkelling tours, and more. The Great Barrier Reef was an hour’s boat ride away from Coral Island and was a big selling point for many of the tourists. Charmaine was ashamed to admit she’d never visited it herself. She hadn’t been able to afford it.
Within an hour, she had to leave. There was too much to do and not enough hours in the day. She returned to the florist shop and got back to work. Several hours later, she was ready to finish up and decided to see if she could catch Bradford before he left for the day. Perhaps they could have dinner together.
She locked up and was walking along the street towards Bradford’s new office when she remembered she hadn’t balanced the till. She spun around to go back to the shop, when her high heel caught in a crack in the footpath. She staggered forward, out of balance, and almost landed in a patch of bright pink rhododendrons. Doing her best not to squash any of the plants, she stumbled away from the garden as a man sprinted past, almost knocking her to the ground.
When she looked up, she caught a glimpse of Sean’s profile. He wore a pair of skinny jeans and a tight blue T-shirt. His hair was cut shorter and combed into a spiky style up top, but it was him. He wasn’t the same greasy-haired gamer in stained, loose-fitting clothing who’d slept on her couch for months, but it was the same profile, the same brother she’d spent her whole life wishing she didn’t love or care for as much as she did.
“Sean?”
He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes found hers for a brief moment. Then he ducked down a side alley and was gone.
Maybe she’d imagined him. The entire event passed so quickly, it almost didn’t seem real. No one else in the street seemed to care that Sean had sprinted by them on the footpath. Had it happened only in her mind? Just then, a police officer dressed in a smart navy-blue uniform turned the corner and looked up and down the street. He scanned the crowd, then spun on his heel and went back the way he’d come.
Later that evening, Charmaine woke to the sound of pounding on her door. The noise only confused her. Still woozy with sleep, she tried to get her bearings. With her face pressed firmly against her pillow, she groaned. Then she wiped the trail of saliva from her cheek, sat up, and blinked.
“Who is it?” she croaked.
Of course, they didn’t hear her raspy whisper, so she had to move. She shuffled across the floor, into the hallway, and through the kitchen. When she opened the door, Bradford stood there with a covered bowl in his hands.
“This is hot,” he said. “Let me put it down, and I’ll give you a hug.”
She hugged him. “It’s the middle of the night, what are you doing here?”
“It’s not the middle of the night, it’s only ten o’clock. And I thought you were going to meet me for dinner.”
“I was going to,” she confirmed. “But…” She swallowed, unable to finish her thought.
He laughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be asleep. You should go back to bed. I’ll leave you alone.”
He stepped inside the kitchen and set the bowl down on the bench. “I brought us laksa soup. But I see you’re not coherent so I’ll put it in the fridge.”
“It’s perfect. Thanks,” Charmaine replied, shaking the sleep from her head. “And don’t leave. I’ll wake up. Let me get us some wine to drink and we can eat in a minute.”
He put the soup on the bench, then watched as she opened a bottle of red wine and fetched glasses from the overhead cabinet.
“I’m glad you came over.”
