She pushed her plate away. She suddenly wasn’t hungry any more.
“Tony may not be perfect, but he’s Poppy’s dad and he has a right to see her. Plus my mum lives in London as well...”
“Your mum is wanting to relocate here,” said Auntie Mary.
“Really?”
“Yes, sweetheart. The only reason she’s stayed in London as long as she has is because you and Poppy are there and she was worried about leaving you.”
“She never said . . .”
“Well, she knew you thought it was important that you stayed there, but at some point, you need to move on from him.”
“It’s a little hard to move on from the father of my child.”
“Not when he barely makes any effort to see her,” Auntie Mary said, firmly.
Carrie stood up. “I need some fresh air.”
And she walked out of the coffee shop.
Chapter 22
It was drizzling but Carrie barely noticed as she marched down the hill to the beach. Auntie Mary had been so generous to her and Poppy and Carrie was grateful for that, but that didn’t give her the right to say those things.
Carrie had moved on from Tony in terms of them ever having a romantic relationship again. She’d been devastated when he’d left her, but she’d got through the exhausting first year of being a mum supported by her own mother, and she’d built a life for herself and Poppy. Poppy had never gone without. And, yes, she’d stayed in London. London, one of the most amazing cities in the world and where her job was and her mother. As well as Tony.
But now Auntie Mary had offered her a job as manager of the bookshop. She could stay in this beautiful place, with a job she loved. And it seemed her mum wanted to relocate here as well. Carrie felt so bad that her mum hadn’t felt able to talk to her about that. She never would have wanted her to feel that way. Of course her mum should be free to live wherever she wanted, though Carrie would miss her support terribly.
Poppy would have to move schools... but she’d heard how good the town’s school was and her sociable daughter had already made friends, at least some of whom would presumably be in her class.
And Michael was here of course. Not that anything would necessarily happen between the two of them, not with what poor Layla had recently been through, but he was great company and Poppy adored him. Carrie had to admit to herself that Michael had been a far better father figure to Poppy in the last month than Tony had ever been. But that wasn’t the point. Michael wasn’t her dad, Tony was, and if there was even a small chance that he wanted to be a proper father to Poppy, Carrie had tolet that happen. No matter how much Carrie might want to be with Michael. And anyway, what about how Poppy would feel if something were to happen between her mum and Michael and it didn’t work out? She’d be devastated.
She and Michael had made the right decision not to act upon whatever it was between them, but it wasn’t easy, and she knew it was only going to get harder. The more she got to know that man, the more she felt herself falling for him. They needed distance between them and then, hopefully, when they next met, their feelings for one another will be under control, and they could be friends.
The beach was quiet with just a few of the hardier holiday makers out in the rain. Carrie stomped along the sand, her mind in turmoil as it went over what her aunt had said.
She couldn’t believe that Auntie Mary had offered her such an amazing opportunity, but she had a good life in London with her little girl, a steady job and friends, and that’s what she was returning to. It was the right thing to do, no matter if her heart told her otherwise.
* * *
Carrie walked slowly back up the hill to the bookshop a couple of hours later. She was resolved on returning to London, but Aunt Mary’s offer had thrown her and allowed her to imagine a life where she had... so much more. The fact that she was soaked through didn’t help her mood. Neither did seeing Michael come out of The First Sip — had he been in there chatting with Lucy? That was the second time he’d been in there today. She really had to stop this ridiculous jealousy thing. It wasn’t like her at all.
She hoped that Michael wouldn’t notice her coming up the hill, but he turned as he was unlocking his door and lifted his arm in greeting.
“Hey,” he said cheerfully. “Have you got a minute?”
“Not really,” Carrie said, then immediately felt bad. He was only being friendly. However, his being friendly was what had led to a lot of the emotional turmoil she was currently experiencing.
He laughed and said, “I’ll come to you then.” He followed Carrie into the bookshop. Auntie Mary was helping a customer in the sci-fi romance section.
“What did you want?” Carrie asked him. She knew she was being rude but she was cold and wet and upset.
“Are you OK?” Michael asked.
“Yeah. I’m just a bit wound up, sorry. And I really need to get changed out of these clothes.”
“Of course. I just wanted to say that I can give you a lift to and from your aunt’s later. I didn’t know what time you wanted to head off there.”
