‘I’ve checked Ancestry and there was a brother, as the trust suggested. I’m guessing we’re going to have to broach the subject with Kate about contacting his relatives.’
He nodded. ‘How about you come round to the cottage and we’ll discuss it with Mum?’
‘OK,’ she sounded relieved. ‘I think we have to do this. But I’m glad you agree. I don’t think she should continue to ignore it. It’s not going to go away.’
He rose. He felt like this was a cue for him to leave and he didn’t want to outstay his welcome. He needed her to know that he wasn’t going to crowd her out.
‘I think Mum knows that. Why not come round later today, after you finish work, and we’ll tell her together? Oh no, hang on, I think Mum’s out the rest of the day. How about tomorrow morning?’
She nodded and followed him to the door.
Last time he’d left the house, the front door had closed before he’d even reached the car. He carried on to the car, closing the gate and only then turned around. This time she stood in the open door and gave him a small wave which he returned.
When he drove off, he looked in his rear-view mirror and she still stood in the porch, her eyes trained on him.
He took that to be a good sign.
Chapter Sixteen
Something fundamental had changed.
Augi knew it because she’d slept better than she had in years. Her dreams were no longer full of anger, grief, and guilt. They were of the sea and, above all, a feeling of peace.
She thought of texting Dan ahead of her calling into MacLeod’s Cottage but she didn’t want him to know that she was aware he always went for a swim first thing in the morning. Lucy had mentioned it once. Lucy had taken it as a good sign that Dan was connecting with his old home. Augi took it as an opportunity.
Rightly or wrongly, she wanted to see Dan again. Alone. Ahead of talking to Kate.
She sat on the chair on her front porch, close to the street, and took a sip of her coffee. At this hour, the sun shone into the front of her house and made the world feel friendlier and more welcoming. And she wanted to be welcomed, because she felt as if she were going on a journey.
She knew there was no going back now. Her old self had broken open, exposing something softer beneath. She only hoped it wouldn’t disintegrate on its re-acquaintance with reality — which she prayed wasn’t as harsh as it had once been.
She inhaled the sweet scent of a late-flowering rose and went inside.
Dan waded out of the water, raking his fingers through his hair, showering silver droplets that sparkled in the early morning sunlight. He laughed to himself as he strode through the shallows back to the towel — the only thing on the beach. It was still too early for most people, but he enjoyed the difference of getting up and outside as the sun rose. So different to his other life. And he wanted nothing more than to enjoy those differences.
The utter peace and sense of isolation weren’t only soothing, they were somehow elevating, he thought as he dried his face and hair. The quiet was broken by a bird screeching. He looked around and saw someone walking towards him. Someone with long dark hair that shone bright in the early morning sun. And, as Augi came closer, with a smile to match. His heart leapt.
‘Augustini,’ he greeted her as she came up to him. ‘You’re early. I don’t usually see you here.’
‘No, I usually swim further along the beach.’ She glanced at the sea and then back to him. He couldn’t have said which sparkled more — the sea or her eyes. ‘Is it still warm?’
He couldn’t think to what she was referring at first.
Her smile widened. ‘The sea.’
‘Oh, yes, still warm. I’m going to try to keep this up all year.’
‘A lot of people do.’
‘I’ll have to toughen up a bit,’ he said with a grin. He liked that he caught her gaze drifting over his chest for a second before she remembered herself. He took pity on her as her blush deepened. ‘A bit different to Greece, I should imagine,’ he said.
‘Maybe not as much as you might think. The weather is more predictable in Greece, though.’
It struck him that she didn’t usually talk about Greece. ‘You don’t mind talking about your homeland?’
She frowned and then shook her head. ‘You know, Daniel, for years I tried not to think of it, to avoid anything Greek — people and things. I didn’t want a reminder of it.’
He was touched that she’d tell him this. ‘You obviously needed some space from it, for whatever reason.’
