‘No, it’s OK. I like worms, so I don’t mind looking like I’ve got some on my head. But don’t take any pictures or Mummy will think you’re stupid.’
‘Deal,’ said Nick. ‘Now, shall we go and explore?’
Chapter 13
Kitty woke with a start, her heart hammering, her palms sweaty. She squeezed her eyes tight shut, turned her head, and slowly let her eyelids flicker open, holding her breath. The relief at finding herself alone was so great she flopped against the pillows, tears snaking from the corners of her eyes down to her neck. The freedom Saffron Bay offered still felt too good to be true. She splayed out her arms and legs as if to prove she was awake and not dreaming. Her fingers grabbed the bedsheet, and a sob escaped. With eyes tight shut, she counted to ten.
The concentration of running through a mental list of why she was here and why it was the best place to be, calmed her. It was the right thing to do. She was safe. This was a chance to be herself, to be happy.
Happy.
The word had been such an enigma for so long, so abstract, Kitty wasn’t sure she remembered what the emotion actually felt like. No, that was a lie. The picture of a little girl, chatting away as she carefully sculpted wet sand to build a castle, came to mind. Despite the imposition Nick had placed on her, the timespent on the beach with Emily had been a moment of happiness. It was also bittersweet, a reminder of all she’d left behind. Emily was a great kid, but trying to plug the massive hole in her heart with Nick’s daughter was a bad idea.
Kitty picked up a photograph from the bedside table. In the photograph, she was trussed up in a corset and metres of lace about to go on stage. The photographer had caught her in a candid moment. The pure determination and elation on her face was the perfect reminder of who she had once been, and the woman she needed to be again. Kitty used the momentum the photograph gave her to climb out of bed and open the curtains. The families who’d taken a punt on staying in England for their half-term holiday had got lucky. It was another beautiful day, with the sea sparkling and the sky blue. The kind of day where there was no excuse not to get outside. She eyed her running gear sitting in a neat pile on an old wooden chair.
As she pulled on her leggings and T-shirt, Kitty smiled. Her old school friends would laugh their heads off if they could see her now. She’d always been the first to duck out of PE lessons, using any excuse she could think of to hide herself away in the drama studio. The fact that exercise had been forced on her had made it even less appealing. Yet, although it was designed as a punishment, she’d found unexpected freedom while pounding the streets of London. So what if her every move was being tracked on an app? She didn’t want to stop and go off course anyway. It didn’t matter that her route never changed. The feel of the wind in her hair and the ache in her lungs had invigorated her. Not that she would ever have admitted it when she returned home. Running was one of the few things from her old life she’d carried with her into her new.
Kitty went through her usual stretches, her mind elsewhere. Much as she didn’t want to get involved, she couldn’t helpworrying. She grabbed her phone and typed out a hurried message to Nick.
How’s everything going?
Her phone pinged almost instantly with a photo. Kitty smiled. The photo showed a grinning Emily tucking into a bowl of Coco Pops, a chocolate moustache sitting above her lip.
Thanks for the food, I’d forgotten how good Coco Pops taste ;-).
Kitty rolled her eyes and didn’t bother to reply. Getting a week’s worth of shopping had been a risk. The new bank account she’d set up had very limited funds, and she couldn’t access her savings without leaving herself open to being tracked. Nor did she dare ask her parents for help. They knew she was safe. They also understood that the less they knew about where she was, the better.
Kitty slipped her phone and keys into her pocket and let herself out of the house. She turned left and jogged along the street. Solly’s cottage was in the old part of the village and she loved the hotchpotch of cottages, Victorian terraces, and a stone church that seemed to be used for as many local events as the community centre, if the noticeboard was anything to go by.
It didn’t take long to find the coast path, and Kitty picked up speed, breathing hard as the incline steepened. She glanced to her right and was rewarded with far-reaching views of the bay, a few families already on the beach despite the early hour. She returned her gaze to the path, keeping an eye out for stones or tree roots. The path was narrow, surrounded by verges in full bloom. Amidst the tall grasses was a riot of colour, sea pinks, red campions and bluebells jostling for space and spilling out over the path.
When Kitty’s watch beeped to tell her she’d run three kilometres, she paused, catching her breath, then stopped and swung around to retrace her steps. She hadn’t gone far beforeshe saw two figures coming towards her. Kitty responded to the woman’s wave with one of her own, slowing her steps and wiping sweat from her brow. Running wasn’t her friend when it came to appearance. By getting out so early, she’d hoped to avoid anyone seeing her tomato face and untameable hair. No such luck.
‘Morning, Kitty.’ Alice beamed at her. ‘This is my dad, Daniel.’ She turned to the man beside her. ‘Kitty only moved to Saffron Bay this week. She’s going to be working at the school.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Daniel, holding out a hand.
There was no mistaking they were related. Kitty wiped her sweaty palm against her leggings before taking the offered hand and shaking it. ‘Likewise.’
‘Sorry to interrupt your run,’ said Alice.
‘It’s fine,’ said Kitty. ‘I’m always pleased to have an excuse to stop and catch my breath.’
Alice smiled. ‘I hear you had quite an eventful day yesterday.’
‘Um…’
‘It’s alright,’ said Alice. ‘I’m aware of Nick’s unexpected love child. Not that I believed Luke when he first told me about it.’
‘I’m not sure Nick could believe it either.’ Kitty gave Alice a wry smile.
‘It sounds like you were a big help.’
Kitty laughed. ‘Not by choice. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near that house if I’d suspected what I’d be dragged into. I only went back to give Nick back his coat, with his wallet in it.’ She wiped a lock of sweaty hair from her forehead. ‘Mind you, Emily is lovely, and spending time with her was no hardship. Nick, on the other hand… let’s say he’s got a lot to learn.’
‘I can imagine.’ Alice raised an eyebrow. ‘He’s bringing Emily over for dinner later. Would you like to come?’
Kitty hesitated. She’d rather not go, but didn’t want to rebuff Alice’s kindness. ‘I’m not sure. I’m going to be busy setting up my classroom today.’
