“Why? None of this is your fault.” There were tears on Abby’s cheeks. “I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me that he caused—”
“I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to have to carry any of that.” Alexandra closed her eyes, trying to drag herself back from the past to the present. “I would appreciate a glass of water.”
One was pressed into her hand, and she took a shaky sip and then let her daughter take the glass.
“There’s a lot I haven’t told you.”
“Yes. And it’s okay. I know now, and—”
“No. There’s a lot I still haven’t told you.” And it was time. If she could summon the energy, then this was the right time.
“Oh—” Abby put the glass down on the desk. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
“Yes, I do. I probably should have done it before. I thought I was protecting you, but maybe I was protecting myself. I’m not even sure anymore.” The room was swirling. “I’m not feeling too good. I didn’t sleep on the flight and I think maybe—”
“It’s okay, Mom. I’ve got you.” Abby’s arms came around her and held her tightly. “I’ve got you.”
19
Evie
Evie went in search of her father and found him helping a family of four with their bikes.
She felt shaken and unsettled, and not only because of the drama that had played out in her office.
She watched as her father patiently adjusted the seat for the youngest child in the group and helped her steady the bike as she got used to it.
“There you go,” he said. “You’re getting the hang of it. Well done.”
It stirred memories. Happy ones. She remembered him doing the same for her when she was six. She’d learned to ride in the grounds of the hotel, with half the staff ready and waiting to catch her if she fell. She thought about Abby, who had never had a father ready to catch her. Never had a father ready to put himself between his daughter and the rest of the world.
She waited as he waved them off on their trip. They werekitted out with puncture kits, picnics and big wide smiles. The happy family scene was the perfect antidote to the tension of the past few hours.
He turned and saw her. “Is everything okay?” He frowned. “I walked him off the premises and I made it clear we didn’t want to see him on the property again. I think he got the message.”
“Let’s hope so.”
He glanced back at the family, his eyes on the youngest. “How is Alexandra doing?”
She noticed the shift in his tone. “I left her with Abby in my office. She didn’t look too good, so I thought I’d give them space.”
He nodded. “Let me know if they need anything.”
That was it? That was all he was going to say?
She hovered, feeling awkward, unsure how best to ask the questions she wanted to ask. She should probably walk away but she couldn’t. She needed to know.
He watched as the family cycled away, the youngest gaining confidence as she got used to the bike. “There she goes. She’s got it.” He smiled as the wobbling stopped and the little girl’s feet worked harder on the pedals. “That child reminds me of you at the same age.”
She didn’t tell him that she’d been having the same thoughts. “Are you getting nostalgic on me?”
“Maybe I am.”
“Talking of the past, I have questions.”
She expected him to ask her what questions or at least give her some sort of prompt, but he said nothing. Instead he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the family cycling away from them.
Never before in her life had she felt there was something she couldn’t ask him, but she felt it now. As if she was stepping somewhere she shouldn’t be stepping.
