Page 20 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

‘Nobody asked you!’ Lucy snapped, losing patience with her mother’s judgemental attitude.

‘I think it’s so romantic,’ Faith went on. ‘They always seem so happy. It just shows you that true love can find you when you least expect it.’

‘True love!’ Madeleine scoffed. ‘You’ve been reading too many of those silly romance novels you were always so fond of.’

Their mother had always dismissed Faith’s taste in books as light and fluffy. Madeleine preferred to read highbrow literature – the latest Booker winner or award-winning tomes. Although as a teenager, Lucy had once found a steamy romance novel stuffed beneath her mother’s pillow, so she suspected that Madeleine only read literary novels for show.

Faith and Lucy exchanged an eye roll and walked on, leaving Madeleine to catch up.

‘How about this one?’ Faith asked.

Lucy circled around to examine it. ‘It’s way too tall.’

‘This one?’ Faith gestured to the next one.

‘Is it just me, or does it look a little crooked?’

‘You’re right,’ Faith agreed, surveying it closely.

‘For goodness’ sake, girls!’ Madeleine sniped as she trailed after them. ‘It’s only a tree! Just choose one! How hard can it be?’

They strolled on to the next tree. Faith peered at it. It was neither too tall or too wide, the trunk was straight and there were no bald patches. Its bushy branches were perfectly symmetrical the whole way up.

‘I’ve found it!’ she announced at the same time as another woman placed her hand on the trunk and called, ‘Jack, I think I’ve found it!’ A man followed her, carrying a little girl on his back. The child’s arms were looped around his neck and she was swinging her legs happily.

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Faith said, stepping back. ‘You take it; we can find another one.’

‘No, no,’ the woman said with a hint of an Australian accent, ‘you were there first. I insist you have this one.’

Madeleine was becoming increasingly agitated. ‘Would one of you just take the bloody tree?’ she barked.

Faith’s cheeks pinkened. ‘I-I’m sorry.’

The woman laughed. ‘Don’t be. Who knew tree shopping could be so stressful? I grew up in Australia and we never had a real tree, so this is a whole new experience for me.’

The man had almost caught up with her, and it was only as he got closer that Faith recognised him. The air was sucked from her lungs and her knees buckled beneath her. After all this time, Jack Anderson was standing in front of her. Her eyes locked with his and all the old feelings rushed to the surface. Her heart somersaulted and her throat felt dry. He was wearing a wax jacket with a chunky woollen sweater beneath, blue jeans and thick-soled winter boots. Dark stubble peppered his jawline but he still looked as devastatingly handsome as he had all those years ago. She desperately scrambled for something to say, but words had deserted her.

‘Jack, hi…’ Lucy came up alongside her. Faith was so grateful that her sister had come to her rescue.

‘Faith … Lucy … eh … long time no see,’ he said sheepishly. ‘How’ve you been?’

‘Good, good.’

‘It’s really good to see you.’ He smiled, and she noticed that wrinkles now spread out from the corners of his eyes.

A silence fell. Faith scrambled for something to say, but it was as though her brain had taken a leave of absence.

‘Is that—’ she began.

‘Are you—’ he said at the same time.

‘Sorry – you go ahead,’ she mumbled.

‘I … eh … I was really sorry to hear about your grandmother,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘She had been ill for a while, so we knew it was coming. It doesn’t make it easier, though,’ she replied sombrely.

‘She was a lovely lady.’