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*

The lasagne is a big success. We’ve just finished dinner and I’m getting things ready for the girls when I see Evangeline Lockwood opening the garden gate.

I run through to the front door and open it, and she comes up and gives me a hug.

She’s in her early forties and married to a guy called Neil, who runs one of the ferry services. She’s slim and elegant, with straight blonde hair she wears in a bob. She was one of Mum’s best friends and occasionally she and Neil used to have dinner parties with Mum and Dad, so I know her quite well.

I bring her into the living room, and the guys stand.

“Hey, Evie.” Dad kisses her on the cheek. “You got my message then? You didn’t have to come over.”

“It’s literally a five-minute walk,” she teases. “Hello, Mitch! Nice to see you again.”

“Hey, Evie.” He shakes hands with her.

“Have a seat,” I say, and she lowers herself onto the sofa.

“You want a glass of wine?” Dad asks.

“No, I’d better not stop.” Her gaze meets Dad’s, then drops. Oh, what’s that about?

She looks at me and smiles. “I wanted to drop this off to you, Vix.” She hands me a typed list. “Your dad said you’re thinking of buying the bookshop, and that you might need some help putting together an application for a business loan. These are the things the bank will require, so if you’d like to bring them, we can get the loan application started right away.”

“Oh, thank you!” I glance at the list. There’s a lot here: the existing shop accounts, wages, stock purchases, utilities, insurance, and rates, and more personal information, like my bank details, and proof of identity. It’s a lot, but it won’t take long to get together. “Yes, I’d love an appointment.”

“I’ve had a cancellation tomorrow and can see you at four, if that’ll help.”

“Oh, terrific! Yes please!” I’m excited that maybe it’s not going to take as long as I thought to get the ball rolling.

“Okay, well then, I’ll leave you to it, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiles, ruffles Millie’s hair where she’s sitting doing some colouring in, and heads out.

I look at Dad. “What was that about?”

“What was what about?”

“That look when she said, ‘I’d better not stop’?”

He hesitates and glances at Millie.

“Sweetie, would you mind going upstairs and finding my book for me?” I ask her. “The one with the crown on the cover.”

She nods, goes out, and runs upstairs.

Dad watches her go. Then he says, “Don’t say anything to Evie.”

“Of course not.”

“It’s just that Neil is very…” He frowns. “Possessive. He hates her being out of his sight, and he gets very upset if she talks to other men.”

“Oh no. He doesn’t…” I can’t bear to voice the fear that her husband might get physical with her.

“I don’t think so.” But he looks doubtful.

“Jesus,” Mitch says. “That’s awful. She seems so nice, too.”

“She’s lovely,” Dad says. “She deserves better.” His voice is unusually hard.

There’s no time to ask anything more though, because there’s a knock on the back door, and someone calls out, “Hello?”