Page 87 of The Damaged Hearts Bargain

“That’s something that I can probably take care of now,” Cal said, leaning in.

A car horn beeped. “It’s a double yellow line,” Billy shouted out of the window. “Can we leave the kissy stuff for later?”

“I’m not sure there’s ever going to be any kissy stuff,” Lucy lamented as Cal picked up her suitcase and the two of them walked toward Billy’s car.

SUN SHONE BRIGHT through the bakery window and George put two coffees down on the table. “I knew this would work out,” he said smugly.

“You did not,” said Lucy.

“Did so,” George said. But before he could say more, the bookshop bell rang. “I’ll be right back.”

“He won’t be,” Lucy told Cal. “He has to talk for half an hour with any customer. He just can’t help himself. Town gossip that he is.”

“He’s kind,” said Cal.

“He’s a gossip,” repeated Lucy. “Which reminds me. I was talking with Deb, as well as with Rosalee and a few other people. And I think I know what happened all those years ago, if you want to hear it.”

“I’m not sure I do,” Cal said. “I mean, I need to get over it, don’t I?”

“You should hear it,” Lucy said. “Because I don’t think what went down happened exactly the way you think it did.”

After a moment, Cal nodded and Lucy started to tell her what she was sure had happened. How both she and Deb suspected that Cal’s mum’s dementia had started much earlier than anyone had suspected.

“I found the money in the jade box,” Cal said, when Lucy was done. “I knew immediately what it had to be. And I didn’t havean explanation for it, I just didn’t want mum to get in trouble. So I went to put it back. It would have been fine if Doris hadn’t caught me.”

“No, it would have been fine if your mum had stood up for you in the aftermath, admitted what she’d done,” Lucy said gently. “That must have hurt so badly. But I honestly don’t think she knew what had happened. Deb says there’s a fair chance she didn’t know what she’d done, or that she remembered things differently.”

“Maybe,” Cal said.

“Think about it,” said Lucy. “Just like things didn’t add up with the gossip version of what happened, like how it never made sense that you got caught in the room with the money after it had already been stolen. The same holds true for your mum. Even you said that she was a great mum, that she was supportive of you. So the story that you’ve been telling yourself, that she was covering up her own crimes, that doesn’t make sense either, does it?”

“No,” Cal said. “No.” Tears were threatening. “It doesn’t make sense. But then in your version of the story I end up deserting someone ill who needed me.”

Lucy sighed. “We’re none of us perfect, Cal. We’ve all got our baggage. And if we’re going to do this, we need to be open about that and honest.”

Cal blinked hard, chasing the tears away. “You know, I think I might be able to handle that. For someone like you.”

“See, that’s the weird thing,” Lucy said. “You think you’re so lucky having me, but I feel like the lucky one.”

“That’s crazy,” laughed Cal, scooting forward in her chair so that she could turn Lucy’s face to hers.

“Or maybe that’s the way it always is,” Lucy said. “Who am I to know? Maybe the whole point of love is that you both feel like the lucky one.”

“Love,” Cal said, tasting the word. “I like that.”

“Hey, I didn’t say it yet. Even I know it’s soon for that.”

Cal nodded. “Alright, I can wait at least another three daysbefore I say it.” She leaned in, began to brush Lucy’s lips with her own.

And the bakery door opened.

“We’re home!” Pen limped in on crutches and Lucy bounced out of her seat.

“Oh my God, what happened to you?” she said, pulling out a chair and helping Pen into it. Ash followed, both her eyes blackened and a bandage across her nose. “Were you in an accident?”

“The doctors gave us permission to fly back early,” Ash said, practically falling into a chair of her own.

Lucy looked around, peering around the open door. “But where is it?”

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