Page 71 of The Holiday Cottage

“I guessed that when I saw you wandering along a snowy lane with no coat.” He glanced at her half-eaten sandwich. “Are you going to finish that?”

“It’s delicious, but I’m not really hungry.”

“You’re upset,” he said slowly. “It’s none of my business, but if you want to talk about it, I’m a pretty good listener.”

She could believe that. She was used to being with people who were usually doing several things at once, including glancing at their phones. Miles had a way of giving you all his attention. It was a little unnerving.

“Let’s just say my life is a bit of a mess right now. And that’s probably an understatement.” There was something about his calm, strong presence and his gentleness with the dog that made her want to blurt it all out. “I found out something today. Something that shocked me.”

She was emotionally raw from her earlier encounter and hadn’t yet managed to seal the gaps in her armor. The only thing stopping her from telling him everything was the fact he knew Dorothy. He obviously thought Dorothy was an exceptional person, and she didn’t want to be the one to expose Dorothy’s secrets.

She’d be gone from here today and she’d never see any of them again.

That thought depressed her more than it should have done. It felt as if she was losing something, which made no sense because all she’d lost today was the last of her naivety.

And a friend. Because she’d considered Dorothy a friend.

She was hit by a wave of exhaustion. She felt tired and despondent, and maybe Ralph sensed it because he stood up and rested his head on her lap.

Miles glanced at him. “He knows you’ve had a bad day.” He paused. “Anything I can help with? I’m a champion problem solver when the problems belong to other people.”

That made her smile. “I’m a champion problem solver too. Unfortunately, this isn’t really something that can be solved. More something I have to learn to live with.”

“Right.” He studied her, his expression sharp. “Does Dorothy know you’re going? Because if you leave early, she’s going to blame herself. She prides herself on making sure her guests have the best time. Is there something wrong with the cottage?”

“It’s not the cottage. The cottage is perfect.” A little too perfect. It made it all the harder to leave. Despite her initial reservations, her mood had lifted from the moment she’d stepped through the front door. The thought of returning to her place in London wasn’t appealing. It was definitely time to rethink her life plan. If this trip had given her nothing else good, she at least had that. She’d realized that it was time to make a move. She’d saved hard, worked multiple jobs when she was studying and she had enough money for a deposit on somewhere half-decent if she was willing to commute. Perhaps she could re-create the “feel” of the cottage in an apartment in London.

Miles finished his sandwich. “Holly Cottage is usually booked up with people wanting to take lifestyle shots for social media. Last year she rented it to an advertising company for a Christmas shoot for a major brand. Whenever I turned the TV on, I saw Holly Cottage. They used it for a movie a few years ago too. Covered the place in fake snow, which irritated the locals.”

“I can imagine.”

He stood up and put his plate into the dishwasher. “Dorothy is pretty commercial. She’s had to be. She has learned how to monetize what she has, but that’s so that she can give back. Most of her money is poured into community projects and rescuing the animals.”

She realized now how little she knew Dorothy.

“Why does she rescue animals?”

He hesitated. “Trying to compensate for the one she couldn’t save?”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry. I was thinking aloud.” He shook his head. “I’m not a psychologist, but I’d say it all goes back to a family tragedy. It’s public knowledge, so I’m not betraying a confidence. We’re a pretty tight community here. Which can occasionally be irritating, but mostly it’s a good thing. Everyone keeps an eye on everyone.”

“Family tragedy?” Her heart was thumping hard. “You mean losing her husband?”

“No, although that was a tragedy too of course, and what happened had to have contributed. You don’t know about her daughter?”

“You mean Sara? I saw her this morning.”

Sara, her aunt.Her aunt.That was something she hadn’t even started to get her head around. And Ava and Iris were her cousins. Did her mother know about Ava and Iris? Presumably not. She’d never been given the chance to know them. And neither had Imogen.

She felt a pang. The two little girls were so engaging it would have been nice to have them in her life. She imagined Ava on Christmas morning, her excitement brimming over like lemonade poured too quickly into a glass.

Miles frowned. “I’m not talking about Sara. I meant her other daughter.”

Other daughter?

She kept her hands in her lap and tried to keep her expression neutral. “Tell me about her other daughter.”

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