Page 88 of Dead in the Water

“Sorry.”

She lifted her chin. “Can you start sleeping with random women again? It’ll make this easier if I can be annoyed with you.”

“I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

“Flynn!” she snapped. “Stop being nice.”

He laughed, and it changed the atmosphere in the room. “You need to sort your hair out,” he said, pointing an accusing finger. “It’s sticking up all over the place and you look crazy.”

“That’s better.” Flattening her wild hair, she sank back in the chair.

Flynn stood, deciding it would be a good point to leave, despite needing a lot of willpower to get away from her.

“Flynn?” she said, stopping him in his tracks.

“Yeah.”

She hesitated, staring at her hands in her lap. “I spoke to Maria.”

He sat back down. “Oh?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t already know.” She gave a gentle eye roll. “Glynis said she’d told you.”

“Yeah, she mentioned it.”

“Maria’s real name is Gail Greenwood and she owns the shop. Maria is her middle name. Apparently she’s been using it for a long time.”

“Right,” he murmured.

“But she doesn’t know anything about my parents.” Pausing, she took a deep breath. “She only offered to lease me the shop because I asked at the right time and she understood from Mr Greaves that I was interested in leasing it.”

“That’s weird.”

“Not really.” She pushed her hair from her face and straightened her spine. “Everything she said made sense. Way more sense than the wild theories I’d concocted.” She shook her head. “I’m such an idiot sometimes.”

“You’re not.”

“I am,” she insisted. “I wanted to find a connection to my parents, so I made up a story in my head where there was someone out there who knew my parents and who was somehow waiting to be reunited with me.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “All so I wouldn’t have to face the fact that I have no one. I am all alone in the world.”

“Don’t say that.” Flynn’s throat felt painfully tight. “It’s not true.”

“I have no family,” she said. “How can that be?”

“It doesn’t mean you’re alone.”

“Sorry,” she whispered, wiping frantically at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “You had a long day and you probably want to get home.”

“I don’t have anywhere to be.” He frowned deeply. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the answers you wanted from Maria.”

“I think deep down I knew nothing would come of it. That’s why I put off speaking to her – because I knew it wasn’t going to lead to anything. I just didn’t want to face the reality.”

He bit down on his lower lip. “Do you think she was telling the truth?”

“Maria?” Her eyebrows lifted. “To be honest, it crossed my mind that she was lying, but that’s probably because I wanted her to be lying. I don’t know why she’d lie.”

“Neither do I,” Flynn said hesitantly. “I think she was lying though.”

Confusion wrinkled Lily’s features.

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