Page 54 of They Found Us

Katie

Once my parents leave to go to their hotel, I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m completely drained. After an emotional and difficult start, we had a really lovely afternoon. Dad played football and catch with Mark for hours, and Mum sat and cuddled Zander so much, I’m worried he won’t want to be put down now. Beforethat, we sat outside, and they filled me in on their lives from the past few years.

It was painful listening to their sorrow of losing their daughter and the struggles they’ve been through. But hopefully now we can spend a lot of time together and start creating new memories.

One very surprising and good thing (I hope) to come out of all of this is that my parents are in a relationship. It was strange seeing them so comfortable in each other’s company. Ever since I can remember, my parents have always been apart. They were very young when they had me. My dad was always the more sensible one, while my mum had her fair share of boyfriends when I was growing up. Most of them she was just with for their money. Whenever Mum and Dad got in the same room together, they would always bicker like they were teenagers again. But something has changed. They have matured. Their shared grief brought them back together. They were even talking of moving here to Italy. It’s early days, but I am feeling very hopeful about our future as a family. I’ve really missed them. I’ve missed being part of a larger family, having people to talk to and experience things with.

When I go down into the kitchen the next morning, I’m met with a familiar smell of freshly baked goods. I’m shocked to see a tall woman preparing food in the kitchen.

“Ahh, good morning, dear.” The lady is English and has a very big smile and warm aura. “You must be Mrs Guerra. I’m Poppy. It’s so lovely to meet you.” She wipes her hands on her apron and offers one to me.

“It’s lovely to meet you too. Please call me Katie.”

“As you wish.”

“I’m Mark.” Mark holds his hand out to Poppy.

“Well, how do you do, Mark?”

Leo appears behind us.

“Good morning, Mr Guerra.”

“Good morning, Poppy. I see you have met my family. This is Poppy. She is the new housekeeper.”

“Housekeeper, cook, washerwoman, you name it. I’ll make sure I look after you all.”

“Thank you. We are pleased to have you here,” I lie, missing Alga and Sergio. I’m sure Poppy is very lovely, but the place just doesn’t feel the same without them.

“Right, everyone. Have your breakfast and get dressed. I have a surprise for you.” Leo grabs one of the freshly made croissants off the island, takes a bite, and leaves the room.

Chapter Sixteen

Leo

“Where are we going, Papa?” Mark asks as he strains to look out of the car window.

“It’s a surprise.”

“What’s this all about?” Katie puts her hand on my leg as I drive.

“You’ll see when we get there.” I’m sure they are going to love it. At least I hope they are. I make a sharp left turn in Marco’s brand-new four-seat Ferrari. He wasn’t happy about loaning me his new toy, but I gave him no option. I may purchase one of these myself. Its powerful, throaty rumble is addictive.

We pass Van going in the opposite direction, obviously having finished my requests just in time. When we reach the end of the tree-lined road, we come up to a wooden gate. One thing that still needs to be replaced. I get out and open it, hoping the new electric security one will be fitted tomorrow.

When I get back in the car, Katie is frowning and pouting. I love when she makes this face. I laugh because I think she has an idea of why we are here, having noticed the post box to the side of the entrance. Once we are through the gate, the houseis in sight. It’s a large double-fronted cottage that has recently been renovated by the previous owners. They weren’t planning on moving, but I had other ideas. The car jerks to a stop—I’ll have to get used to the sensitive brakes.

Katie and Mark stare out of the window.

“Who lives here, Papa?”

“Come on, let me show you.”

Once we are all out of the car, I carry Zander while Katie holds Mark’s hand and heads to the front door.

“No. This way.” Pointing to the side gate, I lead them around to the back of the house.

The sun is blinding when we walk into the large open garden that stretches down to a white sandy beach.

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