Page 33 of Finding Love in Micklewick Bay

But for now, she just needed a minute to regroup and let her heart rate settle.

She grabbed her coffee and eased herself onto the sofa, feeling utterly bombarded, wondering what else could possibly happen that day?

TWENTY-ONE

With her clerk and the officer in the Dixon case contacted, Stella sat down at her desk and lifted the lid of her laptop. She was going to put all thoughts of the Dixon family out of her mind for now, she needed to clear her head to focus on other matters. Her stomach churned as she typed in the name she’d seen mentioned in the letter she’d taken from the back of her graduation photograph. She hesitated a moment, her hand hovering over the return key. Before she could change her mind, she tapped on it quickly, her eyes widening at the number of results it churned up.

After quickly scanning through the list, she was disappointed to find that, at first glance, none leapt out at her as she’d hoped they would. Her heart sank; this could take some time.

There were several men with the name Johan de Groote, most of them based in The Netherlands, though none seemed to fit the age group she was searching for, and none of them resembled any of the grainy images in the photographs she’d seen. But though her father was proving a difficult man to track down, Stella wasn’t going to give up. She’d toyed with the idea of asking Pim about his father, wondering if he could be somehow related to hers, with Micklewick Bay apparently being a commonfactor between them, whatever that could be. But she decided against that; she’d rather keep what she’d learnt to herself for the moment. As for what she was going to say to her mother, she couldn’t even begin to think about that right now. All Stella knew was that she wasn’t looking forward to seeing her at The Cellar tomorrow night, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hide her feelings. She’d just have to remind herself that tomorrow night wasn’t about her and her mum, and it wasn’t about the mysterious, elusive Johan de Groote. It was about a family trying to raise funds to send their daughter to the States for some pioneering, life-saving treatment. That put things well and truly into perspective for Stella. She’d be sure to keep it in her mind for tomorrow night.

Confronting her mum was inevitable, but it had to be when there was just the two of them and definitely not when Rhys was around. It would probably be best done at Magnolia Gardens where Alice wouldn’t feel so wrong-footed or ambushed as she might if Stella invited her here to her apartment to discuss it. It went without saying that she’d have to be very careful how she approached it, that it would be best when the shock didn’t feel so raw with her, when the heat of her anger didn’t burn so intensely. The last thing she wanted was to risk having a huge argument with her mum, it was bad enough she’d have to come clean about her snooping – though that would be a weight off her chest. One thing was for certain, however Stella tackled it, it wasn’t going to be received well. Not after all these years of keeping it a secret.

Stella had had enough and decided she needed a break from trawling the internet and wasting hours looking for something she wasn’t going to find. She told herself she’d be better off channelling her energy into her work, provided she could concentrate on it. So, she made a fresh coffee and pushed the,albeit scant, information about her father into a file and into the top drawer of her desk.

Almost two hours later, Stella was surprised to find she’d made decent inroads into a manslaughter brief she’d been sent by Newcastle CPS. In the midst of her work, she’d had a text from her mother, thanking her for signing for the delivery, but Stella hadn’t had the stomach to reply. She’d have to soon, before her mum started wondering what was wrong. The last thing Stella needed was her mum coming round; the risk of her recent findings rushing out in an angry torrent was too high right now.

With a headache brewing at her temples, Stella flipped down the lid of her laptop and headed to the balcony where she took a much-needed lungful of fresh air.

‘Hi,’ said a familiar voice, sending a ripple of excitement through her and chasing her tension away.

She turned to see Alex leaning on his balcony railings, a warm smile on his face, his gorgeous eyes squinting in the bright sunshine. Fred, who was sitting beside him, started wagging his tail as soon as he saw her. ‘Hi.’ She couldn’t help but return Alex’s smile.

‘Had a good day?’ he asked. Stella noted he had his phone in his hand; she thought she’d heard the sound of someone talking a few minutes ago.

‘Mixed.’ She demonstrated, tipping her hand from side to side. ‘How about you?’

‘Not bad.’ He nodded. ‘I’ve been dealing with a particularly challenging client, but I think I’ve finally come up with something he’s happy with.’

‘That must feel good.’

‘Yeah, it does. He had to accept some things are just impossible and would never get past the planners.’

‘Well, I’m glad for your sake he did.’

‘Yeah, me too. Wasn’t easy, I’m sure he’s given me some grey hairs,’ he said, laughing. ‘Anyway, you saved me from having to knock on your door. I don’t suppose I could tempt you to join me at Oscar’s Bistro? I’ve just been onto them, managed to get an early table. Thought, as you’re not in court, you might be up for it.’ His tone was hopeful.

Stella took a moment before she answered. Did she really fancy going out after the day she’d had? Actually, yes, she did. She fancied it very much. ‘I’d love that, thanks.’

‘Great!’ He beamed at her. ‘The booking’s for six o’clock. Is that doable for you?’

She glanced at her watch, it was already five thirty. ‘Yep, I’ll go and get changed. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready.’

‘Cool, I’ll give you a knock then.’

Stella shot back into her apartment, scooped her hair up on top of her head and ran into the shower. That done, she hurriedly wrapped a towel around her, quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face before applying a flick of mascara and eyeliner, finishing with a dusting of highlighter. After a spritz of perfume, she slipped on another of her linen dresses and was good to go. Just as she’d pushed her feet into her sandals, there was a knock at the door.

‘Hi,’ she said, opening it and greeting Alex with a smile.

‘Wow!’ He ran his gaze over her. ‘You look amazing.’

‘Thank you.’ Her heart lifted. ‘You don’t scrub up too badly yourself.’ She smiled up at him.

Stella loved the ambience of Oscar’s, it had a laid-back, easy air, the excellent food belying its casual atmosphere. They followed the manager who led them to a cosy table for two in the corner, the sound of their feet tapping over the wooden floor.Already, the bistro was heaving, lively chatter mingling with the playlist of traditional French music. The mouth-watering aroma of seafood filled the air. Stella felt the stress that had gripped her body for the afternoon slide away. Sitting them down, the manager handed them each one of the large menus. ‘Nikki will be with you shortly. Hope you have a lovely evening with us.’ He smiled warmly.

Moments later, a fresh-faced young girl appeared before them. She was dressed in black trousers and a fitted white shirt, and had a basket of bread in her hand. ‘Hi there, I’m Nikki and I’m your waitress for the evening. I wondered if I could get you any drinks while you peruse the menu?’ She flashed them a cheery smile as she set the bread down.

‘How about we go for a bottle of Pinot Grigio?’ Alex asked, peering over his menu at Stella.

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