Page 48 of The Sunken Truth
“Yes, I suppose it was. The fire at the shop wasn’t a big deal, though. The smoke alarms went off and it was put out before it could do much damage.”
“Was that part of why you left?”
“Not really. There was only superficial damage and only in the shop itself. A fresh coat of paint and some new furnishings and it was all good again.”
“Was that after Uncle Derek and I had left?”
“Yes, must have been.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” Lily asked. “Why were you so guarded?”
“Guilt, I suppose.”
“Over what?”
“That I didn’t go with you. Back then, I worried Derek wasn’t fit to look after you, but I did nothing about it. I could have gone for your sake. Made sure you were okay.”
“I wasn’t your responsibility,” Lily said. “You hardly knew me.”
“I knew you were a sad little girl desperate for a mother. You looked at me sometimes with your big sad eyes. You wouldn’t speak, but I’d swear you were begging me to help you.”
“No one would expect you to turn your life upside downfor a kid you barely knew. And it sounds as though Uncle Derek wasn’t being very reasonable.”
“Even so, I wondered about you from time to time.”
“You don’t need to feel guilty,” Lily said. “I was okay. My childhood was unusual, but it wasn’t awful. I think I turned out okay.”
“I think you did too,” Maria said, a smile lifting her lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything from the start.”
“Is that why you gave me the lease for the ice cream shop?”
She nodded. “I was in touch with Derek again, years later. When you moved back to the UK. He emailed and told me all about you. We spoke on the phone a few times. He talked about how amazing you were.”
“Sounds like him. He liked to brag about me to anyone who’d listen.” As a wave of nostalgia washed over her, Lily felt suddenly exhausted.
They descended into silence and Lily felt torn between asking more questions and quitting while she was ahead. After getting far more out of Maria than she’d expected, she was conscious of pushing her too far and making her clam up again.
She definitely had more questions, though.
“Everything okay out here?” Glynis called, stepping out into the sunny garden. “Do you need more drinks? Or maybe a bite to eat?”
“No, thank you.” That seemed like Lily’s cue to leave things alone for now. “I should get back to the shop. I don’t like to leave Jessica for too long. Thank you for talking to me,” she said quietly to Maria.
“You’re welcome.” Maria put a hand on Lily’s arm when she went to pass her, stopping her in her tracks. She openedher mouth but didn’t speak. Her jaw worked as though she were trying to find the right words.
“I know you don’t want to be involved with the ice cream shop,” Lily said, filling the silence for her. “But if you’d ever like to visit, I’d love to see you.” She pressed her lips together. “It feels good to talk to someone who knew Uncle Derek. It sort of feels as though I’m still connected to him.”
Looking as though she was struggling with her emotions, Maria nodded. “I’d like to visit sometime,” she whispered. “I should probably sample the ice cream. See if it’s up to scratch.”
Smiling, Lily said goodbye to both women and left with her thoughts spinning. Calling Flynn didn’t even feel like a conscious decision. One minute she was wandering along the road, the next she had her phone to her ear.
“Did you speak to her?” he asked immediately.
“Yes.” She launched straight into telling him all about it, and was back at the promenade by the time she’d filled him in.
“So you finally got your answers,” he said. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She wandered down to the beach. “I think so.”
