Page 14 of The Secret We Keep
Satisfied, Holly shakes her head. “Right, what about grabbing something for dessert? My head’s banging. I could do with something sweet before we start drinking again.”
I laugh, but I know she’s serious. “You’re insane.”
“Nah, I’m just young and should be enjoying myself.” She winks at me. “Come on, looks like we’re walking.”
An hour later, we’re sitting outside June Rogan’s small convenience store on the very edge of our village. They serve the best, worst coffee from a little machine, and the doughnuts are to die for.
Holly tips her head back to the stars appearing above us. “Yeah. This is totally normal for women our age.” She groans, wiping the white flour lining her lips. “Sitting on a brick wall, eating hangover food. Can’t beat it.”
“You’re the only one who’s hungover,” I point out before taking my last bite. “I’m just here for the custard filled ball of dough.”
Holly shudders. “Stop. Custard doesn’t belong in doughnuts. I don’t want to vomit tonight.”
“No more drinking then?”
Her head twists. “No more.”
I lick the tip of my thumb, pleasantly surprised by how a little sugar can change my mood. I’m still annoyed with Dad, but after a long walk, some food and Holly to keep me company, my life doesn’t seem all that bad as it did an hour ago.
“Come on.” I stand, chucking the empty box of doughnuts into the bin.
When Holly pushes to her feet, we link arms and begin our walk back to mine. The cool evening air gently brushes my face. I’m grateful to be heading back.
“What is that?”
I turn my head in Holly’s direction.
“Hear that?”
Apart from the sound of my own breathing, the beauty of living where we do is that there’s no traffic. It’s just silent.
“There.”
“I don’t hear anything.” I tug her arm to keep us walking at the exact moment I forget how to move.
The world’s most adorable puppy tries to climb my leg. “Oh my God.” I immediately let go of Holly and bend towards it.
“Must be lost.”
The little chocolate Labrador whines and squeaks for one of us to pick him up. “Okay, okay,” I soothe, allowing him to climb into my arms. When I stand, I notice he’s freezing, his little body shivering. “Hang on,” I say on a laugh. He pushes up towards my face, making me arch my head back. I can’t stop the smile that breaks on my face. “He’s so small.”
Holly lifts her hand. “Is there an address on that?” She points at the collar.
I inspect it closely. “It says Stock Lane.”
“Fi’s road,” Holly points out.
That’s back towards mine. “Come on, we can take him.”
Wrapping him in my jacket, I feel him warm up as we walk much quicker than we did to get here. “He’s not shivering anymore,” I say when we make it to the top of the lane twenty minutes later.
“Which cottage is it do you reckon?” Holly asks.
It’s only when we’re halfway down the track that I’m guessing Holly puts two and two together at the exact same time as me.
“Oh, shit.”
I refuse to look at her, because I can’t. My eyes are fixed on Fi’s house. The one with all the lights on. The one with the white BMW parked on the gravel path outside.
