Page 10 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

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CAITLIN

The huge, sliding doors of the garage were open wide and a cold wind was whipping through the building. A yellow Mini was hoisted high on a hydraulic lift and the young mechanic studying one of its wheels smiled at Caitlin when she walked in.

‘You all right?’

‘Yes, thanks.’ Caitlin pulled her leather jacket more tightly around her. It was freezing in here. ‘I’m looking for the manager.’

‘You’ll find him over there.’

The man wiped his hands down his thighs and tilted his head towards a black Volkswagen which was raised slightly above the ground. A pair of legs were poking out from underneath, covered in oily overalls.

Caitlin walked to the legs and said: ‘Excuse me.’ She raised her voice as a drill sounded from beneath the vehicle. ‘Could I have a quick word please?’ The noise was vibrating through her head and making her wince. She waited a moment but the drilling went on. ‘Excuse me,’ she tried, more loudly this time but the drilling continued. ‘Can I have a word?’ she yelled, just as the drilling stopped. Her voice echoed around the garage and everyone looked at her.

She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks grow hot, as the man slowly pushed himself out from under the car. He sat up and ran a grubby hand through his fair hair. ‘Did you want me?’

‘I did. I…I…’ Caitlin’s words faltered when she realised that the man she was looking at was someone she knew. Even with his face covered in grime, she’d know those piercing blue eyes anywhere. ‘It’s my car,’ she managed, feeling totally thrown.

‘It usually is, when people come in here,’ said Sean, getting to his feet and wiping his hands on a filthy rag hanging from his waist. ‘Where is it?’

‘Outside. I parked it in the lane,’ said Caitlin, her heart hammering. This was horribly awkward.

Sean tilted his head slightly and sniffed. ‘We’d best go and see it then and you can explain the problem.’

She followed him out of the garage, feeling confused. He didn’t appear to have recognised her, though that was probably good, all things considered.

She’d changed, of course, over the last fifteen years. Her hair was a different colour, for a start – a rich caramel now rather than the boring brown it used to be – and it was shorter and cut into a chic bob. She was also far better dressed, having swapped jeans and sweatshirts – Isla’s perpetual uniform – for tailored shirts and trousers. And she wore far more make-up.

But her overwhelming relief that Sean had forgotten her, and any awkwardness could be avoided, was tinged with a shard of something else…disappointment, maybe, that she’d been so unmemorable back then?

‘Is this it?’ Sean stopped and gestured towards the racing-green Jaguar she’d parked next to the oak tree. When she nodded, he wandered around the vehicle, his hands on his hips. ‘What’s wrong with it?’

‘It keeps spluttering when I’m driving, as if it’s about to cut out.’

‘Does it ever stall completely?’

‘No, but I don’t want it to die when I’m in the middle of nowhere. There’s obviously something wrong, so I thought it might be prudent to get it seen to.’

Sean stared at her for a moment. ‘Yep. Makes sense. We can check it over and see what her problem is.’ He ran his hand gently across the bonnet. ‘She’s a beauty.’

‘Presumably you’re OK with fixing this…type of car?’

When the corner of his mouth lifted, Caitlin felt her stomach lurch. She recognised that expression of suppressed amusement.

‘Posh cars, you mean?’ he said. ‘Yeah, I think we can manage that.’

‘It’s second-hand, obviously. Well, more like fourth-hand by the time I got it,’ Caitlin blustered, hating herself for feeling the need to justify having a ‘posh car’ at all. ‘Um, how long do you think it’ll take to fix, and do you have any idea of the cost?’

Caitlin’s stomach turned again at the thought of a large bill but she couldn’t risk the car breaking down on her way back to London. Being towed to a garage would cost a fortune.

Sean rubbed his eyebrows as if he had a headache. ‘That depends on what we find. But if you leave your mobile number with Jen in the taxi office next door, someone will give you a ring.’

‘OK,’ said Caitlin, doing some mental calculations. If she could persuade Isla to put Rose Cottage on the market after all – and if she had a reliable, working car by then – she might be able to leave Heaven’s Cove in a day or two. Isla had seemed calmer this morning after yesterday’s will reading and might be open to persuasion. Though she’d been talking too much about the bizarre riddle they’d been bequeathed for Caitlin to broach the subject of the house over breakfast.

‘When do you think the car might be ready?’ she asked.

‘A couple of days? If it’s nothing too serious, you should be able to collect it on Thursday.’

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