Page 105 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

Maisie sat down again very quietly. Caitlin was willing to give up a chance of new happiness, because of her. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried very hard not to sob.

40

CAITLIN

If she’d known that Sean was about to kiss her on the lips – which she hadn’t – she would have expected it to feel very familiar. After all, they’d kissed plenty of times fifteen years ago.

But when it happened, when Sean slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closely into him, his kiss didn’t feel familiar at all. It was more experienced, more grown up – and much more sexy than she had ever remembered.

She leaned into it, wrapping her arms around Sean’s neck and, when they eventually pulled apart, she could hear her heart beating.

‘Sorry,’ he said, taking a step back. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’

‘No, it’s fine,’ Caitlin assured him.

‘No, it’s not because what’s the point? You’re still going back to London, aren’t you.’

‘I have to, Sean, for Maisie’s sake. She’s been let down by everyone around her and I can’t let her down too. Do you understand?’

‘Of course I do.’ He gave a sad smile. ‘But I don’t have to like it.’

‘I’ll be back in Heaven’s Cove more often now. Much more often.’

‘I know, but long-distance relationships are tricky. You need to be in London and I need to be here, in Heaven’s Cove. I’ve built up a good business and the lads at the garage rely on me for their livelihoods.’

They were pulled in two different directions, just like Edith and William, thought Caitlin. Two people who cared about each other but couldn’t be together because of their responsibilities.

‘But when I do come to visit, at least we can be friends again,’ she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

‘Yeah, friends again,’ said Sean gruffly. ‘We missed our chance, Cait.’

When Maisie gets older, maybe I can move back to Heaven’s Cove. That’s what Caitlin wanted to say, but Sean had waited for her once, and she had no right to ask him to do so again.

She nodded sadly. ‘Yes, I think we did.’

Sean scuffed his heavy boots across the floor tiles. ‘I have to get back to the garage. There’s always lots to sort out first thing and I never normally nip out. Will I see you before you go?’

‘Of course. We can have a drink in The Smugglers Haunt – damn the gossips! – and pretend to be teenagers again. It’ll be just like old times.’

It wouldn’t be like old times at all. It would be a painful parting that, this time, neither of them wanted. But there was no other way.

Caitlin watched Sean leave and was about to find Isla when her attention was caught by a noise behind her. It sounded like an animal snuffling. She looked around, expecting to see next door’s cat which had a habit of coming into Rose Cottage, searching for treats.

The room was empty but there was that sound again. Caitlin went to the huge windows that faced the back garden but there was nothing out there except a bright robin, pecking at the ground.

She turned and that was when she spotted Maisie.

Her stepdaughter was curled up in the wingback chair, with a tissue pressed hard against her nose and her face screwed up tight.

‘Maisie, what’s the matter?’

Caitlin knelt at Maisie’s feet and had begun stroking her leg before she realised exactly what the matter was. Maisie must have heard everything that had just gone on, including her kissing a man who wasn’t Stuart. ‘I expect you heard everything that…’ She swallowed hard. ‘We didn’t know you were here, obviously, or we’d never…Look, I can understand why you’re so upset. I’m so sorry, Maisie. My relationship with your dad has broken down but nothing has happened with Sean…well, apart from what just happened. But that won’t be repeated.’

Maisie gulped and scrubbed her face with her tissue.

‘Honestly, Maisie, I’m telling you the truth. Sean was an old boyfriend who I treated very badly years ago. We’ve grown closer again since I’ve been here but it won’t change anything. We’ll still go back to London and make a good life for ourselves up there.’

‘I don’t want to go back to London.’

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