Page 33 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

‘I’ll go and visit my mom and see my sister and her family and I’ll eat too much and drink too much and then it’ll be back to work. We don’t have…Boxing Day, do you call it? I’ll probably be straight back into the office on December twenty-sixth.’

‘I don’t know what job you do.’

‘I work in real estate, helping people find suitable sites for building projects. And yeah, it’s as boring as it sounds. That’s why I took a few weeks off to go travelling.’

‘Weren’t you nervous travelling on your own?’

Ben shook his head. ‘Not at all. I met some really great people and saw some amazing places.’ He took a sip of his Americano. ‘Don’t tell my mom but I’d love to give up my job some day and go travelling for a few months. I’d like to spend time in Asia and Australia.’

Isla closed her eyes. She’d always longed to see the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China, Mount Fuji, and the sacred red stone of Uluru. She could picture them all. But they were so far away, so out of reach, when her life was here in Heaven’s Cove.

‘Do you work or were you a full-time carer for your grandmother before she passed?’ asked Ben.

Isla opened her eyes. A small child was crying nearby and there was a hum of conversation around them. ‘I was working full-time for a local mental health charity, but I needed a part-time job when Gran got more immobile and in need of care, so I switched to working at the library in Callowfield, which is about ten miles away.’

‘And what about Caitlin?’

‘She’s between jobs. She used to work for a firm of solicitors in London, as office manager. But I think she left a while ago, when she and her husband moved house and it was too far for her to commute.’

‘You don’t sound too sure.’

‘Caitlin and I aren’t close,’ said Isla briskly. ‘Not any more. Anyway, please tell me about India; Rosie told me that you’ve been there.’

‘It’s an amazing, vibrant country. It’s one of the favourite places I’ve visited, along with Peru. That was pretty special too.’

‘Did you go to Machu Picchu?’

When Ben nodded, Isla sighed. ‘I’d love to trek the Inca Trail and climb up to Machu Picchu. It’s on my bucket list. But Paul doesn’t much like going abroad.’

‘That’s a shame ’cos it’s well worth a visit.’

Isla sat back, listening intently while Ben talked about his ascent to the fifteenth-century Lost City of the Incas. He described it so well, she could imagine she was there, with the sun on her face and the ancient citadel spread out before her.

She suddenly became aware of someone standing close beside her and looked up.

‘Isla! I didn’t expect to see you in here.’ Paul was standing there, a take-out coffee in his hand. ‘I just nipped out from work to grab a drink, and here you are.’

Isla frowned. There were far closer cafés to Paul’s office, and he rarely drank takeaway coffee. Was he spying on her? She batted the thought away because she was being paranoid. How on earth would Paul know that she was here? It had to be a coincidence.

When Paul smiled at Ben and asked: ‘Who’s this, then?’ Isla cringed inside. Paul knew exactly who he was. She’d told him this morning what she was doing, but she went through with the charade anyway.

‘This is Ben, the American visitor I was telling you about who’s here to find out more about his family history. Ben, this is Paul, who—’

‘I’m Isla’s boyfriend,’ interrupted Paul, thrusting out his hand for Ben to shake. ‘It’s wonderful to meet you.’

‘Yeah, you too.’ Ben shook the proffered hand. ‘Isla’s showing me around Heaven’s Cove before I head back to London. She’s been very kind.’

‘I bet. Isla’s always kind. Too kind sometimes, which lays her open to being taken advantage of. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?’

He laughed and Isla laughed too, because she felt she should. But Ben’s smile had frozen on his face.

‘I’d hate to take up too much of Isla’s time.’

‘You’re not,’ Isla assured him, feeling awkward. ‘Paul didn’t mean that. He was just talking generally and…’ She tailed off, not sure what else to say.

‘How long are you in beautiful Devon, Ben?’ Paul asked, still towering above Isla.

‘Just until tomorrow, and then I head back to the States the day after.’

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