Page 54 of The Sisters at the Last House Before the Sea

‘It doesn’t sound likely that she lost her nerve,’ Ben agreed.

‘So we might look similar but we’re not really similar at all,’ Isla murmured under her breath.

She cursed quietly when Ben asked, ‘Are you too scared to leave Heaven’s Cove?’ Unfortunately, she hadn’t realised he possessed super-human hearing.

‘Of course not,’ she said, feeling her cheeks begin to burn. ‘Like I said, I don’t have a lot of time for holidays and I’m happy here.’

‘Are you, though?’

‘Absolutely. Paul’s very happy here and I am too.’

Isla bent her head, stirred her coffee and watched white flecks of milk swirl and coalesce. Why had she mentioned Paul when he hadn’t been brought up in the conversation?

‘OK,’ said Ben, glancing at the door as a group of people burst into the bistro. They laughed, stamping their snowy boots on the tiles, and made their way to the counter. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.’

‘It’s fine,’ said Isla, stirring her coffee with more force. Ben must think she was a total wimp. He’d spent the last few weeks travelling on his own, with nothing but a backpack and a train ticket. She’d dreamed of doing that once upon a time. Before she got settled in Heaven’s Cove. Before Caitlin had left. ‘It’s just that I’m settled here, that’s all.’

‘You and Paul.’

‘That’s right.’

‘How did you two first get together?’

‘We met when Paul was doing some teaching at an evening class I went to.’

‘Is that even ethical?’

Isla shrugged. ‘We were adults. He runs his own logistics business now but he has qualifications in accountancy and I was studying bookkeeping.’

When a faint smile played on Ben’s lips, Isla asked: ‘What’s so funny?’

‘I just can’t see you as a bookkeeper.’

‘Neither can I, to be honest. I gave up before the end of the course. I know it’s all very important, but it wasn’t…’ Isla searched for the right word to convey a feeling she’d never fully articulated.

‘Exciting?’ Ben suggested.

‘It definitely wasn’t exciting. But that wasn’t it, really. It was all a bit too regimented for me.’

‘Perhaps there’s a wild streak in you, that’s desperate to get out?’

Isla laughed. ‘I doubt it.’ She relaxed, glad the conversation had moved on from comparing her with Edith, and enjoying being in Ben’s company. ‘So, will you be OK rearranging your flight? You should be able to get back to London tomorrow or the day after, now that forecasters are predicting a thaw.’

‘Would those be the same forecasters who didn’t anticipate half a ton of snow being dumped on our heads?’

Isla grinned. ‘The very same. But you should be able to leave soon.’

‘I expect you’ll be glad to see the back of me,’ said Ben, glancing over at a group of people making noise in the corner.

‘Definitely not.’

‘What makes me think that you’re simply displaying admirable British politeness.’

‘No, really. It’s been good to meet you.’

And it had, thought Isla. There was something exotic about Ben, even though he looked the same as any other young man, in his jeans and sweatshirts. Perhaps it was his accent, and his tan, and the knowledge that he lived thousands of miles away, across the ocean, in a country that Isla had once longed to visit.

‘Actually, much as I hate to ruin the whole grumpy vibe I’ve got going on—’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not that upset any more about missing my flight. My mom’s fascinated by the whole Edith-William story and it’s starting to become more interesting than I’d anticipated.’

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