Page 36 of A Secret Escape

She sighed as she folded the clean laundry into a neat pile.

She couldn’t believe history had repeated itself. Not for the world would she have wanted Milly to go through what she had gone through. When David had walked out of their marriage with no warning, it had been the lowest point of her life. The business had sustained her. Forest Nest had given her a reason to get out of bed and keep moving, and not just because she needed to provide for Milly.

And now here they were, back in a similar position.

Was that why she found the whole thing so stressful? Was a small part of her reliving that time of her life alongside Milly? Or was it simply that seeing your child suffer was the ultimate parental challenge?

She frowned as she stared out the window.

She kept telling herself that Milly’s emotions weren’t her emotions, but knowing that in theory didn’t help in practice. She didn’t just sympathize, shefeltthe emotions along with her daughter as if they were somehow invisibly connected.

But she couldn’t carry on like this, could she?

Her mother was right. She needed to put more focus on her own life instead of constantly being on alert in case Milly needed something. She needed to do more for herself.

If she found a new purpose, maybe she’d stop worrying about Milly for five minutes. It wasn’t as if Connie’s worrying was helping anyone.

But what exactly was she going to do? Two years ago she’d been planning to travel and see the world, but then Richard had left and she’d known that there was no way she’d be comfortable leaving her daughter with no support. Milly was running a business and had a child, and Connie knew exactly how challenging that could be, particularly during the teenage years. She’d decided that she needed to be there for all the small things that made such a difference. School pickups, the occasional meal, moral support. All the things her own mother had done for her.

And even though it was eighteen months since Richard had walked out, she knew she still wasn’t ready to do an ambitious trip. She’d worry too much to enjoy it.

No, she needed to start small.

Still thinking about it, she grabbed her bag, locked the front door and walked into the village.

It was another glorious day. She was tempted to make herself a picnic and head up to her favorite place near the lake. She could even take a book.

The village was small, little more than a hamlet, but it felt like home to Connie. She loved the stone cottages, the slow pace of life and the proximity of nature. A stream bubbled alongside the road, spanned by a pretty stone bridge that dated back several centuries. In winter smoke curled from the chimneys of those houses but now,in summer, flowers bloomed in borders and spilled from pots, bringing vibrant color to an already bright summer’s day.

Feeling more upbeat, she walked into the bakery to buy fresh bread.

She was trying to decide between a sourdough loaf and a rye bread when someone tapped on her shoulder.

It was Paula, from the choir. Connie hadn’t seen her in months, and coming so soon after the conversation with her mother she wondered if this was the last nudge she needed.

“Connie! It’s good to see you.” Paula’s warmth flowed over her. “We were talking about you just this week because we’re short of sopranos. When are you coming back?”

She’d always enjoyed singing, and she knew the choir members well. And would being unavailable for one evening a week really make much difference to Milly at this point?

She opened her mouth to say that yes, she would come back, when Paula gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

“No pressure. I can imagine things must have been very hard. How is poor Milly doing? I thought about you the other day when I was over at my Tanya’s for her twentieth wedding anniversary. I swear those two are as much in love now as they were on the day they married, and the kids are doing well.”

Connie wondered how it was people could be so unthinkingly tactless.

“I’m pleased.” She said it firmly. She didn’t want to become the sort of person who couldn’t be happy for someone else, but still she found herself wanting to head for the door. “I need to go, Paula. Great to see you.”

“How is Zoe doing? A breakup like that has a terrible and long-lasting impact on a child.”

And just like that Connie’s moment of optimism passed and she was thinking of Milly again. Worrying about Milly. And Zoe.

Long-lasting impact.

Zoe seemed to be handling everything well, but what if she wasn’t? Was there something more Connie could be doing to make her feel loved and secure?

“Milly and Zoe are both doing well.” Her lips felt stiff and dry as she responded.“My daughter is a wonderful mother.” Did she sound snappy and defensive? Yes, probably, but at this point she didn’t care.

“But having to sell their home—perfectly awful.”

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