Page 100 of A Secret Escape

Joel was laughing too much to speak, and even Connie was smiling.

“Thanks, but I’ll just walk out like a live person and take my chances,” Nicole said hastily.

“You can wear my hoodie.” Zoe handed it over to her. “Slouch and keep your head down. No one will notice you.”

Nicole took the sweatshirt and put it on. She was exhausted. The stress of the night before and the lack of sleep were catching up on her.

“I’ll see you later, Connie.” She leaned down and kissed Connie and then gave Milly a hug. “Call if you need me.”

“I will.”

She left the room with Joel and headed down the stairs he’d found. There was no one else around, their footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell.

At the bottom, he paused with his hand on the door that led outside. “Did you mean what you said? About staying?”

“Yes. I’m going to sell my house and look for something here.” She’d never been more sure of anything in her life. “Thank you for yesterday, and for last night. For listening. For being a good friend.”

“You’re welcome. And I’m glad you managed to sort everything out with Milly.” His hand was still on the door, but he didn’t open it. “So does that mean you’ll be available for more hikes?”

She looked into his eyes and felt something she’d never expected to feel. “Yes, but naturally I’m going to join Nanna Peg’s group. I feel I have to be there to protect Maureen.”

“Understood.” He smiled and opened the door. “Keep your head down, Wendy, or I’ll have to sling you over my shoulder and pretend you’re a corpse.”

Chapter26Milly

Her mother was discharged at lunchtime with instructions to rest for a few days and contact the hospital if there were any concerns.

“I’m not sure about these symptoms.” Nanna Peg was studying the piece of paper that the doctor had given them. “I have most of them. Maybe I’m the one who should be in the hospital.”

Milly unloaded the shopping she’d picked up on the way home. “I wish you’d come and stay with me at the boathouse, Mum.”

“I’m better off in my own bed, honey, but thank you.”

“You’re not sleeping here alone.”

“I’ll be here,” Nanna Peg said. “If we need you, we’ll call. Now, enough talk of illness. Tell me about Nicole.”

Milly put apples into the fruit bowl. “You mean about her being pregnant? Or the fact that she is thinking of moving here permanently?” That had come as a surprise to her, but it was a good surprise.

They had so much to talk about.

“Neither of those things. I’m talking about Joel.”

“Joel?” Milly added oranges and plums to the bowl. “What about Joel?”

“Are you seriously pretending you don’t know?” Nanna Peg glanced at Connie. “I despair of the younger generation. They spend so long online they don’t understand human interaction when they see it.”

Milly put the milk in the fridge. “If you’re talking about their friendship, then yes. I know about that. She bumped into Joel on her first day here—” she decided not to give them the details of Nicole thinking he was an intruder “—and they became friends. He took her hiking yesterday.”

“I’ve been hiking with people,” Nanna Peg said, “and I don’t look at them the way he looks at her. Or the way she looks at him.”

Milly closed the fridge. “You see romance everywhere.”

“I see romance where there’s romance.” Nanna Peg made a pot of tea and put it on the table in front of Connie. “Trust me—those two are more than hiking buddies, even if they don’t yet know it themselves. Did you unload the chocolate biscuits, Milly, or are they still in the car?”

“Still in the car, I think.” Could Nanna Peg be right? “She’s pregnant.”

“I don’t see why that matters.” Connie poured the tea. “But she’s a world-famous actress, and he’s a carpenter.”

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