Page 62 of Lela's Choice

“I’m sorry you’ve been unhappy.” Lela had missed her niece’s sadness.And what kind of aunt does that make me?

“Not unhappy. Restless. Nannu has his work, the uncles have their families, and”—she looked uncomfortable—“you were more involved with your foundation. I was jealous. I’m sorry I said those terrible things earlier. I need to find my own way.” Sophie was very like her grandfather and would probably resent the comparison. “I knew you’d come. You told him you’d come, didn’t you?”

Lela hugged a weeping Sophie. “I told Papa I’d find you and—”

Sophie lifted her head from her aunt’s neck. “Take me back?”

“—find out why you disappeared without a word to anyone.”

“Nannu knew. He sent you as peacemaker. I want peace too.” Her niece squeezed her tightly. “Call me tomorrow?”

“Bet on it.” Lela turned to the cousin and his wife who were hosting Sophie. “It’s been lovely meeting you. Thank you for your hospitality to all of us and your kindness.”

“I’ll keep in touch,” Sophie cried as they drove away.

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THE WIND PICKED UPwhen they summited the hill above the cove. Looking in the side mirror, lights were switched on across the town, making Xlendi sparkle like a multi-faceted jewel. Lela imagined families settling in for the night, secure in their affection for each other, trouble-free. Then laughed at the fantasy she wove about other people’s lives. Life was rarely perfect.

Swirling gusts buffeted the small sedan, requiring Hamish’s strength to keep them moving in a straight line on the narrow access road. Without warning, dark clouds scudded overhead and jagged shots of lightning split the sky. When the first large drops hit the windscreen, Lela concentrated on counting them in her head, the growing tumult of the storm a perverse comfort, alleviating the confusion of loss, guilt and hurt that battered her as relentlessly as any storm.

“It’s not the end, Miranda.” His steady voice cut through the roar of the wind, reassuring in its certainty.

“I know that.”

“You found her.”

“Lost, found, lost again.”

“That’s overly melodramatic.”

“That’s what my heart says.” She turned to face him. “But melodrama features regularly in Vella family interactions.”

“Thanks for the warning.” He flicked her a quick smile, then returned his focus to the road. “You can’t force her to do what you want.”

“I’ll let her go, if that’s what she decides.” She stared at her hands. “Mama was about the same age when she followed Papa to Australia. It’s not wrong to think it’s too soon, she’s too young.”

“No, it’s not. But the best interests of the child always come first. We have that in common. Even if it’s difficult, and for you, even if it means enormous personal sacrifice, the best interests of the child are paramount.” He wrestled with the steering wheel.

“What would you have had me do?” she cried. “Browbeat her? Threaten her?Abandonher?”

“Now I’m learning to know you, you did exactly what I’d expect, now and when she was a baby.”

She hadn’t expectedhim, but she was so glad Hamish was here.

A low rumble of thunder followed seconds after the flash of lightning. The storm surrounded them, the intensity of the deluge making it impossible to see the road ahead. Driving became dangerous. He pulled into a cul-de-sac, the engine humming to keep the lights on, the thin metal of the car’s body scant insulation from the tempest.

“We may have to catch a later ferry.” He unclipped his seat belt and swivelled to face her.

“Is it bad enough to stop the ferries?” she asked.

“Can’t answer that. Depends on the swell. Want to turn back?”

“I don’t like Sophie’s behaviour very much at the moment,” Lela confessed.

“Because she thinks you’re hard and unlovable.”

Lela sensed his grin before she saw it backlit by feral lightning and underscored by the ferocity of the thunder.

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