Page 106 of Second Chance Summer
She saw Sam turn his back again, heard his desperate plea: ‘promise me you won’t change your life for me.’ What had he meant by that? Don’t make an effort? Don’t come back? Don’t fall in love with me?
‘Not my soul,’ Lily murmured.
‘Your heart, then?’
She chose not to answer. ‘I said I’d go back for the launch of the retreat in four weeks’ time.’
‘He’ll have all the cottages finished by then?’
‘He agreed to my deadline.’
‘He’ll meet it.’
Étienne kept his eyes on the road, now thick with cars and caravans. ‘Of course, you’ll keep your side of the bargain too and go back.’
‘I don’t think Sam thinks so.’ She wasn’t sure he even wanted her back.
‘Then you’ll feel even more smug when you prove him wrong.’
‘I don’t want to feel smug. It’s not a competition.’ She sighed. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be snarky. I’ve a lot on my mind.’ Every mile seemed to make her burden heavier: her business, Sam. Did he really not want her even to try and make their relationship work? Or was he simply protecting himself?
‘Is there a plan? You always have a plan. It’s what makes you so extraordinary.’
She laughed. ‘I am anythingbutextraordinary. The past few weeks have made me realise that I’m as fallible as anyone else. I can crumble, I can fail, I can change everything I believed about my life.’
‘Change can be the scariest thing of all,’ he said.
‘Terrifying … and I might have a plan for the business but I’ve so little experience in – love.’ There. She’d said the momentous word out loud. ‘I feel horribly out of my depth! It scares me to feel the way I do.’
‘Daddy, I need a wee.’
‘And me!’
Étienne glanced in the mirror. ‘OK, we’ll stop at that farm shop I saw on the sign.’
‘The one with the baby llamas?’ Tania piped up.
In the mirror, Lily saw the girls grin at each other. The llamas had also been on the sign.
Étienne sighed and said to Lily, ‘Prepare yourself. I don’t think it will be a quick stop.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
‘Surprise!’
Lily almost had a heart attack when she walked into the office. Streamers fell into the air and party poppers exploded. A banner saying ‘Welcome Home’ had been hung across one wall and there was bunting looped along the other.
Momentarily, she was struck dumb and the grins on the faces of her team tugged at her heartstrings.
‘Welcome home!’ Richie said. ‘We thought we’d surprise you after your ordeal!’
‘You have,’ Lily said, feeling like crying. She made an effort to give her broadest smile. ‘It’s good to be back. I’ve missed you and it’s lovely to feel wanted.’
‘You’re welcome, hun.’ Richie hugged her. ‘I love the sun-kissed hair … and brighter colours suit you so well.’
Lily smiled, pleased he’d noticed her new outfit. She’d never have worn an orange dress to work previously, but it cheered her up and shedidrun a craft company – not a merchant bank.
The rest of the team came up to greet her.
