Page 41 of Second Chance Summer
‘I suppose you should be flattered, then,’ he said sarcastically.
‘I’m not. At least Richie’s managed to have the obit removed from the newspaper but the press are still hounding me for quotes. And that business from the TV show has been dragged up again too,’ she added, feeling despondent.
‘You’re in the best place you could possibly be right now. I should hunker down there until the heat dies down, if I were you. Don’t rush back.’
‘I have to. The helicopter’s leaving soon …’ Lily looked out over the channel to Stark, which did seem like a haven.Over there she could escape from the Internet, the phone calls … but she still had to deal with the fallout from the press story. Running away and letting Richie face it alone wasn’t fair.
She could go back to Stark, of course … sheshouldallow herself a proper break here. Its beauty was breathtaking and, apart from fog and a near-death experience, she had found a peace there she hadn’t experienced since Cara had died. Stark had reawakened her creativity and uncovered raw emotions she’d buried very deeply. Perhaps she’d needed that safety valve to let them out and still did …
A uniformed pilot was talking to some of the holidaymakers outside the hut. He seemed to be checking names. She spotted Sam glancing at his watch and trying to catch her eye.
‘Lily, before you go, I must let the girls have a word or I’ll never hear the last of it,’ Étienne said.
‘Put them on quick,’ Lily replied, trudging over to join Sam. Her legs felt as if they were made of lead.
The questions flew at her like serves from a Wimbledon champion. Lily cowered on her side of the net, with the two girls firing aces so fast she couldn’t even tell who was speaking.
‘Auntie Lily! Are you having a loverly holiday?’
‘Have you been in the sea yet?’
‘Er …’ she said.
‘Have you seen a sea monster?’
‘Can we come and see you?’
‘Daddy needs a holiday too.’
‘Daddy says there’s a story on the Internet about you that people have made up. Why have they done that?’
‘Daddy said it’s gone viola.’
Lily was half-laughing, half-crying. ‘It’s a silly mistake. It’s rubbish.’
One phrase from the obituary had hammered itself into her brain harder than any other.
A dreadful shame that the wider world never got to see the real Lily.
But whowasthe real Lily?
Was being a ruthless, driven businesswoman all she wanted to be known for? What about a beloved friend and auntie, a loving daughter, a goodpartner?
The roar from the helicopter throttle was almost deafening, but Lily couldn’t move.
What if this – now – was her second chance? Not the kayak accident butthismoment? What if this wastheopportunity to take stock of her life?
To think and to breathe?
Tochange?
‘I don’t think I can come home …’
‘What? What did you say, Lily?’ Étienne’s voice was faint against the sound of the propellers.
‘I think I’ll stay here for a couple of weeks. I – I do need a proper holiday.’
‘Of course you do, my love. We’ve been trying to tell you that.’
