Page 59 of Second Chance Summer
Lily gave a faint smile, feeling slightly guilty about concealing the truth.
‘Ah, the drinks are here,’ Penny said. ‘And dinner will be ready soon, but before you leave tonight, I’dloveto know more about your painting and crafts. I’m a ceramicist – no, don’t worry, I’m not angling to have my pieces stocked on your site – but Iamin charge of the summer craft fair here. I’d like to pick your brains about how we can make the most of it.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Lily said, following Penny back to the table with the trays of drinks. Fortunately, by the time they returned, the talk had moved on to rowing. They were all busy discussing their performance in practice and the upcoming gig race.
Lily sipped her half of cider, listening to the banter flashing to and fro and feeling as if she’d been let out of jail. The focus was off her. Phew.
Even so, when anyone spoke to her, she felt she was weighing her words before she said them and examining them after they’d escaped her mouth. She wanted Sam’s mates to like her but, more than that, she wanted them to see the real Lily – not the one who was constantly trying to live up to being the head of a successful business or how she thought a CEO should act.
She didn’t want to let Sam down and had to actively avoid watching him and thinking how attractive he was. His eyes lit up when he laughed; he was about as relaxed as she’d ever seen him.
He caught her eye and treated her to a hesitant smile that she returned with a broad one. He must be feeling relievedthat the evening had turned out well, that she’d fitted into his world for a few hours at least.
Penny had said Sam had really needed Aaron’s support. Was that to do with Rhiannon? Lily knew very little and had wondered about her so much that her name had assumed an almost mythic quality.
Had Sam forced his ex away? Lily herself had seen how he could be a little obsessive, deciding to renovate the retreat at any cost – even to the detriment of his own wellbeing. However, she could hardly judge him for being driven. He seemed to act from a strong sense of duty and had risked his own safety to haul her from the water. The memory made her shudder.
There were two sides to every story. Dare she ask Elspeth?
‘About time!’ Aaron declared. ‘Did you have to go out and catch the fish after we ordered?’
‘You cheeky sod!’ Kirsten, the landlady, exclaimed. ‘I can take it all away again, you know.’
‘Only joking,’ Aaron said.
‘Aaron, I should shut up and eat before Kirsten chucks us all out,’ said Sam.
Soon, they were all tucking into the best fish and chips Lily had ever eaten. It turned out the fishhadbeen caught that morning and the potatoes dug up that day by Ivanka’s brother-in-law on St Martin’s. Lily washed the meal down with a large glass of wine from the same island. She was beginning to feel pleasantly relaxed, her guard slipping further.
Talk turned to the work on the retreat.
‘Do you mind staying in a building site?’ Ivanka piped up.
‘Well, it’s not a building site any longer. Samphire is almost ready to let and we only have the tiling to finish on Starfish.’
Several pairs of eyes turned to her.
‘We?’ Aaron said before giving Sam a hard look. ‘Don’t say he’s been making his guests work on the cottages?’
Lily sensed Sam stiffen beside her, a heartbeat from jumping to her aid.
‘Wasn’t that the whole plan? For guests to work for their bed and board?’ she said innocently. ‘You do know I can’t stay too late because I have a toilet to plumb in tonight, and tomorrow I’m learning how to work the cement mixer.’
The others around the table erupted into guffaws.
Aaron found himself wrong-footed then laughed. ‘Nothing would surprise me.’
Lily treated him to a sweet smile. ‘To be honest, Ihavebeen offering my unsolicited advice. I was really impressed with the beautiful artwork in the cottages so I’ve been suggesting some decorative ideas for the two Sam’s renovating at the moment. There are some wonderful pieces in the galleries here on the islands that would be perfect. It’s a very talented community.’
‘Any advice on decorating the cottages is fine by me,’ Sam said firmly.
Lily tried not to catch his eye and, as she’d hoped, Aaron’s interest in her faded as she enthused over the local art scene.The conversation moved on to whether anyone wanted a pudding.
Inside, Lily heaved a sigh of relief that she’d managed to deflect attention from her slip-up. Hopefully none of Sam’s friends now thought she was actually helping him renovate the cottages. Even if itweretrue.
Declining a pud on the basis of being stuffed with fish and chips, Lily went to the Ladies. Penny was washing her hands. When Lily came out, the other woman had waited for her outside the bathroom.
After a couple of comments about the food, Penny changed tack. ‘I hope you don’t mind me saying this,’ she said.
