Page 82 of Second Chance Summer
‘I didn’t know about this,’ Sam said sharply.
‘It was Elspeth’s idea. She said you’d be keen to get back to Stark and have a rest after all the drama.’
Sam exchanged a glance with Lily, as if to ask how much Morven had heard of their previous flirtatious banter.
‘Don’t stay here on my account. You need to carry on working. And before you ask, I won’t run off again.’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Not sure about me running away or about trusting me?’
Lily caught her breath. What a test from Morven: Sam’s first, possibly only, chance to show he meant what he said. Lily guessed there was only one answer – but would Sam pass the test?
He smiled. ‘If you’re sure you don’t want us to stay, and Elspeth is going to keep an eye on you, then why not?’
Morven snorted. ‘I’ll be keeping an eye onher. As she keeps telling me, she’s not as young as she was,’ she added cheekily. ‘And I bet you’re both dying to get back to Stark. You won’t have to worry about the ghost tonight, will you?’
‘Don’t push it,’ Sam said lightly but with a warning edge.
‘Yeah, I know. I was a cow. It was shitty of me. I’ve said sorry to Lily and I’m glad we spoke to Dad. I didn’t do it to make him come home but now that he is …’ She swallowed. ‘We can talk prop––’
A loud beeping from the house cut her off. ‘Oh my God! That’s the smoke alarm,’ she shouted, streaking off towards the kitchen.
Sam heaved a sigh. ‘I’d better go and see if she’s burned the house down.’
‘I’ll come in, shower and pack my stuff,’ Lily said, butSam was already jogging through the door, unable to hear her above the screech of the alarm.
With the house safe, and Morven preparing a fresh batch of bruschetta, peace was restored.
Lily had her bag packed again and hopped in the Land Rover to drive to the quay with Sam. On the boat over, he was even quieter than usual. He still looked gorgeous, but exhausted.
‘Far be it from me to suggest this to the owner of a wellness retreat, but have you ever thought of indulging in a little self-care yourself?’ Lily said, when they docked at Stark. ‘You’ve been working on the cottages for months and worrying about Morven. Why don’t you allow yourself some time to relax? I got pasties from the bakery. I thought we’d have those tonight.’
‘Pasties sound great.’
After Lily had put them in the fridge, she found Sam outside the reception hub staring out to sea as if looking for the lost land of Lyonesse. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear her approach.
‘OK?’ she said, joining him.
He turned quickly, as if startled by her presence. ‘Yes. I think so. It’s been a hell of a day.’
‘It has. You can tell me to mind my own business if you like but can I ask how it went with Nate? Morven seemed more at ease.’
‘He’s coming back at the end of the month. He’s taking unpaid leave from work to spend some time with Morven so they can talk face to face.’
‘And Grady?’
‘She’s staying in LA.’
Wise choice, thought Lily, keeping her opinion to herself. ‘It can’t be easy for any of you.’
‘No. I – when I had to tell Nate that Morven had gone missing, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I felt I’d failed in the most important job there is, keeping her safe.’
‘You didn’t fail.’
‘No, but if anythinghadgone catastrophically wrong, I don’t know what I’d have done.’ He laughed bitterly. ‘The irony is, Nate said he didn’t blame me. He blamed himself for going to LA and then not making a decision about her sooner.’
Privately, Lily agreed with Nate’s assessment, yet only replied: ‘Morven wants to go to Falmouth but she’s too afraid of failing. Did she tell you?’
