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There was a gentle tap on her bedroom door.
‘Maisie? Can I come in?’
Maisie ignored Isla, hoping she would go away, but her door opened and her aunt poked her head around it.
‘Sorry to disturb you but I wanted to check that you’re all right. Caitlin’s worried about you and I am too.’
‘Did you tell her about the girls at school?’ demanded Maisie, placing her phone face down on the bed.
‘No, not exactly. But is there anything that Caitlin or I can do to help? We’re both good listeners if you’d like to get anything off your chest. We were your age, too, a long time ago.’ Isla grinned.
She was only trying to be nice. But Maisie couldn’t tell her about this latest humiliation. Not only was her bad behaviour all over the internet, the video must have been posted by one of the girls she’d tried so hard to make like her.
It was plain to see that they didn’t like her at all and never would. They would have a field day when it came out about her dad’s gambling and Maisie losing her home. What if her dad turned up at a school event, unlikely though that was, with stupid Chiara in tow?
Maisie shuddered because if she thought school was difficult now, it was about to become unbearable.
‘Honestly, Maisie. We’re happy to help if we can,’ repeated Isla.
But Maisie shook her head. Caitlin had enough to cope with, and if she found out that Maisie’s bad behaviour had now been seen everywhere, there was no way she’d stick around once the divorce was underway. Why would she when Maisie was such a huge disappointment? And Isla would only tell Caitlin what was going on. They were sisters after all, even if they didn’t always seem to like each other very much.
‘No, thanks. I’m good,’ said Maisie, leaning back against her pillows, closing her eyes and hoping that Isla would take a hint.
It worked because she heard the bedroom door click softly shut and, when she opened her eyes, Isla had gone.
Maisie went to pick up her phone but stopped, her hand hovering above it. Her aunt was right. She could leave the bitchy WhatsApp group and delete her TikTok app. But who was she kidding? Ignoring it wouldn’t mean it wasn’t happening – and maybe she deserved it anyway?
Maisie turned her phone over and watched yellow gloop slide down Miss Welby’s shocked face for the tenth time.
33
CAITLIN
This was not the way to the bakery. Gilly’s Bake Shop, which locals boasted sold the best Devon apple cake this side of Exeter, sat in a side street close to the ice cream parlour. All she had to do was head straight down the hill, turn left at the bottom and follow the sea wall. She could buy the loaf of bread that Isla had requested and be home in fifteen minutes, tops. Simple.
But instead, Caitlin had turned off halfway down the hill and was now walking along Smugglers Lane, which led directly past Sean’s garage.
‘This isn’t a good idea,’ she told herself, swinging the canvas bag she’d brought with her. ‘This is a terrible idea.’ But her feet kept on walking and she pulled her shoulders back, feeling lighter now her sister knew the truth about her life. ‘You need to tell Isla,’ Sean had told her, and he’d been right.
Thinking of Isla made Caitlin’s thoughts turn to Ben. Would she return his left-behind hat? she wondered, not sure why it felt important that she did. Perhaps Caitlin was hoping that spending time with the personable American would remind Isla that there were other men out there. Men who would treat her better than Paul.
She sighed and glanced to her right as she reached the garage. Its doors were wide open, in spite of a chill wind, and two cars were up on hydraulic lifts. But Sean was nowhere to be seen. Just as well, she thought, ignoring a swell of disappointment. Just as well when I’m leaving Heaven’s Cove.
‘Oops, watch out!’
Caitlin was so busy staring into the garage – while trying to look as if she was doing nothing of the sort – that she hadn’t seen Jen coming in the opposite direction. ‘Sorry.’ She did a quick side-step to avoid a collision with Sean’s ex-wife.
Jen laughed. ‘Don’t worry. No harm done.’ She waved the sheaf of papers in her hand. ‘I’m on my way to the garage with the latest orders. Are you looking for Sean?’
‘Sean? Me? No,’ said Caitlin swiftly, remembering that the last time Jen had seen her she’d been having a panic attack in the pub. ‘I was just passing by, taking a short cut, on my way to the bakery. Gilly’s Bake Shop. Fantastic Devon apple cake, I’m told, though I’m not going there for cake. Bread. We need bread. A loaf.’
She stopped talking, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. She was burbling like an idiot.
‘Right,’ said Jen, a smile playing on her lips. She must know that Smugglers Lane was in no way a short cut from Rose Cottage to the bakery ‘When are you going back to London?’
‘Soon. Maisie, that’s my stepdaughter, will need to get back to school. She’s having a bit of a break at the moment.’
‘When she goes back, she won’t have long to wait until the Christmas holidays.’
