Page 29 of The Summer That Changed Us

Grace looked thoughtful. ‘I know what you mean, Robyn; my heart sinks at the sight of official letters, but in this instance, I don’t think it would work. The other two have appointed a solicitor which makes me feel that we’re beyond the talking stage.’

‘When I’m not sure what to do, I ask myself what Mum’s advice would be,’ said Robyn. ‘So, as this is Myles’s estate, what do you think he would do?’

‘That’s a great idea,’ said Katie, wondering whose advice she would use to help solve her own dilemma. Auntie Jean, probably. Although speaking to these two might be a bit more practical.

‘He wouldn’t want me to have to go through a court case, but on the other hand, he’d be furious with them for putting me in this position.’ Grace’s jaw was tense. ‘And he’d probably try and retract every bloody penny they’ve received.’

‘Then I think you have your answer,’ said Katie.

Grace groaned. ‘Bugger. Court case it is then. So much for a quiet life.’

‘Myles sounds like a lovely man,’ said Robyn, topping everyone’s coffee up and handing round the cookies again. ‘Shame on them for sullying his memory.’

‘He was the best husband I could have asked for,’ Grace said, her gaze softening. ‘I was very lucky. I think we only had one real rough patch in our entire relationship.’

‘My parents are the same,’ Katie said fondly. Josie and Brian bickered constantly, but there was always a thread of humour running through it. The only time she remembered them arguing was about her. Her dad didn’t want her to give up on her education and wanted her to go back to sixth form, but her mum had backed Katie one hundred per cent.

‘What caused the rough patch?’ Robyn asked, leaning towards Grace.

Grace sighed. ‘Stupid really and I regret it now. It was over Christmas, the one before last, our final one together as it turned out. He’d gone to the doctor worried about a pain when he peed. The first lot of tests results weren’t conclusive, and he had to go for more. He came back from the appointment convinced he’d got prostate cancer. So, what did he do? He googled it. Which made him worry even more. Whatever I said made it worse and, in the end, he refused to talk to me about it. I felt completely useless. At a time when we should have been close, I’d never felt further apart from him. Worst Christmas ever.’

Katie sympathised. ‘Maybe he thought he was protecting you by not sharing what was on his mind? But that never works because the people who love you most will worry anyway.’

That was precisely what Katie had done. She’d bottled up her fears, letting them eat away inside her, convinced that no one knew what was going on inside her head. When in actual fact, her parents had been full of concern for her. She knew that now.

‘That’s what I thought,’ said Grace. ‘So, I suggested he went to see my sister. Zoe is a nurse on a men’s hospital ward and there aren’t many ailments she hasn’t had to deal with. I knew she’d talk sense and calm him down. I think it worked because when he came back he apologised for shutting me out and was really affectionate again. A few weeks later, he got the results back and he didn’t have cancer, thank heavens.’

‘So, the threat of cancer was the root of the problem between you,’ said Robyn, hanging on every word.

Grace nodded. ‘In a way I’m glad it happened; it was a wake-up call for us both. We were workaholics up until then. Myles wasn’t getting any younger, so we decided to sell our business and enjoy life to the full, do some travelling, see the world. Not that we got to do much of that in the end. Although we found a buyer quite quickly, the sale was only finalised at the end of summer. We got as far as planning our trip but then he died in November.’

Katie gripped Grace’s hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘I’m so sorry, Grace, life can be very unfair and cruel. But it was a good idea of yours to send Myles to see your sister. They obviously got on well.’

Grace nodded. ‘They adored each other. He was the big brother she’d never had. Myles was an only child, so Zoe was the closest he’d had to a sibling. I was a bit jealous actually that he’d opened up to her and not me.’

‘Sometimes it’s easier to speak to someone who’s not as emotionally involved,’ said Robyn. ‘I guess that’s why talking to you both feels so much easier than talking to Finn.’

‘In that case, lady,’ Grace replied, ‘it’s probably time I shut up and let someone else get a word in. Who wants to spill their beans next?’

‘Katie?’ said Robyn hurriedly. ‘Mine can wait.’

‘Right.’ Panic flooded Katie suddenly; this was her moment.

‘You’re among friends remember,’ Grace said encouragingly, catching Katie just as she was checking her watch.

‘Thanks,’ said Katie, her throat dry with nerves. ‘And this is definitely a circle of trust?’

The other two nodded solemnly. Katie’s heart thundered against her ribs. Could she finally let someone in?

Chapter Eleven

‘OK, here goes.’ Katie’s fingers fiddled with the edge of the blanket anxiously. ‘When I was eighteen, I did such a stupid thing that even now, ten years later, it still makes me feel sick.’

‘We all make mistakes.’ Grace’s voice was encouraging as she stretched her legs out in front of her to make herself more comfortable. ‘It’s what makes us human.’

‘And whatever it is, we want to help, not judge,’ Robyn said. ‘Look.’

She had made a circle of sea glass on the shingle beside the rug in shades of blues and greens. She placed three larger pieces in the centre. ‘Here’s us in our circle of trust. When my best friend became my sister-in-law, I lost the person who could keep my secrets to herself. Whatever you tell me, I promise, it won’t go any further.’