Page 36 of The Summer That Changed Us

‘You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,’ she said, shaking the drips from her coffee mug and handing it to Robyn. ‘But it has made me feel better, so hopefully it’ll work for you too. By the way, please thank Finn for the coffee.’

‘I will.’ Robyn hoisted her rucksack onto her shoulders.

‘And tell him he makes excellent cookies,’ said Grace, producing a lipstick from her pocket and applying it perfectly. Katie was impressed – how did she do that without a mirror?

‘My husband is an all-round good guy,’ said Robyn, with a lopsided smile as they began their walk back along the beach towards Sea Glass House.

‘That’s nice to hear,’ said Grace. ‘So many of my mates are divorced and vow never to go down that road again. Sometimes I think that mine and Myles’s marriage was the only one to work.’

‘Well, ours has always worked, but lately—’ Robyn paused, cocking her head to one side. ‘Is that someone’s mobile ringing?’

‘Yes, mine!’ said Grace, pulling it from her denim jacket. She frowned, reading the screen before answering it. ‘Weird. It’s Julia, Myles’s ex-wife. Hello?’

‘Shall we go and leave you to it?’ Katie whispered but Grace shook her head.

‘Julia, I’m confused,’ Grace said curtly after listening to the other woman speak. ‘I thought it was Austin and Olivia contesting the will, not you?’

Another pause while presumably Julia replied. Katie and Robyn exchanged awkward looks.

‘I’m not being difficult.’ Grace’s voice was smooth, but she was clearly rattled. ‘And to be honest, your attitude is very disrespectful. Just because your relationship with Myles ended in divorce, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t blissfully happy married to me.’

Julia said something else and Grace gasped.

‘Unbelievable.’ Grace covered the mouthpiece, her jaw set. ‘She just said that I’m living in cloud cuckoo land if I think my marriage was perfect. I’m putting it on loudspeaker so you two can hear her too.’

Julia sounded awful, thought Katie. What sort of person would say that to someone who’d recently lost the man she loved?

‘Calm down, Grace,’ said a woman in a patronising drawl. ‘I’m trying to do you a favour, give you a chance to do the right thing. Obviously the children don’t want to go to court, but if you refuse to reallocate Myles’s estate more fairly, then it will.’

‘And how is that doing me a favour?’ Grace demanded, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

Julia exhaled impatiently. ‘Because if Austin and Olivia have to make a case against you, they’ll be forced to admit what they know. About Myles. Everything will come out. And I mean everything.’

Grace frowned. Katie felt her face grow hot; this was beginning to sound like blackmail too. She exchanged looks with Robyn, who looked really uncomfortable to be listening in.

‘Do you know what she means?’ Robyn mouthed to Grace.

Grace shook her head. ‘Julia, I’ve got nothing to hide.’

‘You might not have; shame the same can’t be said of Myles,’ Julia said gleefully. ‘Awful for you, I realise, to find out what a naughty boy your precious husband was. Especially now when you can’t quiz him about it yourself.’

‘Now that’s enough. Don’t you dare speak about Myles like that,’ Grace said forcefully. ‘You’re a liar. I’m ending this call now.’

‘You mean you really didn’t know? Well, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.’ Julia’s voice was snide and oily, and Katie had a sudden image of a snake slithering towards its prey. ‘But Myles had an affair last year.’

Grace stabbed at the phone to cut the call. Katie froze and held her breath as she watched a thousand thoughts flicker across Grace’s face. For a moment the only sounds were the tumble of waves onto the shore and the distant squeal of a seagull on the wing. None of them spoke.

‘You OK?’ Katie asked.

Grace exhaled. ‘I don’t believe that for a second. She’s a bitter woman. She was jealous of me when we were married, but I didn’t think even she would stoop this low now that he’s gone.’

‘Block her number from your phone,’ said Robyn, ‘then at least she can’t bother you again.’

But Grace wasn’t listening; she was staring into the distance, her face tormented with grief. ‘Oh Myles,’ she whispered, ‘I miss you. So much.’

As her face crumpled and tears ran down her cheeks, Robyn and Katie stepped closer and held her while she wept.

‘It’s OK,’ said Robyn. ‘We’ve got you.’