Page 90 of The Summer That Changed Us

‘Did he flirt?’ Grace raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought he was just being charming.’

Robyn swallowed. ‘Whatever, he still doesn’t fancy me.’

‘Nor me,’ said Grace, deadpan. ‘Bastard.’

Robyn let out a little laugh in spite of herself. ‘You are lovely.’

Grace bent down and picked up a piece of bright blue glass. ‘Look at that! Do you want it for your mosaic?’

Robyn squatted down and poked through the shingle next to her. ‘No thanks, they’re finished now. All ready for the christening tomorrow. I’m dreading that,’ Robyn shuddered. ‘Distant family members never know what to say to me. And then Finn mooning over little Betty … I used to love family get-togethers; now I can’t wait for them to be over.’

‘It’ll get easier.’ Grace stopped and slapped herself on the forehead. ‘Oh, bloody hell, listen to me dishing out the platitudes, I’m as bad as the well-meaning lunatics who tell me time is a great healer.’

Robyn gave her a wry smile. ‘So, it won’t get easier? Thanks.’

‘Nope,’ said Grace. ‘You’ll have to avoid family gatherings forever and I’m going to be stuck in a loop mourning my husband one minute and wanting to chop his willy off the next.’

‘I might as well chop Finn’s off. He doesn’t want it to use it anymore. At least not with me.’

‘I’m sure he does. Not to put too fine a point on it, but men rarely go off sex without good reason. Do you think he might be stressed?’ Grace asked.

‘He’s never said anything,’ Robyn replied. ‘Having said that, it wouldn’t surprise me. There’s my two years of treatment, bills galore at work and now, with the prospect of the boatsheds being sold, his stress levels are bound to rise.’

‘Hmm.’ Grace straightened up and looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Remember I said that Myles had only ever had one health scare before he died?’

Robyn frowned. ‘Vaguely. Prostate cancer, I think you said. Why?’

‘Surgery to cure prostate cancer may cause impotence. It was the thing Myles was most bothered about.’ She chuckled. ‘Honestly, boys and their appendages. Anyway, the more he stressed about it, the more problems he had in the bedroom department, if you catch my drift. In the end he couldn’t do it at all. Once he’d had the all-clear he was fine again. Men are very sensitive when it comes to their performance. Anything can throw them off kilter: stress, illness, tiredness, guilt.’

‘Poor Finn, he’s had all of that to deal with.’ Robyn chewed her lip. ‘Do you think that might be why he’s not interested in me anymore?’

Grace smiled fondly at her. ‘He is interested in you, love. His eyes never leave your face. But if his flag is flying at half-mast, he might not want you near his flagpole.’

‘I never thought about that from his point of view.’ A wave of guilt rushed over her. ‘I feel really selfish now. I’ve had counselling and therapy, and more recently, you and Katie to talk to about my feelings. Meanwhile he’s had nothing but the odd chat with his brother. So, what do I do?’

‘Talk to him, like you’ve talked to me. Be honest with him and hopefully he’ll be honest with you. If you can find out what’s holding him back, you’ll be halfway to solving the problem.’

Robyn hugged her friend. ‘Thanks. You give the best advice.’

Suddenly both of their mobiles beeped simultaneously.

‘Katie!’ they said together.

Grace was the first to retrieve her phone and read out the message to Robyn.

‘All good in Nottingham. Dad doing well and coming out of hospital tonight. And you won’t believe this … I’ve found who was behind the blackmail AND I’ve shut it down. Can’t wait to tell you all about it. Get your party outfits ready for Thursday, girls, because we are going to PART-AYYY Love K xxx’

Robyn was stunned. ‘She found the blackmailer?’

Grace stared back at her in shock. ‘Yep. And she certainly sounds like she’s on a high.’

‘That’s fantastic!’ Robyn gave Grace another hug. ‘What a relief for her!’

‘Hooray for the Sea Glass Sisterhood!’ Grace laughed. ‘Finally, that’s one problem sorted.’

Robyn’s stomach fluttered; and if Grace was right about Finn, by tonight, another of their problems could be sorted too …

Chapter Thirty-One