The Summer Seekers

What had happened when the two of them had been alone together? Whatever it was had made Alix determined never to cross paths with Zac again.

Christy reached into a drawer for the screen cleaner and flipped open Seb’s laptop.

“Have fun tomorrow night. Send photos. Can’t wait to see you next week.”

Their friendship might have changed, but it was still strong. They still had plenty of ways they could connect. They had no need to step into that single no-go area.

Christy rubbed at the screen with the cloth and it blazed into life. Seb must have forgotten to turn it off. She glanced at it idly—and then with more focus.

Her heart took off. She barely heard Alix’s voice.

“Christy? Are you still there?”

She sat down hard on the office chair. “Yes.”

Her hand shook so badly she almost dropped the phone.

Had she misunderstood the email?

She read it again, trying to stay calm.

You’re the best, Mandy. What would I do without you?

I’ll meet you in Covent Garden at six p.m.

If there’s a problem, call my mobile. Don’t call me at home.

She felt as if someone had punched the air from her lungs.

Mandy? Who was Mandy? It could be innocent...but if so why wouldn’t he want the woman to call him at home? And why wouldn’t he just tell her? Why lie? What was he keeping from her?

He’d told her he was working late, but here was evidence that he wasn’t. He was meeting another woman in Covent Garden and he didn’t want her to know.

She imagined them laughing together in a trendy bar. Smiling at each other in a restaurant.

Panic rose inside her. There had to be an explanation. He wouldn’t do this to her.

Would he?

She kept hearing Alix’s voice in her head. “How well do you really know him?”

Her hands and legs were shaking. What now?

She couldn’t admit she’d been looking at his laptop. It was a betrayal of trust. On the other hand, he was betraying her trust, wasn’t he? She hadn’t even had to click to see the email. He hadn’t tried to hide it or delete it.

Her chest felt tight. What did this mean? Was he unhappy? Was this her fault for making them move so far out of London?

She should ask him. But she didn’t want to ask him. She didn’t want this to be happening,

“Christy?”

She’d forgotten Alix was still on the phone. She needed to get rid of her. Even if she could talk about it with her friend—which she couldn’t—Alix’s way of dealing with things was different from hers. For a start, Alix didn’t avoid difficult situations. If she wanted to know something, she asked. If someone annoyed her, she said “You’ve annoyed me.” Which was why, just before the wedding, she’d said “You’re making a mistake.” Someone else might have said Do you think...? or Is it possible that...? But not Alix.

Christy handled things differently.

“Sorry, you rang in busy hour.” She managed to inject just the right amount of fake breeziness into her voice. “I’m cleaning up more paint than you’ve seen in your life. Have fun at your event. Talk soon.”

She ended the call and walked blindly back into the kitchen, barely hearing Holly when she protested that she’d wanted to talk to Aunty Alix.