26
Florence
All week, Florence had avoided Stefan, even at horse riding. It was a pleasure to see Lindy riding out with Kasey and Rhett, and to watch the smile grow on Stefan’s face at the sight, but she stayed back, hiding in the shadows, not wanting to be involved.
The squabble they’d had left her feeling hurt and stupid. All she’d done was try to help, and as her idea had failed spectacularly, she’d felt it best to bury her head in the sand and focus on her new flat instead.
So much furniture had arrived now, and Florence had spent a lot of time putting everything in its place.
Rhett had said Florence could use the car to fetch Tiggy home, and the moment Florence watched her sister walk out those gates, was the best moment ever.
There was no way Florence was spending the night in a hotel. It was early, and it would only take a few hours to get to the Isle of Wight. All she wanted was to get Tiggy home and settled.
Had it really been so long since her little sister was arrested? The memory haunted Florence, and she was sure it would never leave her.
Tiggy was quiet on the drive, mostly staring out the window, absorbing the view, so Florence chatted light-heartedly about their new home.
The past had to be left in the past, for both their sakes. Florence had made a life for herself in Pepper Bay, and she was sure her sister would find happiness there too. They had no one else to fall back on, except the Silver family, but Florence felt they had done enough already. She only wished she had a parent who loved her and Tiggy as much as Stefan loved Lindy.
Each time Florence thought about them, her heart cracked that little bit more. It was so hard keeping out of his way. But he hadn’t called or reached out, so she assumed he hated her now. She was angry at herself. The last thing she wanted was to cause Lindy any pain.
‘You know, you’ve not mentioned Stefan or Lindy once,’ said Tiggy, turning from the window.
‘Hmm,’ said Florence, trying for casual.
‘I can tell when something’s wrong with you, Flo.’
Florence gripped the steering wheel that little tighter. ‘Nothing’s wrong.’
‘I’ve just been released from prison. I think I deserve a bit of gossip.’
‘There’s no gossip.’
‘But there is something.’
Florence huffed. ‘Oh, I messed up, that’s all.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I tried to help with Lindy’s therapy, but it all went terribly wrong, and now Stefan hates me, I hate me, and that’s the end of that.’
Tiggy touched her hand for a moment. ‘I think that’s just the beginning. Tell me what happened.’
‘Self-defence class, that’s what happened. I figured it a good step for Lindy’s confidence, but Lindy wasn’t ready. It gave her a setback.’
‘Oh.’
‘Hmm, see now.’
‘Yes, but I’m sure something like that can be sorted.’
Florence recalled trying to talk to Stefan at the time, but he’d switched off, no longer caring what she had to say.
‘Did you speak to Stefan? Explain where your heart was?’ asked Tiggy.
‘He was annoyed with me, so not much progress there.’ Florence quickly glanced at her sister before concentrating on which lane to take to board the ferry for the Isle of Wight.
‘You can try again. I’m sure he’s calmed down now.’
‘I got carried away, Tigg. Acting like I was the parent.’
Tiggy smiled. ‘That’s because you’ve always been mine.’
‘Lindy does remind me of you when you were her age. I think you two will get along great.’
‘Haven’t you seen Lindy either since the fallout?’
‘Only from afar. Stefan hasn’t contacted me, so I guess he doesn’t want me looking after her anymore.’ Florence parked on the ferry and got out, heading for the top deck.
Tiggy followed closely behind. ‘Can’t remember the last time I was on a boat.’
‘I can. It was your friend’s yacht. Oh, what was his name? That one with the curly black hair.’ Florence shook her head.
‘Leonard. Yes, I remember now.’ Tiggy frowned. ‘I wonder what he’s up to nowadays. His dad wanted him to join the family business. Shipping or something, but he wanted to sail the world by himself.’
‘That’s one way to find peace.’
Tiggy folded her arms and inhaled. ‘Ooh, I love the smell of the sea.’
Florence smiled, pleased to see some colour return to Tiggy’s cheeks. ‘You’ll love our view at the flat.’
Tiggy leaned into her, and Florence wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tugging her closer as they stared out to sea.
‘No more drama for us.’ Florence kissed Tiggy’s head, thankful the whole nightmare was over.
‘I’m on licence. I have to stay out of trouble or they’ll send me back.’
‘Yeah, well, that’s not happening. With you creating book covers for my novellas, working part-time at the Gatehouse Café, and checking in with your probation officer, or whatever he’s called, you should be just fine.’
‘I’ve got my first appointment with him at Shine in the morning. It’s a centre for ex-offenders. I’ll have group therapy there too. And they have mentors. They have hubs all over the country.’
‘Sounds great. Do you want me to come with you?’
‘You can show me the way, but I’ll do the rest by myself.’
Florence gave her a gentle squeeze. ‘Hey, you’re not alone, Tigg. Remember that.’
Tiggy smiled softly. ‘I’m okay. I just want to, that’s all.’
‘Okay.’ Florence inhaled the fresh air, smiling now she was heading home with her sister.
It was so surreal driving to Pepper Lane with Tiggy. Florence had dreamed of the moment, but now it was happening, it was as though she really were dreaming.
Florence parked in the car park by the tram stop, as cars weren’t allowed down by the shops. They made their way to the flat, and Florence’s tour lasted all of ten minutes.
‘Can we go swimming in the sea, Flo? I really want to be out there.’
‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ Florence pulled out some swimwear, and as the sisters were the same size, Tiggy could choose whichever one she preferred out of the four Florence owned.
‘I don’t seem to have many clothes here, Flo. Where are my things?’
It wasn’t something Florence wanted to tell her, but she had no choice now. ‘Mum took a lot of your stuff with her when she left. Said she’d get more use out of your clothes than you would. Sorry, Tigg. I did put the rest of your bits in storage, but the delivery driver I booked to bring everything here has been delayed for a few days.’
‘Oh, never mind. Back to our sharing days.’
Florence laughed. ‘Yeah, but I don’t have many designer clothes anymore. I sold a few bits.’
Tiggy quirked an eyebrow. ‘How last season are we?’
‘Babe, we’re not in any season.’
They shared a laugh, then quickly got changed, tossing on tracksuits over their swimwear and grabbing some towels.
Florence popped into the sweet shop to see Erin. ‘Hi, can I leave my door keys with you while we go for a swim?’
Erin nodded as she came out from behind the counter. ‘Sure.’ Her eyes widened on seeing Tiggy. ‘Hello, you must be Tiggy.’
Florence introduced her sister properly. ‘Tiggy, meet Erin, who has the best job in the world. Owner of a sweet shop. Can’t get better than that.’
Erin laughed. ‘Good to finally meet you, Tiggy. I know the Silver family can’t wait to meet you. Don’t be surprised if they have a barbeque to celebrate you coming home. They have one for every occasion.’
‘Ooh, I’d love that.’ Tiggy grinned at Florence. ‘My sister told me everyone is super nice around here.’
Erin nodded. ‘They are. I was alone when I came here, but within five minutes, I had more friends than I’ve ever had in my life.’
‘Good to know,’ said Tiggy, latching on to Florence’s arm.
‘Right, we’re off for a swim.’ Florence waved goodbye to Erin, then sprinted downhill to the shingles, squealing in delight with Tiggy.
They hit the small beach, dropped their towels, removed their tracksuits and footwear, then padded their way slowly over to the shoreline.
‘I’m sure you mentioned a golden sandy beach,’ said Tiggy, frowning at the shingle.
‘That’s the beach next door in Sandly. It has the most adorable beach huts. We’ll go tomorrow.’
The water rolled over their ankles, making them both gasp from the cold.
‘Slowly, Tigg, it’s freezing.’
Tiggy laughed, moving further out until the sea covered her stomach. ‘Come on, Flo. You’ve just got to get used to it.’
Florence scrunched her nose as Tiggy dipped to her shoulders. ‘Ooh, okay.’ The water lapped at her chest, then Florence went for it, ducking low whilst giggling.
Tiggy started swimming, rolling over onto her back, then front again, and Florence quickly met her side.
‘I much prefer tropical water.’
Tiggy’s smile widened. ‘I much prefer freedom.’ She yelled towards the sky, and Florence joined her. ‘Yay!’
They stayed in the sea for a long while, swimming and floating, ignoring the world, until Florence noticed Stefan on the beach, staring her way.
‘That’s Stefan,’ she told Tiggy, acting as though she hadn’t noticed.
‘Go and speak to him.’
‘No, we’re swimming.’
Tiggy tutted. ‘I’m going over to check out that clubhouse place there. Looks like they’ve got surfboards.’
‘The Old Boat Clubhouse,’ said Florence, glancing its way. ‘They have a morning swimming club you could join.’
‘Right, you go see your love doctor, and I’ll be over there.’ Tiggy swam off before Florence could reach for her.
Florence sighed to herself. She had two choices. Stay in the sea or talk to Stefan.