The Summer Swap

Chapter 11

Lily

“Todd.” Lily forced herself to step forward. What choice did she have? The other option was escaping through a window and once was enough for one week. And, anyway, she didn’t need Todd wondering why she would go to those lengths to avoid him.

She needed to play the part of little sister’s best friend. Which was what she was.

“Hey, Lily.” For a second his gaze locked on hers and then he covered the distance between them in two long strides and pulled her in for a hug.

She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was Todd. Demonstrative, affectionate and all-around good guy. Yes, he had faults, but it was her misfortune that she loved his faults as much as the rest of him. He could be annoyingly stubborn, often took ages to reply to messages because he rarely checked his phone when he was working, and he tended to give people the benefit of the doubt (which was presumably how he’d ended up engaged to Amelie).

And even if she had managed to hate those things about him, it was hard not to love a guy who went to such lengths to check his grandmother was okay.

For a moment she was pressed up against him, and she felt the hard wall of his chest and the strength of his arms as he tugged her close.

She breathed in the scent of him and sank into the power of him and felt everything she’d locked down explode. The feelings she’d tried so hard to bury escaped in a joyous bound. Her knees weakened. Her heart flew. She was scarily close to hugging him so tightly he’d never be able to escape back to Amelie.

Amelie.

Pulling away from him, keeping it casual, was brutal.

“Hi there.” Did she sound normal? She felt anything but normal. “It’s been a while.”

She’d spent Thanksgiving with Hannah and the family. Before she’d dropped out. Before she’d fallen out with Hannah.

“What are you doing here?” He frowned. “Hannah mentioned that you’d left medical school. What happened?”

“Enough of the inquisition, Todd.” Cecilia gestured to the kitchen. “The one rule in this household is that no one is obliged to talk about anything they don’t want to talk about. Make yourself useful and bring the coffee outside.”

Lily felt a rush of gratitude and then realized that Todd was still looking at her closely.

“I’ll fetch the coffee,” she said quickly. “You must be tired after your drive. I’m sure you two want to catch up.”

And she needed to steady herself.

She headed to the kitchen and took as much time as she felt would pass as reasonable. She poured coffee into mugs, tipped a few of the lemon cookies Cecilia had baked fresh that morning onto a plate and added a jug of milk. She knew exactly how Todd took his coffee—black and strong, even this late in the evening. Everything about him was studded into her brain.

Todd.

She couldn’t believe he was here. She’d been so absorbed by what Cecilia was saying about her paintings she hadn’t even heard the car.

And now her head was spinning. Todd dominated her thoughts, but underneath was a feeling of dizzying delight that Cecilia liked her work. What had she said? You have real talent. Did she mean that? She’d spent a long time studying each one and muttering things Lily didn’t catch. And she’d made the paintings look so much better by framing them.

For a moment Lily imagined her work hanging on a wall and then she brought herself back down to earth. She’d think about that later. For now, she needed to focus on Todd.

She wished she was wearing something dressier than her tie-dye T-shirt and her oldest pair of shorts. Amelie always wore dresses. Flowing, feminine dresses that cost more than Lily was ever likely to earn in a year.

Holding firmly to the edges of the tray, she walked back outside to find Todd standing next to Cecilia admiring the view. His arm was looped around her shoulders.

“This place is incredible. How did you find it?”

Cecilia glanced up at him. “More importantly, how did you find me? You said you tracked my phone. How? Who else should I be expecting?”

“No one. I used my laptop. I showed you, remember?” His tone was patient. “I set it up so that if you ever lost your phone, we could find it again.”

“Oh. Yes, I think I do remember now. I often lose my phone, so it sounded a useful thing to do,” Cecilia said. “But I didn’t know you were going to use it to find me.”

“It’s a good thing you and your phone were in the same place.” He kissed his grandmother on the cheek. “I wanted to check you hadn’t been kidnapped and held for ransom.”

Lily put the tray down on the table and unloaded the mugs. Because Todd wasn’t looking at her, she allowed herself to look at him. Just for a few seconds. It was like eating one square of chocolate when really you wanted to devour the whole bar.

Cecilia lifted an eyebrow. “Did you receive a ransom note?”

Todd smiled, apparently undeterred by her crisp tone. “No, but I decided that maybe they liked you and decided to keep you. Maybe you made them your lemon cookies and they decided never to let you go. Don’t be angry. It was done with the best of intentions and I promise never to do it again, providing you promise never to disappear again.”

“You’re a smooth talker, Todd Buckingham, but your charm doesn’t work on me.” But her tone had softened. “And there I was thinking that no one would ever be able to find me. You’re sure no one else is on the way here?”

“Positive.” His attention was caught by the bookcase. “What’s this? I love it.”

“You do?” Cecilia followed his gaze. “You and Lily are clearly seeing something I’m not.”

“Look at the wood. It’s an excellent piece of craftsmanship.” He dropped into a crouch and ran his hand lovingly over one of the shelves. “This is well-made. Someone took time over it.”

“And then someone let it go to ruin.”

“It can be restored.”

“That’s what Lily thought.”

“Lily found it?” He glanced up at her, curious, one hand still on the bookshelf. “Where?”

She couldn’t believe he was here, looking at her with those blue eyes while the breeze played with his hair.

“Someone threw it out.”

“They must have had a touch of the sun, don’t you think? What are your plans for it?”

“I’m going to put it in the second bedroom. But first I’m going to sand it down, paint it. Remove the bottom shelf because it’s damaged.”

“Shame to lose a shelf. I could fix that.” He ran his finger across the shelf, pausing where the wood was split in an ugly gash. “It would be like new. Better than new, because why buy something new when you can have this?”

Cecilia sighed. “It’s two against one, so I guess that ugly splintered thing is staying in my house.”

“Your house?” Todd rose to his feet. “That brings me to my next question. What is this place? Is it a rental? It’s stunning. How did you find it?” He tilted his head back and shaded his eyes, studying the pitched roof and the windows. “I might be in love.”

Lily heard the excitement in his voice and felt a pang because his reaction to the place mirrored hers, and that reminded her just how well they’d always connected.

She saw Cecilia hesitate, weighing her response.

“It’s not a rental,” she said quietly. “It’s mine.”

He turned, his gaze sharp. “You bought this place?”

“No. Well, yes, I suppose so. Technically. But it’s not a recent purchase. Your grandfather and I bought it fifty years ago.”

“You—” Todd stared at her, digesting that. “Does Mom know?”

“No one knows. Except you. Now you know. Which will no doubt complicate things.” Cecilia suddenly seemed tired. She sat back down on the porch and reached for one of the mugs. “You shouldn’t have come here, Todd.”

Lily saw that her hand wasn’t quite steady and wondered if Todd saw it, too.

She thought that maybe he did, because he was silent for a moment and then he nodded.

“You kept it a secret. I don’t know why, and you don’t need to tell me why. I can keep secrets, Nanna.” He spoke softly, and there was no doubting the sincerity in his words and his voice. “If you don’t want people to know about this place, they won’t hear it from me. And if you want me to leave, then I’ll leave. I really did just want to check on you. I know it’s been a difficult time.”

Cecilia lifted the coffee mug to her lips and Lily thought she saw a sheen in her eyes.

“I don’t want you to leave. But thank you for offering. You’re a very special young man.”

Todd gave a wry smile. “There are a few people right now who would disagree with you. And now I’m going to steal a lemon cookie and a mug of that coffee. Lily?”

She’d been lost in her own thoughts, some of them about the earlier conversation with Cecilia about her paintings, and some of them about Todd. And now she saw that he was holding a mug out toward her.

“Thanks.” She took the mug but didn’t sit, instead staring out across the ocean, watching as the sun dipped toward the sea. It was the best time of day, in her opinion. Normally it soothed her, but not tonight. Tonight, nothing could calm the flutter in her stomach and the crazy dance of her heart. Even though she knew it was hopeless, that nothing would ever come of it, she couldn’t seem to help feeling the way she felt whenever she was around him.

Fortunately, his attention was on his grandmother.

“How often did you come here, Nanna?”

“I haven’t been here for many years. I thought your grandfather had sold it. He was supposed to have sold it.”

“That would have been a crime. Do you have any idea what you have here?”

Lily turned her head and saw sadness in Cecilia’s face.

Todd saw the place as Lily did, in terms of position and potential. Cecilia saw only the past. Memories. It seemed to Lily that the place was furnished with them, and she’d been trying hard to make some changes in the hope that it might alter the way Cecilia felt. But she knew her contribution was probably too small to count.

And Todd’s arrival had reminded her that although she and Cecilia had created their own little world in this cottage, the real world was still out there. It hadn’t gone away.

“I know what I have,” Cecilia said. “That’s why Cameron and I bought it in the first place. And I will be selling it.”

Todd put his mug down and leaned forward. “Why would you sell somewhere so perfect?”

Because it hurts her to be here,Lily thought. But he couldn’t know that.

She was the only one who had witnessed Cecilia’s distress on the night she’d arrived at the cottage, and sometimes family were the last people you could be honest with.

Her own experience had taught her that.

Cecilia paused and for a moment Lily thought she might be about to tell Todd the truth, but then she shrugged.

“I’m selling it because I have no use for the place.”

“Sell it to me,” Todd said instantly. “I’m serious. I’ve been looking for somewhere. This fits my criteria.”

Lily was hit by a sudden wave of nausea. If Cecilia sold it to Todd—and why wouldn’t she?—then Amelie would live here. Amelie would wake up in the mornings and be greeted by that glorious view. Amelie would wake up and be greeted by Todd. They’d sit on the porch together. They’d walk on the beach together. They’d make their own footprints and gradually erase the prints of all the people who had come before. Including Lily’s.

Suddenly the cottage, the one perfect thing in her life, seemed tainted. Amelie might as well have thrown paint over it.

She stood up so suddenly the coffee slopped out of her mug and onto the table. “Sorry. I’ll get a cloth.”

“Lily?” Cecilia half rose. “Are you all right, honey?”

“I’m fine. It’s been a long day, that’s all.” And seeing Todd was a special kind of torture. It hadn’t occurred to her that she’d see him here, of all places.

But it had woken her up to reality.

Yes, she loved this place, but she wasn’t making a new life here. She was hiding from her old life. She was avoiding making decisions. If she wanted her parents to treat her like an adult, then she needed to prove that she was one.

The fleeting rush of elation that she’d felt when Cecilia had admired her paintings had vanished, replaced by the usual heavyweight doubt. The uncertainty. And the guilt. Always the guilt. She had no idea how to shake it off. It might have been easier to do so had there not been truth in her mother’s words.

She was right. It wasn’t realistic to believe she could support herself as an artist.

How many people who dreamed of being an “artist” ended up making money? You only had to look at the statistics to know it was a fantasy. Art would always be her hobby, but what she needed to do now was find a way to make enough money to live on. Something she wouldn’t dread doing. Something that didn’t make her wake every day with a knot in her stomach.

“You should go to bed.” Cecilia was still looking at her with concern. “You’re up so early every day.”

Todd vanished into the kitchen and returned with the cloth. “How did you come to be staying here, Lily?”

“She’s here because I invited her,” Cecilia said. “And where are you planning on staying tonight? You said you were doing a job out here.”

“In Provincetown, but it doesn’t start until next week.” He mopped the pool of coffee. “I was planning on checking into a hotel.”

Cecilia shook her head. “You won’t get a hotel room now. Everywhere will be booked solid.”

“You’re probably right. I’ve been working today. Didn’t think it through. I don’t suppose—” he gave her his lost puppy look “—given that I’m technically homeless, could I crash on the sofa for one night?”

“Those sad eyes don’t work on me, Todd Buckingham. That look didn’t work when you were three and wanted chocolate cake instead of lunch. And it doesn’t work now. Neither does the pretense that you’re incompetent and somehow ‘forgot’ to book.”

He looked sheepish. “All right, I was hoping to spend some time with you. Satisfy myself you really are okay. If you’ll let me stay tonight, then I’ll find somewhere more long-term tomorrow.”

Cecilia eyed his long, rangy body. “You haven’t been able to fit on my sofa since you were ten years old.”

“It will be fine. If it’s inconvenient I can always sleep in my car or on the beach. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Cecilia looked at Lily. “Do you mind if Todd stays?”

What was she supposed to say? Yes, she minded. Having Todd here erased the sense of peace that the cottage gave her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him here. It was that she really did want him here, desperately. And wanting him and not showing it required an effort and energy she wasn’t sure she had.

But she was going to have to find the energy.

She was touched that Cecilia had even asked for her opinion, but there was only one answer she could give.

“Of course I don’t mind.”

Cecilia studied her grandson. “You can stay, but you don’t think your family will want to know where you are?”

“No,” Todd said. “Mom and Dad have been preoccupied since Michael died, so they’re not likely to ask. You’re not top of mind. I think Mom has decided that, providing you’re telling her you’re okay, she’s going to believe you and leave you alone.”

“Michael died? When?” Cecilia pressed her hand to her chest, visibly shocked by the news.

Lily had no idea who Michael was, but he was clearly someone who had been important to the family.

“The day of the party,” Todd said. “Car accident. You didn’t know?”

“No. I must have left before it happened, and I haven’t been looking at the news. That’s dreadful. I had no idea.” Cecilia took a breath. “How is your mother?”

“Sad, obviously. Busy trying to make Dad feel better. He hasn’t been to work since.”

Cecilia gave him a long look. “She and your father have been spending time together?”

Lily thought it was a strange question, but Todd didn’t seem to think so.

“Yes. A rare occurrence in our house. I don’t suppose it will last,” Todd said. “You know Dad. He’ll soon be back working his usual hours.”

“I must contact her. I should have done it before.” Cecilia looked agitated. “And what about Amelie? Won’t she be wanting to join you?”

“Ah. Amelie.” Todd sat down. “She won’t be joining me, now or in the future. We broke up.”

Cecilia’s brows lifted. “After a week of being engaged?”

“Yes. Shortest engagement on record, I know.” He pulled a face. “It’s complicated.”

Todd was no longer with Amelie?

Lily’s heart soared upward and her mood with it. Why? She had a hundred questions. Who was the instigator? Why had Todd fallen for her in the first place? Did it make her a bad person that she felt euphoria and not pity for Amelie?

Todd was no longer engaged.

Todd was no longer marrying Amelie.

Cecilia squeezed his arm. “You can stay. And you don’t need to wedge yourself into the sofa and give yourself a backache. You can take the master bedroom.”

“The master?”

“The master, and no questions.”

“All right. If you’re sure.” But his gaze lingered on her face and then shifted to Lily, as if he was hoping to find answers there.

Lily couldn’t think of anything except the fact that he was no longer with Amelie.

“I’m going to bed,” she said. “Early start tomorrow and I’m tired.”

But being tired didn’t help her sleep.

An hour passed. And then another hour. She turned over in the bed, then turned over again and checked the time on her phone. She counted how much time she had left to sleep before the alarm woke her. Not enough.

But still she didn’t sleep. Her mind was too active. She was too hot. She plumped the pillow, turned it to the cool side and tried a different position. The breeze and the sound of the sea wafted through the skylights.

She lay there, wide-awake, thinking about Amelie and Todd, and then just about Todd. And herself. And why people had to fall in love with the wrong person.

She wanted to know what had happened. Or did she? What if Todd was brokenhearted and that was why he was here?

Irritated with herself, knowing that she was never going to sleep if she carried on lying there, she slid out of bed. She might as well get up, go outside and see if that helped.

Trying not to make a noise, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and headed downstairs.

She tiptoed across the room, opened the door and stepped onto the porch.

She stood for a moment, breathing in the night air and the scent of the ocean. Then she walked to the beach.

The sand was cool under her feet, and she walked almost to the water’s edge. The moon sent slivers of silver across the water. She stared out to sea and imagined the early explorers navigating the shoreline and the shifting sands. The seabed in this area was littered with shipwrecks.

She felt a little like that herself. She’d been forging ahead, trying to navigate the storms of life, and suddenly she’d hit a sandbank and sunk.

She sat down on the sand, arms hooked around her knees.

One thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t stay here for much longer. She’d swapped her old life for this new life, but it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be forever. She needed to do something to earn money.

“Lily?”

His voice came from behind her and she turned, dismayed.

She hadn’t expected or wanted company.

“I’m sorry if I woke you.” There was enough light from the moon to be able to see him.

“You didn’t. I couldn’t sleep. Too much going on in my head.” He’d pulled on track pants, and his T-shirt was a pale faded blue, washed until it barely held together. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He sat down next to her, close but not touching. “Maybe because you’re sitting on a beach at two o’clock in the morning when I happen to know from my grandmother that your alarm goes off at five thirty.”

The thought made her wince. “I like it out here. It’s special.”

“I’m not arguing with that.” He paused. “I didn’t expect to see you here. How long have you known my grandmother?”

She was too tired to field awkward questions. “I met her once when I was with Hannah. It must have been around ten years ago.”

“So how did you come to be staying here with her?”

“It’s a long story. Some coincidence involved. And some good timing. I’m working for a local management company, caretaking properties. I was looking after Dune Cottage and then your grandmother arrived. I needed somewhere to live. She let me stay here.”

He waited. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me? Cut me some slack, Lily. I’m worried about my grandmother.”

“And you think I’m exploiting her in some way?”

“What? No. Of course not. Why would you think—” He shook his head. “I’m in the dark here, that’s all. A week ago, my grandmother did a runner from her own party. I’m guessing you know about that. Massive cake. A hundred people gathered together ready to wish her happy birthday. Champagne. The only thing missing was the birthday girl. And while it’s true that there have been plenty of parties I could happily have run away from in my time, I don’t think that’s what this was. She was behaving strangely. It’s not that long since she lost my grandfather. My mother was worried sick, but she’s scared of things she can’t control and she had a lot on her mind, what with Dad and everything, so I wasn’t too worried at first. But a week—a week is a long time, so I thought I’d check for myself. The plan was to put my mind at rest, and then melt away quietly.”

“But here you are.”

“Can I help it if I was born with a curious mind?” He grinned. “Not only do I discover that my grandmother is living in a property she has apparently owned virtually forever and told no one about, but you’re staying there with her. I have a few questions. More than a few.”

Lily sat up straighter. “I can’t answer those questions. If there are things you want to know about your grandmother, you need to ask her.”

He sighed. “You didn’t inherit a gossip gene, did you? I should have remembered that about you. All right, so you won’t tell me about my grandmother—I’m impressed by your discretion and loyalty by the way—but you’re allowed to tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“I know you gave up medicine.” His voice softened. “I know you’re living here now. Fill in the gaps for me.”

It wasn’t something she wanted to think about, especially not now, at two in the morning, when she was trying to calm her mind.

“I’m here because I needed to get away. That’s all you need to know.”

He was silent for a moment. “You used to talk to me about everything. School. Art. Your parents.”

“That was a long time ago.” Before she’d dropped out.

“Not so long. And I’m the same person.”

Maybe he was the same, but the circumstances had changed.

If there were things she might have said to him before, she wasn’t going to say them now.

“I’m here because I like it here. I like the way the place makes me feel.”

He nodded. “That’s a good reason to stay somewhere. Also, it’s far away from your old life. If you’re going to run away, this is a good place to be. I get it.”

“I never said I was running away.” But she was. That was exactly what she was doing. “You think I’m a coward.”

“No. If you are, then I’m a coward, too. Why do you think I’m here?”

She couldn’t imagine him running from anything.

“I thought you came to check on your grandmother.”

“That, too.” He was silent for a moment. “I don’t expect you to betray confidences, but how worried should I be about her? And don’t say she’s fine, because I know she’s not fine.”

Lily thought about the night Cecilia had arrived. The broken paintings. The sobs.

She’d witnessed a deeply personal moment that shouldn’t have had witnesses and she had no intention of revealing the details.

She was about to shut him down again but then she saw the worry in his eyes and relented.

“I can’t share the detail because I don’t actually know it. I do know that she was upset when she arrived and that she seems a little better after a week here.” She hesitated. “I do know that she needed to come to this place.”

“She thought my grandfather had sold it. Which meant they had secrets.” Todd stared out to sea. “After all those years together, they had secrets. Imagine discovering something like that after someone has died. You can’t ever find out why they didn’t tell you. You can’t ever have closure.”

“Maybe there are always things we keep from those closest to us.”

“From parents, definitely. Friends, maybe. But in a marriage?” He shook his head. “If you can’t trust the person you’ve chosen to spend your life with, how is that ever going to work? If they have secrets, how would you really know a person. And isn’t really knowing someone the point of a relationship?”

“I don’t know. I don’t consider myself an expert on relationships.” She’d had two, both woefully thin and unimportant. There had been very ordinary sex and a depressing lack of depth and intimacy. She hadn’t cared enough to wonder why they hadn’t worked. The truth was she’d only ever loved one man, and he was sitting next to her.

“I’m not an expert, either.” He gave a faint smile. “Which is probably the reason I’m sitting here now without a fiancée.”

Was he hurting?

She didn’t want to think about Amelie, but she couldn’t bear to think of Todd hurting.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe. But not right now. Now I’m putting some space between myself and the rest of the world. And this is a good place to do that.” He leaned back on his elbows, his legs stretched out on the sand. “I can’t believe she owns this. Also, that she never told me. Think of all the vacations I could have taken. I love the water. Do you sail?”

She was still thinking about him running away. What exactly had happened with Amelie?

“Sail? I—no.”

“You haven’t lived. I’ll take you out. You’ll thank me. It’s the perfect escape.”

“You need to escape?”

He gazed out to sea. “Have you ever done something you knew was the wrong thing for you, but you did it anyway? Made a bad choice?”

She thought about medicine. “Yes.”

“Right.” He nodded. “That was me. I did something. Made a bad decision. But I fixed it. It would have been better not to have made it in the first place, but perfect would be boring and my friends would hate me. But I needed to get away. Needed time to think. How about you?” He turned to look at her and her heart gave a little bump.

“I’m definitely not perfect.”

He smiled. “I was asking if you’d fixed your bad choice?”

She’d fixed the bad choice, but she didn’t feel good about it. She suspected that wouldn’t happen until she had her parents’ approval, and for that to happen she had to do something to make them proud.

“It’s a work in progress.” She wondered what his bad choice was. Was he talking about Amelie?

He leaned forward and brushed sand from his feet. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

“Me?” Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. “You were thinking about me?”

“Yes.” He watched as the waves flowed toward them and retreated. “When Hannah told me you’d left medicine. I almost called you.”

“Why?”

“She was shocked by your decision, but I wasn’t. You used to tell me how hard it was living up to your parents’ expectations. How much pressure you felt. I wanted to call and tell you that I know how it feels to take a different path from the one your parents want you to take. I’ve been there. What you did was brave.”

Brave? She felt like the least brave person on the planet.

She wondered if he knew that she and Hannah hadn’t been in contact for a while.

“They don’t understand why I’d walk away from such a secure path. It’s hard for them.”

“Harder for you to be on the wrong track. I never did understand why you chose medicine. Seemed to me it was like trying to put a sheep in an aquarium.” He ran his hand over his face. “Is that a terrible analogy? Blame lack of sleep. My brain isn’t working.”

“I’m not sure if it’s terrible.” She couldn’t help laughing. “Are you saying I’m a sheep? I need a haircut?”

“Nothing wrong with your hair. I was trying to put a more original take on fish out of water.” He grinned. “From now on I’ll leave fancy words to someone else and stick to what I’m good at. What I mean is, it seemed like a waste for you to be a doctor.”

“My parents think it was a waste for me to give it up.” She didn’t quite manage to keep the wistfulness out of her voice.

“That’s because most parents want the predictable, secure option for their child. You would have been wasted as a doctor. You were always so creative. Remember when you came over and decorated Hannah’s bedroom? You must have been about sixteen. I don’t know what you did. Mixed different shades of paint. Did something fancy. It looked good. Even my parents commented on it. And you did some sketches one summer by the pool.”

“You remember that?”

“Yes. I have one of them on the wall in my apartment.”

“You—” she couldn’t believe it “—you have one of my drawings?”

“Yes. My grandfather was an artist, remember? I was raised to think of art both as something aesthetically appealing to hang on your wall, but also as an investment. And don’t ask for it back. I like it, and I won’t sell it even when you’re famous.”

“I’m never going to be famous. I don’t want to be famous.” What did she want? “I just want to wake up every morning and look forward to my day. Not dread every moment.”

He nodded. “Looking forward to the day is good. Enjoying your work is good. Knowing you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Feeling as if you’re living the right life.”

“It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s everything. And not many people have that, I know. Plenty of people do jobs just to earn a living. And that’s fine. But to love what you do...” She sighed. “That’s the goal really, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And it’s a goal worth striving for.”

It wasn’t a surprise that he understood. He always had. He was one of the few people who really knew her, perhaps even better than Hannah did. It was one of the reasons that his relationship with Amelie had hurt so much. She hadn’t just lost the dream of something more happening between them, she’d lost a friend because friendship had never been possible while Amelie was in the mix.

She turned to look at him. “Do you really have a job to do here or was that an excuse?”

“I do. Mr. and Mrs. Elliot from Beacon Hill, Boston, have bought themselves a four-bed, three-bath property on the waterfront, and who have they decided is the perfect person to remodel their kitchen? Me. Custom-made, sustainable. It will last a lifetime. I wasn’t supposed to start the job until August but when I saw where my grandmother was, I juggled my schedule. And I surprised her, I know.”

“You might have surprised her, but she was pleased to see you. That’s the happiest I’ve seen her all week.”

“There are no paintings on the wall.” He sucked in a breath. “That’s it. I knew there was something about that living room that felt odd. Just hooks, as if they’d all been taken down. Except that one.”

“Yes.” She didn’t tell him about the frames that had been destroyed. She and Cecilia had stowed the paintings themselves away in the cupboards in the studio. “The Girl on the Shore. I love it.”

“The—what did you say?” He sat up suddenly. “What is the painting called?”

“The Girl on the Shore. Why?”

“The day of the party—” He rubbed his fingers across his forehead, trying to remember. “I heard them talking about it. Someone was asking about that painting. They said it didn’t exist.”

Lily was mystified. “Why would they say that?”

Todd shook his head. “I’ve no idea. I don’t understand.”

Lily was silent.

What she didn’t understand was why Cecilia had smashed every painting but that one.