certainly more people around who understand now. There isn’t such a stigma attached to it, is there?’
‘ I suppose not,’ Sarah said, ‘but it still takes some understanding. I’ve never really met anyone who’s understood it properly. Well, apart from one person.’
‘ Who’s that?’
‘ My sister. She’s the only one in the world who doesn’t judge me for it. Except that-’
‘ What?’ Lloyd asked.
‘ We’re not really speaking at the moment.’ Sarah bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to divulge so much to this man. After all, he was a relative stranger.
‘ Why aren’t you speaking?’ he asked in a gentle voice. ‘What happened?’
What happened? Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that she couldn’t tell him. ‘We … we had an argument. Over a man.’
‘ That will usually do it,’ Lloyd said.
‘ Yes,’ Sarah said, finishing her tea before pouring a second cup. ‘I’m afraid it will.’
Chapter 16 Barton Cottage
The weather was more like the middle of summer than the middle of May and, when Alec called for them late morning, they were ready to hit the beach.
The tide was out and there were miles of perfect sandy beach to greet them.
‘ Isn’t this the most perfect place in the world?’ Mia said. ‘We have to come back here every year!’
‘ I don't think we'll be able to afford it,’ Sarah said.
‘ But you're a rich accountant!’
‘ And you're going to be a rich actress and singer,’ Sarah said. ‘You can pay for the next trip.’
‘ You think I can't, don't you?’
‘ I didn't say that.’
Mia tutted. ‘Oh, let's not argue.’
‘ But I'm not arguing.’
Mia caught Alec’s gaze and giggled. ‘Sisters!’ she said. ‘Always fighting.’
‘ We’re not always fighting,’ Sarah protested.
‘ Do you have any brothers or sisters?’ Mia asked Alec.
‘ A younger brother. I call him my younger bother because he’s always getting into trouble.’
‘ Oh, dear,’ Sarah said.
‘ What sort of trouble?’
‘ The sort that involves money,’ Alec said. ‘He has these madcap ideas which he’s convinced will make him rich but they usually fall apart and I’m left picking up the pieces.’
‘ So you’re rich?’ Mia asked.
‘ Mia!’ Sarah scolded.
Alec laughed. ‘I get by,’ he said.
‘ What do you do?’ Mia crossed her legs in a yoga-type position making her long, denim-clad legs look even longer.
‘ I’m a business consultant specialising in small company management.’
‘ Oh,’ Mia said, sounding non-the-wiser.
He grinned. ‘Basically, I help small companies maximise their profits.’
‘ It sounds very rewarding,’ Sarah said.
‘ Yes, it is,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen many businesses flourish which is a wonderful thing.’
Mia was trying to mask how disappointed she was by his choice of profession. It wasn’t very romantic. It was a shame that he wasn’t a musician or a poet or something. There wasn’t anything remotely romantic about being a business consultant, was there? But it was hard to find a perfect man, wasn’t it? And he was exceptionally handsome so perhaps you couldn’t have a handsome man who also had an interesting job, she reasoned.
‘ I haven't had a picnic for years,’ Alec said, changing the subject. ‘This is just like when I visited my aunt. She’d make up the best hampers in the world. She used to get up at the crack of dawn when the rest of us were still asleep and make mountains of sandwiches and cake and flapjack and all sorts of other goodies.’
‘ You must miss her,’ Sarah said.
Alec nodded. ‘Every day.’
Mia looked across at him. ‘We never had an aunt. We barely had a mother.’
Alec looked puzzled.
‘ Don’t bore him, Mia.’
‘ I’m not boring him. Am I boring you?’
‘ Of course not. You couldn't possibly bore me.’
Mia smiled. ‘See, Sarah – I couldn’t possibly bore him.’
‘ Tell me about her,’ he said. ‘I’d like to know more about you
‘ I suppose not,’ Sarah said, ‘but it still takes some understanding. I’ve never really met anyone who’s understood it properly. Well, apart from one person.’
‘ Who’s that?’
‘ My sister. She’s the only one in the world who doesn’t judge me for it. Except that-’
‘ What?’ Lloyd asked.
‘ We’re not really speaking at the moment.’ Sarah bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to divulge so much to this man. After all, he was a relative stranger.
‘ Why aren’t you speaking?’ he asked in a gentle voice. ‘What happened?’
What happened? Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that she couldn’t tell him. ‘We … we had an argument. Over a man.’
‘ That will usually do it,’ Lloyd said.
‘ Yes,’ Sarah said, finishing her tea before pouring a second cup. ‘I’m afraid it will.’
Chapter 16 Barton Cottage
The weather was more like the middle of summer than the middle of May and, when Alec called for them late morning, they were ready to hit the beach.
The tide was out and there were miles of perfect sandy beach to greet them.
‘ Isn’t this the most perfect place in the world?’ Mia said. ‘We have to come back here every year!’
‘ I don't think we'll be able to afford it,’ Sarah said.
‘ But you're a rich accountant!’
‘ And you're going to be a rich actress and singer,’ Sarah said. ‘You can pay for the next trip.’
‘ You think I can't, don't you?’
‘ I didn't say that.’
Mia tutted. ‘Oh, let's not argue.’
‘ But I'm not arguing.’
Mia caught Alec’s gaze and giggled. ‘Sisters!’ she said. ‘Always fighting.’
‘ We’re not always fighting,’ Sarah protested.
‘ Do you have any brothers or sisters?’ Mia asked Alec.
‘ A younger brother. I call him my younger bother because he’s always getting into trouble.’
‘ Oh, dear,’ Sarah said.
‘ What sort of trouble?’
‘ The sort that involves money,’ Alec said. ‘He has these madcap ideas which he’s convinced will make him rich but they usually fall apart and I’m left picking up the pieces.’
‘ So you’re rich?’ Mia asked.
‘ Mia!’ Sarah scolded.
Alec laughed. ‘I get by,’ he said.
‘ What do you do?’ Mia crossed her legs in a yoga-type position making her long, denim-clad legs look even longer.
‘ I’m a business consultant specialising in small company management.’
‘ Oh,’ Mia said, sounding non-the-wiser.
He grinned. ‘Basically, I help small companies maximise their profits.’
‘ It sounds very rewarding,’ Sarah said.
‘ Yes, it is,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen many businesses flourish which is a wonderful thing.’
Mia was trying to mask how disappointed she was by his choice of profession. It wasn’t very romantic. It was a shame that he wasn’t a musician or a poet or something. There wasn’t anything remotely romantic about being a business consultant, was there? But it was hard to find a perfect man, wasn’t it? And he was exceptionally handsome so perhaps you couldn’t have a handsome man who also had an interesting job, she reasoned.
‘ I haven't had a picnic for years,’ Alec said, changing the subject. ‘This is just like when I visited my aunt. She’d make up the best hampers in the world. She used to get up at the crack of dawn when the rest of us were still asleep and make mountains of sandwiches and cake and flapjack and all sorts of other goodies.’
‘ You must miss her,’ Sarah said.
Alec nodded. ‘Every day.’
Mia looked across at him. ‘We never had an aunt. We barely had a mother.’
Alec looked puzzled.
‘ Don’t bore him, Mia.’
‘ I’m not boring him. Am I boring you?’
‘ Of course not. You couldn't possibly bore me.’
Mia smiled. ‘See, Sarah – I couldn’t possibly bore him.’
‘ Tell me about her,’ he said. ‘I’d like to know more about you
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