chuckled.
‘Nooooooo!’ She ran towards the sea as Charlotte grabbed a
towel from her beach bag and wrapped it round her wet body. Her
hair dripped seawater onto Nadia.
‘Ew, that’s cold!’ Nadia wiped it off, laughing, and tickled
Charlotte’s stomach.
‘Stop it!’ Charlotte wriggled away, trying to be serious but
erupting into fits when Nadia chased after her.
Ethan kneeled down on the edge of my towel and offered me a
bottle of water. ‘Here. Don’t want you getting dehydrated after that alcohol.’
49
Sibel Hodge
‘It was only two Pimm’s.’ I raised an eyebrow but took a long swig.
He was probably right. Didn’t want the sunstroke victim to be me.
Lucas flopped onto one of the fold-up chairs with a can of cider
in his hand, putting his cap back on. ‘Right, I think the girls should drive back and the men can have a few drinks. What do you think?’
he asked Ethan with a grin.
Ethan shrugged. ‘I’m not fussed about drinking on the beach.
We could all go to the Kings’ Arms later when we get back, anyway.
Grab some dinner there?’
‘Sounds good to me.’ Lucas took a swig of cider. ‘But I’m having
a few of these. It’s not very often I actually get a weekend off so I’m going to make the most of it.’ He winked at me.
I wondered what he made the most of when he was at work.
Patty? I bit back the urge to say something. I couldn’t betray my
conversation with Nadia since she’d sworn me to secrecy, but still, part of me couldn’t quite believe it, part of me didn’t want to believe it and part of me was seething with anger, wanting to slap some
sense into him. Give him a right mouthful about what an affair
would do to his family.
‘We should get to the beach more often.’ Ethan slung his arm
round me. ‘I always forget how great it is down here.’
‘You’re always working.’ I rested my head on his shoulder and
watched Nadia, who was shrieking now as Charlotte had turned the
tables and was tickling her.
‘Well, I need to spend less time on work and more on the things
that are important.’ He kissed my ear.
I smiled, kissing his smooth cheek in return before turning my
attention to Chris, who stood at the water’s edge staring at some-
thing in the sand and kicking it with his foot.
A cry from Nadia pulled my gaze away, and I saw her walk-
ing Charlotte back towards us, an arm firmly guiding her. Blood
50
Where the Memories Lie
poured from Charlotte’s nose, down her face and chin, dripping
onto the sand.
I leaped up and got into automatic nurse mode. ‘Sit her down.’
I went the other side of Charlotte and pinched the bridge of her
nose. ‘You need to keep pinching here, darling, OK?’
Nadia sat her in Lucas’s chair as Lucas grabbed some tissues
from their beach bag.
‘OK, can you pinch it now?’ I asked Charlotte when she was
settled.
She nodded and took over on the spot my fingers had vacated.
Lucas put a wad of tissues under Charlotte’s nose to stop the
blood going all over her.
‘She hasn’t had a nosebleed for years,’ Nadia said. ‘Since she
was little.’
‘It was you. You banged into me with your forehead when you
were trying to get away,’ Charlotte said with a nasally twang.
‘I didn’t. I wasn’t touching you when it happened.’
‘You did!’
‘Well, never mind,’ I said. ‘It’ll stop soon.’
Ten minutes later, when Charlotte stopped pinching her nose,
it had stopped as predicted.
‘There.’ I smiled. ‘All finished.’
Charlotte glared at Nadia. ‘It was your fault.’
Nadia lifted her hands in mock surrender. ‘OK, OK, sorry if it
was my fault.’
‘Why don’t we have some lunch now, then, eh? You up to that,
darling?’ Lucas said to Charlotte, trying to take her mind off it as he handed her a wet wipe for her face. Food usually took her mind
off most things.
‘Yeah. I’m starved. I want some of those cupcakes Mum’s made.’
She grinned and put the tissue in the
‘Nooooooo!’ She ran towards the sea as Charlotte grabbed a
towel from her beach bag and wrapped it round her wet body. Her
hair dripped seawater onto Nadia.
‘Ew, that’s cold!’ Nadia wiped it off, laughing, and tickled
Charlotte’s stomach.
‘Stop it!’ Charlotte wriggled away, trying to be serious but
erupting into fits when Nadia chased after her.
Ethan kneeled down on the edge of my towel and offered me a
bottle of water. ‘Here. Don’t want you getting dehydrated after that alcohol.’
49
Sibel Hodge
‘It was only two Pimm’s.’ I raised an eyebrow but took a long swig.
He was probably right. Didn’t want the sunstroke victim to be me.
Lucas flopped onto one of the fold-up chairs with a can of cider
in his hand, putting his cap back on. ‘Right, I think the girls should drive back and the men can have a few drinks. What do you think?’
he asked Ethan with a grin.
Ethan shrugged. ‘I’m not fussed about drinking on the beach.
We could all go to the Kings’ Arms later when we get back, anyway.
Grab some dinner there?’
‘Sounds good to me.’ Lucas took a swig of cider. ‘But I’m having
a few of these. It’s not very often I actually get a weekend off so I’m going to make the most of it.’ He winked at me.
I wondered what he made the most of when he was at work.
Patty? I bit back the urge to say something. I couldn’t betray my
conversation with Nadia since she’d sworn me to secrecy, but still, part of me couldn’t quite believe it, part of me didn’t want to believe it and part of me was seething with anger, wanting to slap some
sense into him. Give him a right mouthful about what an affair
would do to his family.
‘We should get to the beach more often.’ Ethan slung his arm
round me. ‘I always forget how great it is down here.’
‘You’re always working.’ I rested my head on his shoulder and
watched Nadia, who was shrieking now as Charlotte had turned the
tables and was tickling her.
‘Well, I need to spend less time on work and more on the things
that are important.’ He kissed my ear.
I smiled, kissing his smooth cheek in return before turning my
attention to Chris, who stood at the water’s edge staring at some-
thing in the sand and kicking it with his foot.
A cry from Nadia pulled my gaze away, and I saw her walk-
ing Charlotte back towards us, an arm firmly guiding her. Blood
50
Where the Memories Lie
poured from Charlotte’s nose, down her face and chin, dripping
onto the sand.
I leaped up and got into automatic nurse mode. ‘Sit her down.’
I went the other side of Charlotte and pinched the bridge of her
nose. ‘You need to keep pinching here, darling, OK?’
Nadia sat her in Lucas’s chair as Lucas grabbed some tissues
from their beach bag.
‘OK, can you pinch it now?’ I asked Charlotte when she was
settled.
She nodded and took over on the spot my fingers had vacated.
Lucas put a wad of tissues under Charlotte’s nose to stop the
blood going all over her.
‘She hasn’t had a nosebleed for years,’ Nadia said. ‘Since she
was little.’
‘It was you. You banged into me with your forehead when you
were trying to get away,’ Charlotte said with a nasally twang.
‘I didn’t. I wasn’t touching you when it happened.’
‘You did!’
‘Well, never mind,’ I said. ‘It’ll stop soon.’
Ten minutes later, when Charlotte stopped pinching her nose,
it had stopped as predicted.
‘There.’ I smiled. ‘All finished.’
Charlotte glared at Nadia. ‘It was your fault.’
Nadia lifted her hands in mock surrender. ‘OK, OK, sorry if it
was my fault.’
‘Why don’t we have some lunch now, then, eh? You up to that,
darling?’ Lucas said to Charlotte, trying to take her mind off it as he handed her a wet wipe for her face. Food usually took her mind
off most things.
‘Yeah. I’m starved. I want some of those cupcakes Mum’s made.’
She grinned and put the tissue in the
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