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Flynn’s voice jolted her back to reality.
Her eyes filled with tears as she snapped them open. In front of her, Flynn’s features were full of concern.
“Are you okay?”
Wildly, she shook her head. “It was me,” she said frantically. “I was the kid on the beach.”
“How do you know?”
“I remember it. I was on the beach, flying the kite. Everything was terrible.”
“How do you mean?”
Taking a deep breath, she moved away from Flynn and paced beside the large window. “I don’t have many photos of my parents,” she said slowly. “But in the ones I have, we look happy. I always thought that at some point in my life I’d been part of anormal, happy family, but I think that’s a lie. I remember being on the beach and I was so scared.”
“You just remembered it now?”
“Yes. It’s like something unlocked in my mind. I didn’t think I had memories of that time, except for the vague memory of being in the ice cream shop… but I guess…”
“What?”
She tried to smile through the pain in her chest. “There’s a psychological reason we sometimes don’t remember things, right?”
Slowly, Flynn nodded. “It’s a coping mechanism.”
“Your mind tries to protect you from traumatic events.” She stopped pacing. “I only remember flying the kite on the beach, but I know that no one was supposed to know I was here. My dad kept insisting it had to be a secret.”
“You remember him saying that?”
“Not exactly.” She couldn’t figure out how to explain it. “I justknow… it’s only a feeling, but it’s really clear.”
Flynn nodded.
“I think my dad was having an affair with Maria,” she said, hardly daring to say the words. “Which means we were never a happy family after all.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Flynn said kindly.
“No. But it would explain Maria’s reluctance to speak to me. I can’t imagine it’s something she’s proud of.”
Flynn sighed. “And it would explain why she leased the shop to you. Maybe she’s trying to make amends.”
“Maybe.” Lily sank onto the nearest chair and dragged her hands through her hair. “What if there’s more to it?”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about the fact that my parents died in a fire… and then there was a fire at the ice cream shop… I’ve always thought that was a strange coincidence. And I think that wasprobably around the same time that Maria started going by her middle name.”
Flynn stood in front of her. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to know the truth.” A surge of anger rippled through Lily. She was tired of feeling lost and confused. “I want answers. And I’m going to get them. Maria owes me that much, at least.”
To be continued …