Page 80 of A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea

‘You’ve put on a bit of weight recently and you’ve been very secretive since Iris died. Then you mentioned on the phone that you no longer had a job, but you were knocking back the gins in the pub the other day with your two boyfriends so that blew holes in my theory.’

Lettie drew in a deep breath. ‘One, I’m not pregnant, and two, as I’ve told you countless times already, I don’t have two boyfriends. If I’ve put on any weight, which I dispute, it’s on account of comfort eating while I was with Iris for the last couple of weeks, and after her death.’

Talking of Iris sent a sharp stab of guilt through Lettie, and her hand automatically felt for the key around her neck. She’d been so busy with Daisy, she hadn’t given much thought to unravelling the mystery, and the next steps she could take – if there were any.

‘Were you unemployed the last time I saw you at Mum and Dad’s?’ asked Daisy, interrupting her thoughts.

Lettie nodded.

‘So why didn’t you tell us?’

‘I don’t know. I had to get my head round the news myself, and Mum would be all over it like a rash.’

‘Yeah, that’s true. So what are you going to do? Shouldn’t you be job-hunting in London rather than gallivanting around the South-West, trying to unearth stuff about our great-aunt, who’s dead, and someone called Esther who you won’t tell me much about?’

‘I told you. I was helping out a friend.’

‘You’re being mysterious and you’re not a mysterious person. Or at least you never used to be. It worries me.’

‘Why?’

‘It just does.’ She ducked to avoid a drowsy wasp that was buzzing around the food. ‘So what about getting a new job?’

‘I can job-search online just as well from here.’

‘And are you?’

Lettie hesitated. She’d been so busy chasing up information about Iris and trying to track down Esther and just generally unwinding and clearing her head, she’d done very little since arriving in Heaven’s Cove.

‘I wonder if losing my job is maybe a good thing and a chance to do something different with my life.’

‘Like what?’

‘I’m not sure. I’ve always wanted to have a job that involves the past, or to study history.’

‘I’ve always wanted to travel the world but I’m not about to turn into Michael Palin.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Aren’t you a bit old to become a student, and how on earth would you afford it anyway?’

‘That’s the problem, I don’t think I could. I definitely couldn’t afford it in London, even if I worked part-time. My rent is ridiculous.’

‘You’re not thinking of staying here and studying, are you? That would be ridiculous.’

Daisy sounded angry. A pink flush was spreading across her cheeks and she shoved her hand into the crisp packet so hard, it split at the bottom and potato chips scattered across the grass.

‘What I mean’ – Daisy’s face softened and she shifted across the rug until she was closer to Lettie – ‘is that it’s time to get back to the real world.’

‘What if I’ve decided I’m not that keen on the real world?’

‘If you were a life coach client, I’d say that switching direction can be a good idea, especially if change is being forced upon you. But you also have to be realistic.’ Her eyes suddenly lit up. ‘Would you like to be one of my clients? I’m supposed to take on clients as part of my training.’

‘That’s really kind of you but…’ The thought of you meddling in my life makes me feel panicky. ‘… I’m sure you’ll have lots of other clients who need your skills far more than me.’

‘Hmm.’ Daisy narrowed her eyes. ‘If you’re sure. Heaven knows you could do with a bit of coaching. If you want my advice, I think you should come home, pursue a relationship with Simon and find a steady job.’

‘I don’t much like Simon.’