Page 10 of Dead in the Water (Lily Larkin Mysteries #4)

Chapter Ten

The walk across the island did nothing to ease Flynn’s guilt. Unable to sit around at home, he’d set off for Jago Treneary’s place, hoping a beer and a chat might help.

“What are you doing here?” Jago asked, his features scrunched in surprise when he answered the door.

Flynn frowned. “Nice to see you, too.”

“Sorry. I thought you were on a date with Lily.”

“How the heck do you know about that?” Flynn stepped inside just as Sylvie began descending the stairs dressed in sports clothes.

“I thought you had a date with Lily,” she remarked as she greeted Flynn with a kiss on the cheek.

“That was the plan.” His gaze bounced between the two of them. “Was it announced in your family’s group messages, by any chance?”

Sylvie nodded. “We were excited for you. What happened?”

“It’s been postponed.”

“Oh.” Sylvie patted his shoulder. “I’m off to yoga class, so I’ll leave you to it.” She gave Jago a peck, scooped up her yoga mat and called a cheerful goodbye.

In the kitchen, Flynn accepted a beer and stepped out onto the patio with Jago.

“So what happened?” Jago asked.

“I had to work late.”

“Because of the guy who drowned in the harbour? Was it a rough day?”

“It was okay.” Flynn sank down in his chair. “Not overly pleasant, but I’ve had worse days.”

“I heard he knocked himself out on the harbour steps and landed in the water.”

Flynn nodded. “I think I go into autopilot when dealing with corpses. It’s talking with the friends and family that’s emotionally draining.” He gave a quick shake of the head. “Anyway, I’m fine. And I didn’t have to work late. That was just my excuse for postponing the date.”

“What was the real reason?”

“The real reason is I’m going back to London in eight weeks, so getting into a relationship with Lily feels like a colossal mistake.”

“Couldn’t you figure something out? Because you two seem to be made for each other.”

“I thought I might be able to make my job here more permanent, but this afternoon the sergeant told me there’s no chance of that happening. He’s looked into it.”

“Ah,” Jago said sympathetically.

“It’s frustrating…” Flynn paused and took a sip of his beer.

“In the last couple of months I’ve enjoyed being here.

I got used to working in a small community and the slower pace of life, and I enjoy it.

But I hadn’t fully considered if I wanted to stay here.

Even when I started thinking about it in the last couple of weeks, I really couldn’t decide if it was something I wanted. ”

“Until the sergeant said you couldn’t?”

“Yeah.” Flynn stretched his neck. “I didn’t know how badly I wanted to stay until I found out I couldn’t. Now it feels like a massive blow. Suddenly, I’m dreading leaving.”

“Is there no other way for you to stay?”

Flynn huffed out a humourless laugh. “I suppose I could ask for a job at the pub. There’s no way I can stay here as a police officer, and I really can’t imagine doing anything else.”

“Maybe Lily would move to London.”

He shook his head. “The ice cream shop is thriving. She’s settled.”

“So you just stood her up for your date?”

“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “Which I feel terrible about. She was already having a bad day.” He dropped his head to his hands and dragged his fingers through his hair. “I can’t bring myself to start something with her, knowing that I’ll be leaving soon. Leaving is going to be hard enough as it is.”

“What about a long-distance relationship?”

“I’ve thought about that, but I don’t think it’s realistic.”

Jago nodded. “You probably need to have this conversation with Lily.”

“I know. I just couldn’t face it today.”

He’d need to speak to her soon, though. He couldn’t imagine their friendship remaining intact if he wasn’t honest with her.

And her friendship was one thing he never wanted to risk.