Page 49

Amelia sat at the head of the table, her chair slightly angled so she could look at Tara without making it too obvious. Across from her, Tara poked at the food on her plate, the prongs of her fork dragging lines through but never lifting a bite to her mouth.

Amelia took a sip of her tea, the cup warm in her hands. She wanted to say something—anything—to shatter the silence between them, but the words stuck in her throat.

‘This is good,’ Tara said quietly.

‘You haven’t touched it,’ Amelia felt compelled to point out.

Tara sighed. ‘Sorry. I guess I’m just feeling a little weird about the trip home.’

Amelia nodded. ‘Yes, of course. After last night… But I promise you, you’ll be safe.’

Tara glanced at Amelia and then looked back at her plate. ‘I’m not concerned about the trip itself. That’s not what I’m feeling weird about.’

Amelia wanted to say something to that. But her mind did not offer anything sensible, so she simply nodded and went back to eating.

They lapsed into silence again. The only sounds were the occasional scrape of a fork against a plate and the creak of wood as one of them shifted in their chair. The unspoken tension between them was almost unbearable.

‘I want to tell you something,’ Tara said suddenly, breaking the quiet.

Amelia’s eyes flicked up. ‘What?’

Tara looked oddly frightened. ‘Something I didn’t put in my application draft. Because Geraldine doesn’t need to know it. But you might.’

Amelia waited for her words with anxiety.

‘Solhaven,’ Tara said, leaning back in her chair. Her gaze was steady, searching Amelia’s face. ‘It’s not perfect, and it’s not this magical paradise either. It’s not as bad as I feared, but it’s not as good as you want it to be.’

Amelia flinched inwardly but forced herself to remain still. ‘If this is about Harriet’s alcohol, I’ve decided… I have to let that go. Nothing has changed. Solhaven still means something.’

‘It’s not about that. This place, Amelia,’ Tara continued, her voice quieter now, almost tender, ‘it’s just another place with its own set of problems. And I think… I think you know that.’

Amelia wanted to argue, to defend Solhaven, to insist that it was better than Tara was saying. But the words wouldn’t come. Because it was all true.

But it didn’t change anything.

‘It’s home,’ Amelia said finally.

Tara tilted her head, studying her. ‘But is it enough?’ she asked softly. ‘Is it enough to stay here forever, to keep living in a place that’s stuck in time? A place that refuses to change because it’s afraid to?’

Amelia had no words. She’d never thought about leaving Solhaven—never let herself think about it.

‘Do you want to stay here forever?’ Tara pressed. ‘If you do, I’ll shut up. But I have to ask. I’m sorry about that. If I don’t, I’ll regret it. More than I’d regret being rejected, I think.’

Amelia’s hands trembled. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore.

‘I have to be here,’ she said finally, with exhaustion.

Tara nodded slowly. ‘OK, then.’ She didn’t press further, didn’t try to fill the silence with more questions or accusations.

The sound of a boat’s horn in the distance broke the stillness, signalling that it was time for Tara to go. Amelia rose mechanically, her movements stiff as she cleared the plates and carried them to the sink. Tara stood as well, shrugging into her coat, her expression unreadable.

‘Thanks for the lunch,’ Tara said, picking up her bag.

Amelia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She followed Tara to the door, her heart pounding.

Tara paused in the doorway, turning to face her. ‘I’ll never forget this.’

‘I don’t suppose you will,’ Amelia said, trying to keep things breezy. ‘It’s not every day you’re the first new person to set foot in a place like Solhaven.’

‘That’s not what I meant,’ Tara told her. She leaned forward and kissed her cheek. The sensation was like a lightning bolt. ‘Goodbye, Amelia,’ she said softly.

‘Goodbye, Tara,’ Amelia said, and she was glad her voice remained steady. The lump in her throat had been kept at bay.

Tara turned and walked away, the sound of her boots fading as she disappeared. Amelia closed the door slowly, leaning against it as her knees threatened to buckle.