back, and instantly regretted it, because her mother really hadn’t deserved that. ‘Sorry,’ she said, before her mother could respond.
‘Your father died; that was quite different.’
Yes, it had been different. No rejection there, just an awful, wrenching grief that he’d been taken from them too soon, and an emptiness where he’d been that never went away, sometimes seemed even bigger, and then so big … No one had told her that losing her father would be so destabilizing that it would change her in ways she didn’t even begin to understand, make her do things she could never excuse.
What she wouldn’t give now, sitting here on this train, to be on her way to her father, to know that he was probably already waiting at the station, an hour in advance, not wanting to miss her. He’d cry, ‘Ha! Ha!’ when he saw her and envelop her in an embrace that would shut out all the bad things and make her feel loved and safe and able to cope with anything as long as he was there.
Feeling the burn of self-pity in her eyes she blinked quickly to check her mobile as it rang. Seeing who it was, she felt the tug of a smile pulling her out of the gloom and clicked to answer right away.
‘Hey you. Mum tells me you’ve already set off for your secret assignation.’
Joely had to laugh. Her brother Jamie was as special to her as their father had been to them all. ‘You’re making it sound romantic,’ she chided.
‘You mean it isn’t?’
‘Nothing like. How are you?’
Affecting a southern Irish accent, he said, ‘We’re all great over here. Clare and kids send their love and we all want to know when you’re coming to see us.’
She’d always loved going to visit her brother in Dublin, Callum had too. ‘I’ll be there as soon as this job is over,’ she promised. ‘I feel in need of a you-fix.’
‘Same here. How are things with Callum, as of today?’
Steeling herself, she said, ‘We’re kind of speaking, but he’s definitely with her.’
Jamie sighed. ‘I can’t help thinking there’s something I’m missing in all this, because it’s not making any sense to me. Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to have a chat with him?’
Joely’s eyes closed. He’d made the same offer several times now, and while in some ways she’d love her brother to be able to fix things, she knew it wasn’t fair to drag him into it. ‘You’re just like Dad,’ she told him, aware of the catch in her heart, ‘which is probably why we’re all so mad about you.’
‘Well, you know I’m always here for you, and don’t forget to stay in touch while you’re on this clandestine mission. Clare and I are dying to find out who you’re going to be working for. Mum says you haven’t even told her.’
That wasn’t strictly true, for she’d realized it would worry her mother terribly if she had no idea at all of where her daughter would be for the next few weeks so she’d divulged as much as she could. Clearly her mother was keeping her confidence, unless Jamie was trying a double bluff. It didn’t matter, she was more than happy for him to know what she’d told her mother.
After ending the call with more promises that they’d see one another soon she checked the text that had arrived while they were speaking. Though she wasn’t expecting it to be Callum or Holly, she couldn’t help the disappointment when she saw it was neither. However, it did manage to lift her spirits a little.
Hi, just checking your train’s on time and you’re still able to stay over tonight. Happy to take you wherever you need to go in the morning. Excited to see you and dying to hear more about the new job. Who’s the client? Axx
CHAPTER THREE
Now here was someone Joely would never have any trouble calling a friend. Standing at the station entrance searching the crowd as travellers streamed by, and looking every bit as gorgeous as Joely remembered her, was Andee Lawrence. Never mind that they hadn’t clapped eyes on each other for the best part of ten years, or that being opposite ends of the country meant they hadn’t been there for one another during many of the most critical times in their lives, the point was they’d never lost touch and Joely couldn’t imagine they ever would.
Smiling as though there wasn’t even the trace of an ache in her