My Sister’s Secret (22 page)

Dan smiled. ‘Of course, if that’s what you want.’

Charity nodded, finally letting herself feel excited. ‘Oh, Dan, is this really happening?’

He laughed. ‘Yes, it really is.’ He gestured to the waiter, who came rushing over. ‘A bottle of your best champagne,’ he said. ‘We’re celebrating.’

A few weeks later, Charity walked across the forecourt towards her office. It was housed in an impressive new building. The faces around her seemed happy at the prospect of summer in full bloom, the day warm, the skies above blue. Charity was happy too. She’d been working hard on the house all weekend with Dan, painting the walls, moving furniture around. They’d moved in a month ago and it already felt like home, despite the work that needed to be done on it, which was mainly cosmetic but still kept her busy. She loved being hands-on, watching the house transform before her eyes into her dream home. And she’d surprised herself by really enjoying bossing around the plasterers and decorators that Dan had hired while he was away on business the other weekend.

Charity walked into the building where her office was. On the way, she saw a couple of students she’d been treating, a girl who was struggling after telling her parents she was a lesbian and a boy who was still getting to grips with the pressure of his studies. They were the same age Faith was when she passed away. Charity couldn’t help Faith, but she could help these students. It felt good.

She smiled to herself. Things felt hopeful, like finally she was moving on with her life.

The only small glitch was Hope. Charity hadn’t told her she’d bought a house with Dan. She knew her sister would tell her it was all too soon.

Tomorrow,
she kept telling herself.
I’ll call Hope and tell her tomorrow.

As she stepped inside the office, her boss, Amanda, was talking in hushed tones to a tall woman Charity recognised from the deanery administration team. They went quiet as Charity walked in. The tall woman said her goodbyes then strolled out, smiling vaguely at Charity.

‘Something I said?’ Charity asked, slinging her bag under her desk.

‘No, poor Di’s struggling because her parents are staying with her. Their house was declared a severe flood risk so they had to move out with hardly any notice.’

‘Oh, don’t say that, I live right by the sea.’

Amanda laughed. ‘Don’t worry, it would have come up in your searches. They probably didn’t live too far from where you’ve just moved actually. Poppy Acres?’

Charity’s blood turned to ice.

Amanda’s phone went and she rolled her eyes. ‘Can’t they at least give me five minutes to get a cuppa?’

As she answered the call, Charity sat at her desk, staring into the distance. Dan hadn’t mentioned anything about a flood risk, just that the couple wanted to move into a bungalow.

As soon as she was alone she called Dan’s office. But his PA, a woman in her fifties called Penny, told Charity he was in a meeting.

‘You liaised with our estate agent about the cottage, didn’t you, Penny?’ Charity asked her.

‘Yes, just a few bits and pieces,’ Penny replied.

‘Did anything ever come up about it being a flood risk?’

‘Yes. But Dan’s getting those defences sorted. I thought you knew?’

‘Maybe he mentioned it,’ Charity lied. ‘It probably slipped my mind. Do you know what happened to the old couple who lived there?’

‘No,’ Penny said slowly, the worry evident in her voice as it dawned on her she shouldn’t be disclosing this information. ‘Shall I ask Dan to call you?’

‘No, it’s fine, I’ll chat to him when I get home. Thanks, Penny.’

Charity put the phone down and leant back in her chair. Why had Dan kept it from her? Maybe he just didn’t want to worry her. But she didn’t need protecting. She preferred to know the truth.

‘Hello, beautiful,’ Dan said when he got in that evening, leaning down to kiss her on the lips as she put the decorating book she was reading down.

‘Did Penny mention I called?’ Charity asked him.

‘She did indeed,’ Dan said, loosening his tie as he sank down on to the sofa next to her. ‘I’m intrigued why you’re suddenly taking an interest in the sale.’

‘I’ve always been interested in the house. You just took it all out of my hands.’

He frowned. ‘Is that a problem?’

‘No, but you should have mentioned the flood risk.’

‘It’s minor, honestly, darling. I’m taking measures to deal with it.’

Charity propped her reading glasses on to the top of her head. ‘But what about the old couple who used to live here?’

‘What about them?’

She told him what Amanda had said. ‘If the risk was bad enough for them to have to move out that quickly, why didn’t it stop us moving
in
?’

Dan took her hand. ‘I would never have you living here if there was any risk of you getting hurt. As for the previous owners, they told me they wanted to move anyway.’ He kissed her neck. ‘Stop worrying,’ he murmured. ‘This house is perfect,
you’re
perfect.’

She pulled away from him, looking him in the eyes. ‘Don’t keep things from me, Dan. I’m a grown-up and we’re a partnership, right?’

He nodded, face serious. ‘I’ve learnt my lesson. I’m sorry, darling.’

Charity ducked under her umbrella as rain pelted down on her. She had twenty minutes left of her lunch break to find something to wear to a dinner with some business associates of Dan’s. She entered a small boutique shop, shaking her umbrella out. As she looked up she noticed Dan’s PA Penny standing by the jewellery counter, miserably trying on rings.

‘Penny!’ Charity called out.

Penny didn’t respond, instead turned away. Maybe she hadn’t heard Charity? Charity strode towards her, tapping her on the shoulder. ‘Penny?’

Penny turned around, eyes filling with tears.

‘What’s wrong?’ Charity asked.

‘He hasn’t told you, has he?’

‘Told me what?’

‘Mr North fired me. He didn’t even give me a warning. ‘

Charity stared at her in shock. ‘I’m sorry, Penny. I had no idea.’

Her face filled with anger. ‘I did so much for him, even missed my sister’s fortieth birthday to call around all those advertising agencies to do his dirty work.’

‘What do you mean?’

Penny paused and bit her lip but then clearly resolved to hold nothing back. ‘There was a photographer,’ she said. ‘An arty type. Mr North had me call around various advertising agencies to report that he’d over-charged him for some photographs and had got drunk during an assignment. Thing is, the photographer did nothing like that according to records we’ve kept. But Mr North has clout and when he says something, people listen.’

‘Photographer?’ Charity asked, a churning feeling in her belly. ‘What was his name?’

‘Oh, gosh. Neil? Nathan?’

‘Was it Niall Lane?’

‘Yes! That’s him.’

Charity thought back to when Niall had told her all his work had suddenly dried up. ‘Jesus,’ Charity whispered to herself.

Penny crossed her arms, looking pleased with herself for putting Dan in it.

Charity looked at her watch. She only had a few minutes left to get back to campus. Work would have to wait. She needed to speak to Dan
right now
.

Dan’s office was a large three-storey building overlooking the sea. When the taxi drew up upside, she shoved money into the driver’s hand and then ran inside, smiling tightly at the receptionist. Behind the glossy black reception desk was an artist’s impression of the cruise ship, white and sparkling, MS
Haven
emblazoned down its side.

‘Hi, Vicky,’ Charity said, smiling at the receptionist. She wondered how Vicky felt about Penny being fired. ‘Is Dan in?’ she asked her.

‘Yes, he’s in his office.’

‘Great, thanks.’ She strolled down the hallway through some glass doors, past several offices, people busy working. She found Dan walking out of his office at the end of the corridor, a confused look appearing on his face when he saw her.

‘Everything okay, darling?’ he asked, reaching for her to give her a kiss.

She stepped away from him. ‘I just bumped into your old PA, Penny. She told me you fired her. Was it because she told me about the flood risk? Why were you so desperate to hide it from me?’

He took her hand. ‘Come into my office,’ he said softly, glancing behind her as one of his employees walked down the hallway.

She followed him into his large office, the heels of her shoes digging into the thick patterned carpet. A large window sat behind his chrome desk offering views of the sea. To either side were white leather sofas, a drinks cabinet and surround sound speakers above.

‘So?’ Charity asked as he closed the door.

‘I used your phone conversation with Penny as an excuse, Charity,’ Dan said, sitting on the edge of his desk and folding his arms. ‘Truth is her work’s been slipping lately.’

‘But she was your PA for seven years!’

‘I gave her lots of chances.’

‘What about the flood risk? Did you exaggerate it so the old couple would move out and we could move in?’ His jaw tensed slightly and he didn’t say anything. ‘
Dan
?’

He sighed. ‘I didn’t exaggerate it. I told them the truth, that’s all. Their house
was
at risk of flooding.’ He strolled over to her and put his hands on her arms. ‘It’s your dream house, Charity.’

‘I don’t care,’ Charity said, shrugging his hands away. ‘We made an old couple homeless.’

‘They’re not homeless, they have their daughter!’

‘There’s that too. You told me they’d moved into a bungalow!’ She took in a deep breath. ‘And Penny told me you asked her to badmouth Niall to the advertising agencies he worked for. Why would you do that?’

Dan’s voice was calm, measured, his face unreadable. ‘It’s the truth, isn’t it?’

Then he sighed. ‘Look, let’s go for lunch. We can talk and—’

She looked up at the clock. ‘No. I have a session in half an hour.’

‘Cancel it. This is more important.’

‘No. I’m so disappointed in you, Dan.’ Then she turned on her heel and walked out.

Charity tried her best to focus on her sessions that afternoon but she couldn’t help going over and over what Dan had said. Maybe being a bit over-zealous about getting their dream house was expected of a man like him, used to getting everything he wanted. But what on earth had he been thinking causing all that trouble for Niall?

As Charity stepped out into the early evening sunshine later, she didn’t feel the same optimism she’d felt earlier that week. Did she really know Dan?

As she walked to the car park, something caught her eye: a poster featuring an eerie underwater scene of a submerged tree against the backdrop of coral.

Fri 15th July to 1st August

Southampton City Art Gallery

The Layers of Me

A celebration of the work of local Underwater Photography Grand Prix winner Niall Lane.

She shouldn’t be surprised, he was born in the area after all. But she presumed he’d be travelling. She quickly turned away, continuing towards the car park.

Just because his work was being exhibited here didn’t mean he was in town. And even if he was, she probably wouldn’t bump into him, Southampton was a large town after all. But it still felt strange knowing his work was being shown here.

‘Charity?’ She looked up to see Dan across the forecourt, leaning against his car with folded arms, not caring a jot that he was parked on double yellow lines. He was wearing sunglasses and a white shirt, blue jeans, his handsome face making her insides ache with want despite herself.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

‘I’d like to take you somewhere,’ he said softly.

‘Can’t we just go home?’

‘Please. We need to talk. We can pick your car up after.’

She frowned. ‘Alright.’

She sat in silence as Dan drove them along the coast. Seagulls swooped through blue skies, people laughed and talked as they walked through the sunshine to get home from work or lectures.

After a while, Dan drove into a small seaside town not unlike Busby-on-Sea. They turned in to a car park, white cliffs to their left, the sea in front of them.

‘Seaford,’ Dan said when he came to a stop, peering up at the cliffs. ‘This is where I grew up. I used to go for walks along the cliffs to clear my head. I keep meaning to bring you out here but never get around to it. Shall we got for a walk?’

‘That’ll be nice.’ She stepped out of the car as Dan opened her door for her. They walked in silence up a pathway on to the lush green cliff tops, the shriek of seagulls and the soft putting sounds of the golf course for company.

When they got to the top, they paused for a moment to take in the view of the lashing sea below. The wind swirled around them both, whistling in Charity’s ears. It
was
very pretty up here. In the distance, a cruise ship passed, a spark of white on the horizon.

Dan smiled. ‘I used to come here and watch ships pass, dreaming I’d own one one day.’

‘Now you will.’

He took Charity’s hand. ‘Let’s go a little further, shall we?’

They carried on walking. After a few minutes, Charity noticed something ahead of them – a brown leather sofa in the middle of the grass, a small round table with a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice and a huge cold buffet of meat cuts, cheese and bread.

‘What is all this?’ she asked as Dan led her towards it.

‘I had it all brought up here. Thought it’d be nice to enjoy the view this way.’

Charity couldn’t help but smile as she sat on the sofa. ‘So typical of you to have a sofa carted all the way up here.’

Dan poured some wine for them both. She took a sip of hers and leant back against the soft sofa, taking in the stunning view of the sea, the low sun casting a sweet yellow hue against it.

‘I don’t want you to think badly of me, Charity,’ Dan said, turning towards her. ‘I only wanted us to have the perfect house. I should have been more transparent with you. I just get so wrapped up in the excitement of it all, I don’t realise when I might be overstepping the mark.’

Charity frowned down into her wine. ‘What about badmouthing Niall?’ she asked.