Ginny’s mouth gaped for a moment. ‘Luna, what are you doing in here?’
Luna thumbed behind her. ‘Using the loo.’
‘Yes, but I could’ve locked you in. If it weren’t for me having a meeting here with Samuel, I’d have already gone home.’
Luna sat in the chair to her side. ‘Don’t you check the toilet before you go?’
‘Well, yeah, but—’
‘There you go then,’ said Luna. ‘I was perfectly safe.’
Ginny glanced over at the toilet door. ‘What have you been doing in there all this time?’
‘Listening to you two.’
Samuel bit his bottom lip as he laughed, and Ginny could do little else but chuckle too.
‘So,’ added Luna, fixing her eyes on Ginny, ‘you going to talk to Artie Lane about his dad’s place or what?’
‘Erm, well, it does sound like a good idea.’ Ginny looked at Samuel for confirmation, even though she wasn’t sure why she was after a second opinion. She knew Roger Lane’s house very well. Passed it enough times on her way to school.
Samuel nodded his agreement. ‘I’ll pop over there with you tomorrow if you like.’
‘She likes,’ said Luna, stealing his cup of tea. ‘This is a good move for Ginny, I know.’
Ginny didn’t want one of Luna’s psychic readings, so she decided not to ask questions. ‘I’ll have to give Artie a call.’
‘No need,’ said Luna. ‘I rang him when I was in the loo. He’s expecting you at the farmhouse at eleven sharp. Morning, that is.’
Ginny and Samuel swapped a dumbfounded look.
‘Why is Roger selling his home?’ asked Ginny.
Luna’s smile dropped. ‘They’re putting him in a home. Poor bugger. Can’t fend for himself anymore.’
The small amount of happiness Ginny had just felt, dispersed. If she hadn’t taken her mum to visit the care home, she was sure her mother would still be alive. It was too much stress, she was certain.
‘Oh no, don’t you go down that road, love,’ said Luna, taking Ginny’s hand.
‘What road?’ asked Samuel.
‘She blames herself for her mother’s death.’
Samuel shook his head at Ginny. ‘No, don’t do that. Your mum’s heart attack would have happened anyway. Lottie told me that’s what the doctor said.’ He looked at Luna. ‘I had this with Lottie when George died. Only, she blamed me until she found out heart disease had crept up on him.’
Ginny knew what they said made sense, and she had taken on board the autopsy report, but it still niggled at her, and she was sure her mum would blame her too. ‘I can’t help it,’ she whispered, silently chastising herself for almost breaking down in front of her friends.
Samuel’s voice was as quiet as hers as he said, ‘I blamed myself for the death of my parents. If I hadn’t needed the loo so badly, my dad wouldn’t have pulled onto a verge along a dual carriageway, and that lorry wouldn’t have crashed into them. See, Ginny, it’s easily done. Life is one big domino effect. What we do in this moment affects the next and so on, but we’re not to know what’s around the next corner.’
‘Well, some of us do,’ said Luna, sitting back, hugging Samuel’s tea.
‘At least you can warn people,’ said Ginny.
Luna shook her head. ‘Doesn’t always work that way. Especially when it comes to my own. I had a feeling something wasn’t right with our Lisa, but I didn’t know what, and look how that turned out.’
Ginny could see Samuel didn’t know the story. ‘Lisa was Alice’s sister. Benny’s mum. She died of cancer when he was little.’
‘Sorry, Luna. I knew Alice had a sister, but I hadn’t heard the details,’ said Samuel.
