‘I don’t know Elliot, but I know about revenge. After Noah left for Ireland, I started dating his best friend. That was my revenge. At first it felt fine but over time all my anger and sadness about Noah came out. His best friend and I argued all the time. We never stopped fighting. Looking back now that was all my unresolved anger spilling out. Revenge feels like a good thing to do at the time, but you are setting you both up for pain and misery.’
Lilly shakes her head. ‘Elliot has always had a thing for me…’
I snatch her phone away. ‘You’re not listening to me, Lilly. I ended up having a child with Noah’s best friend. That was how far revenge took me. I love my little boy to bits but when he was born it was Noah I thought about and not his dad. I still feel guilty about that.’
She’s staring at me.
Tears rush to my eyes, and I blink them away. I hand her phone back to her. ‘Don’t let revenge eat you up inside. Give yourself time to heal but then focus on your life.’
‘What about Sunny?’
‘Let him go for now,’ I say, ‘if it’s meant to be he’ll come back.’
She hangs her head. ‘I can’t carry on working here as it reminds me of Sunny.’
‘Maybe you need a change?’
She runs her hands over the counter. ‘The owner of this place has another ice-cream parlour in Brighton. It needs a manager, and the owner has suggested I do it.’
‘Lilly, that’s great. Go do it. Get out of Blue Cove Bay and make some new memories.’
She shrugs. ‘I don’t know. I’ll think about it.’
The café is insanely busy for a Saturday when I return from consoling Lilly. I don’t have time to tell Noah about the flat until we are half an hour away from closing. His face lights up. ‘Alice, that’s amazing. When are you going to tell your dad?’
‘Sooner the better. He can’t say anything as he’s been leaving rental property adverts around for days. Dad’s house is small, and I think he will like his peace and quiet back.’
‘Have you thought anymore about Pete?’ Earlier I’d told Noah about what had happened last night with Pete and how he’d admitted lying to me about staying in contact with Noah.
‘I need to talk to him again.’
Noah nodded. ‘I’ve been doing some thinking about what happened. I remember getting your email the day after I’d arrived in Ireland. I tried to call Pete as breaking up was the last thing I wanted, but his dad said he was out or something.’
‘Pete must have called me the day after as I remember him confirming what you had said in your email. I got angry, shut down my email account and created a new one so you couldn’t contact me. I remember phoning Pete back to give him my new email address. A bit dramatic, I know, but I was heartbroken and sixteen.’
I scratched my head. ‘Pete came over to my house after you’d left on that Sunday as I remember as we listened to CDs in my room, and I was upset.’
Noah nibbled on his thumbnail. ‘I could be wrong but hear me out. Would Pete have been able to access your email back then?’
I thought back to when I was a teenager and the old house layout. ‘I used Dad’s computer back then. It was always turned on in his study. Dad and I both had MSN email and it was always on…’ I stare at Noah. ‘Do you think Pete sent that email pretending to be me?’
‘Look, we know from what he told you last night he was jealous of me and was prepared to lie to you about staying in contact with me.’
I clamp my hand over my forehead. ‘I gave Pete my letters to post. Oh God, I need to speak to him.’
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
‘You’re moving out?’ Dad seems shocked. He’s put down his knife and fork to stare at me. It’s Sunday and I’ve cooked his favourite roast chicken dinner with crunchy roast potatoes, veg and thick gravy. Lucas has gone to Phoebe’s house to play with Flynn, which has given me some time to speak to Dad. Lucas assured me as we got out of the car that he would not go anywhere near Phoebe’s purse or pick his nose.
‘Yes, Lucas and I will be moving into our new flat on Friday.’
‘Oh, I see,’ mutters Dad. ‘Can I ask where?’
‘The flat above the ice-cream parlour.’
He rubs his forehead. ‘Why have you not looked at those properties I showed you?’
‘Dad, I can make my own decisions on where Lucas and I will live.’
