Page 84 of The Summer That Changed Us

‘The only copies I had I already sent you,’ Rose scowled. ‘So, what now?’

‘Now you tell me what’s behind all this,’ Katie said, more fiercely than she felt. She could feel her heart thumping against her ribs. But she was in the driving seat now. Rose knew she had to cooperate or face criminal charges. ‘What have I ever done to you?’

‘Little Miss Perfect,’ Rose turned away, her face taut with disgust. ‘Even when you dropped out of school you rose to the top like cream: a nice job and a nice house. Mum hasn’t stopped going on about you since your mum joined that choir. Telling me how well you were doing, how good you are to your parents, how hard you work. I was never good enough at anything as far as she was concerned. Why can’t you be more like her, Rose, she used to say. Drove me insane.’

Katie was confused. ‘But I thought you had a good job? An accountant I heard?’

Rose curled her lip. ‘I work in an accounts’ office; I never qualified, but Mum liked to pretend otherwise. The last time I saw her alive we had a row. All I wanted was to borrow a bit of money, just for a couple of months. But she wouldn’t let me have it and I lost my temper. I bet Catherine Small doesn’t speak to her mother like that, she said in her you’re-such-a-disappointment voice. I stormed out. I didn’t call her again after that. I decided to let her stew for a couple of weeks, and I didn’t return her calls. She might have been calling to tell me she felt ill. But now I’ll never know. All because of you.’

‘I’m sorry about your mum.’ Katie was flabbergasted. ‘But surely you can’t blame me?’

‘It’s your fault we rowed. Your fault I left her alone.’ Rose looked away, her face contorted with anger. ‘I’d forgotten about that photo until I came back to clear the house. You didn’t notice me take it in the girls’ loos.’ A faint smirk crossed her features. ‘After you left school I made a fortune showing it to all the boys. Then we all left, and I shoved the photo in a drawer. When I found it again a few weeks ago it seemed like a good way make you pay.’

It was displaced guilt, thought Katie, a defence mechanism. In Rose’s grief, she’d sought out someone to pin the blame on. Katie had been the unlucky target.

‘There’s a prison sentence for blackmail, you know.’ Katie lowered her voice as Jess bounded up into the back of the ambulance.

Rose’s eyes, red-rimmed from crying, looked pleadingly at her.

Katie sighed. ‘I lost my aunt last year; I know how devastating it is to lose someone you love. But, Rose, what you’re doing… it’s never going to bring you happiness. However hard it might seem, you need to start living your own life, moving on. According to my mum, Valerie always spoke lovingly about you, she was proud of you.’ That hadn’t been strictly true, but Katie decided that she could be forgiven using a little bit of artistic licence under the circumstances. ‘She wouldn’t want you to be living like this, would she?’

Rose shook her head and tears coursed down her cheeks.

‘Ready to go?’ Jess asked.

‘I don’t need to go to hospital,’ Rose muttered.

‘I’m sure you’re fine, but we have to check,’ she replied. ‘Are you coming with us, Katie?’

‘No!’ Rose said sharply.

‘I wasn’t planning to,’ said Katie. ‘Actually, I’ve just come from the hospital and I’m due back there later. My dad’s got pneumonia.’ She addressed this last comment to Jess.

‘Oh dear,’ Jess winced. ‘Not been your lucky day, has it?’

‘It’s certainly had its ups and downs,’ Katie replied. ‘But now I think the worst is behind us, wouldn’t you agree, Rose?’

Rose closed her eyes and turned away.

‘Thanks for your help, Jess.’ Katie blinked back tears of relief. She had no intention of crying in front of Rose. She waved one final time as Jess shut the doors. ‘Goodbye.’

As she watched the ambulance pull away from the kerb, she let out a long breath.

It was over.

The photograph was in her possession, there’d be no more blackmail letters; crisis averted. Right now, she felt hollow and sick to her stomach, but as she’d said to Rose, the worst was definitely behind her. Rose had acted wrongly – criminally, Katie reminded herself – but a part of her couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Maybe today’s encounter would serve as a wake-up call, provide Rose with the catalyst for a fresh start. Katie hoped so. Now she wanted to get home, back to the shop and her cottage and back to the Sea Glass Sisterhood. The awards dinner was less than a week away and now she could look forward to the future without looking back over her shoulder. As far as she was concerned, she could hold her head up high, this episode of her life was history.

Chapter Thirty

Robyn paused from rearranging the deckchairs she and Finn had ferried down to the beach from home, begging and borrowing from neighbours. She wiped perspiration from her forehead and took a deep breath.

Today was the day. The idea she’d had of sharing her beach with her fellow previvors was actually happening and the sea glass walk was due to begin in ten minutes. It was a perfect afternoon. Despite only being early May, Merle Bay was in the grip of a mini heatwave and the beach was looking its sparkliest, glitteriest best. The sea was an oasis of turquoise calm and above them an azure blue sky had but a sprinkling of cotton wool clouds.

She was thrilled with the turnout: thirty women and around twelve kids so far. Seeing them all here on the beach … all these smiling faces made her heart sing. There were at least ten women she recognised from the previvors group including Sadie, the leader and Tess. The rest had heard through word of mouth.

To make it feel like a proper event, they’d set deckchairs and two fold-up tables around the edge of three picnic blankets at Grace’s end of the beach. There were a couple of parasols to shield people from the sun. Grace had offered the use of her loo, which could be accessed from a little utility room and which was a godsend. She’d also been the one to suggest selling some refreshments, which Finn had thrown himself into organising.

‘Well done, pet.’ Finn put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. ‘This is a great idea.’