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The girl nodded. Her brows were drawn up towards the centre of her face as though she was concentrating on something very hard. She hesitated, then stepped forward and into the sand. She was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, and thin, wearing a pair of shorts and a mismatched singlet top. Her hair was golden and wavy and fell halfway down her back. Her tanned legs pushed their way through the sand, and she leaned forward with the effort.
Bea watched her a moment, then trundled after her. She still wasn’t sure who the girl was, but if she was a crazed football fan, perhaps Bea should follow and make sure the girl didn’t spend the night attempting to garner autographs from Aidan. Although it seemed unlikely that someone so young would even know who Aidan was. He’d finished playing football five years earlier. Bea spun around to scan the parking area beside the cottage to see if the girl’s parents had come with her.
She saw no sign of anyone waiting by a car and with a shrug turned to follow the girl, her friends falling into step beside her.
“Who is she?” asked Taya, puffing lightly as they walked.
“Not sure. She seems to know Aidan.”
“What does she want?” asked Penny with a frown.
“I don’t know.”
“Funny that she’s out here all alone when it’s getting dark, don’t you think?” Evie asked, tucking her red hair behind her ears.
“I guess. Unless she knows Aidan.”
Evie arched an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen her before, though.”
“She’s not from the island?” Bea asked.
“No, I don’t think so.”
They all stopped a few feet away from the girl where she stood studying Aidan. He wasn’t paying attention, still deep in conversation with Bradford.
“Excuse me. Aidan Whitlock?” the girl said, then cleared her throat with a cough.
Bea’s suspicions grew. Clearly Aidan didn’t know her at all. And she was behaving very strangely. She walked over to Aidan and stood beside him, watching his reaction.
He faced the girl, still smiling. “Yes. Can I help you?” Then he casually laced an arm around Bea’s shoulders. She liked the way it felt, standing next to him, his arm around her pulling her in close. He smelled of aftershave and sea salt. His warmth set her skin tingling. A small bubble of joy welled in her stomach and worked its way up into her chest.
The girl’s nostrils were flared and her cheeks flushed red. “Yes, I think you can. I’m your daughter.”
Aidan froze, then his arm drifted off Bea’s shoulders and down to his side. “What?”
“You’re my dad,” said the girl with a half shrug. “I’m Grace Allen. Pleased to meet you.” She held out a hand as an awkward offering.
He took it as though numb and shook her hand slowly. “I don’t understand.”
“Surely you remember Kelly Allen?”
He grunted. “Uh, I guess so. It was a long time ago.”
“Fifteen years ago, actually.”
Bea looked up at Aidan, her eyes wide. His face was pale. He pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his shorts as a gasp went around the crowd of people standing there. Bea couldn’t take it in. Surely this couldn’t be real. Aidan was married fifteen years ago. He and his wife hadn’t been able to have children. This made no sense at all. The girl must be lying.
“I’ve looked everywhere for you,” the girl said. “Mum kicked me out. I need a place to stay. Can I stay with you, Dad? I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
Aidan blinked. He glanced down at Bea. Her heart was in her throat. Questions poised, ready to leap from her tongue. Was this really happening? Did Aidan have a daughter?
