She’d started working at Forest Nest full-time when she’d left school, and when her mother had decided it was time for Connie to run the place, she’d given free rein to her ideas. It was Connie who had seen the potential of tapping into the luxury end of the market. She’d watched what was happening around her and knew there were people who wanted to enjoy the wildness of nature while maintaining all their creature comforts. Connie had upgraded the cabins and built new ones. She’d offered creature comforts and more. Bookings had soared.

And now it was Milly’s turn. The café had been Milly’s idea, and Connie had to admit that it had been a good one. The place was always buzzing with people, and being able to enjoy breakfast and lunch on the deck overlooking the water had proved to be a popular option for those who didn’t want to cook.

Watching her daughter grow into the role had been satisfying, and Connie had been ready to take a step back and do more with her life, but then Richard had walked out and her life had been given over to supporting her daughter and granddaughter.

She sighed as she folded the clean laundry into a neat pile.

She couldn’t believe history had repeated itself. Not for the world would she have wanted Milly to go through what she had gone through. When David had walked out of their marriage with no warning, it had been the lowest point of her life. The business had sustained her. Forest Nest had given her a reason to get out of bed and keep moving, and not just because she needed to provide for Milly.

And now here they were, back in a similar position.

Was that why she found the whole thing so stressful? Was a small part of her reliving that time of her life alongside Milly? Or was it simply that seeing your child suffer was the ultimate parental challenge?

She frowned as she stared out the window.

She kept telling herself that Milly’s emotions weren’t her emotions, but knowing that in theory didn’t help in practice. She didn’t just sympathize, she felt the emotions along with her daughter as if they were somehow invisibly connected.

But she couldn’t carry on like this, could she?

Her mother was right. She needed to put more focus on her own life instead of constantly being on alert in case Milly needed something. She needed to do more for herself.

If she found a new purpose, maybe she’d stop worrying about Milly for five minutes. It wasn’t as if Connie’s worrying was helping anyone.