‘Our lives couldn’t be more different, could they?’ Iona was saying sweetly. ‘How did we ever become friends?’ she joked before pulling Bonnie into a tight embrace. ‘You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.’

Bonnie could never have predicted what was about to spill out. If she had, she’d have held a hand over her friend’s mouth to stop her from uttering the lies.

Maria was sure Iona looked uncomfortable. All she’d asked was for the girl to tell them about herself, but she was brushing it off with, ‘Oh, there’s really very little to tell.’

Bonnie had stopped eating, she noticed. Her fork hovered midway to her mouth and now she had put it down on her plate, a piece of pork still speared on the end of it.

All she wanted was to learn more about the girl. Maria felt at a disadvantage not even knowing Iona’s background story.

But David had moved the conversation on. Maybe he’d noticed their guest didn’t want to talk or maybe he was oblivious. Whatever it was, she finished dinner frustrated.

Helping David stack the plates, she followed him to the kitchen when he started telling her he’d seen Graham that morning. She was biting her lip, ready to interrupt and say that wasn’t important when he announced, ‘Did you know their house is on the market?’

‘What?’

‘Susan’s idea,’ David said as they stopped by the sink. ‘You don’t know anything about it?’

‘No.’ Maria shook her head, shocked. ‘She hasn’t said a word.’

‘That’s strange.’

It was. She couldn’t imagine why her friend hadn’t confided in her, but then she’d also noticed Susan wasn’t herself of late. ‘I’ll have to speak to her,’ she said as David pulled her in for a hug.

‘You’re happy here, aren’t you?’ he asked. ‘You wouldn’t want to leave?’

‘The island?’ she gasped. ‘No! Never. Why would I?’

‘Just checking.’ He smiled as he kissed her on the head. ‘You seem a little – anxious at the moment.’

Maria shrugged and let her shoulders relax. Suddenly the idea of telling him she needed to know more about her daughter’s friend seemed trivial. She watched him go outside and heard him call goodbye to Iona who was strolling out the side gate, then turned to the sink and started scrubbing a pan.

When she caught sight of Bonnie hovering in the doorway Maria laughed. ‘You made me jump,’ she said, her face falling as Bonnie glared back at her. ‘Everything okay?’

‘Why did we move here?’ Bonnie said suddenly.

‘Sorry? What?’

‘I said, why did we move here? Why did we come to this island in the first place?’