Her sad smile punched Kelly in the gut. Fuck Paula and the high and mighty horse she rode in on.

Back outside, loitering around the front entrance, Tim spoke first. “I have a work van. If you need a hand to move, I can follow you back to Palmerston.”

A strong desire to launch herself at Tim rocked Kelly to her core. “You really are sweet, aren’t you?”

He shrugged.

Jo burrowed into his side. “He is.”

Looking at her little sister, all grown up, Kelly swallowed the lump in her throat. If one good thing came out of today, it was knowing that Jo had met a good man.

Lucy let out a humourless chuckle. “That’s a lovely offer, Tim. The thing is, I have no idea where I’m moving to.”

The penny finally dropped, and Kelly could’ve kicked herself. No wonder Lucy had looked so distraught. At the time, Kelly’s mind had immediately flicked to the fact Paula had done them a favour. She’d overlooked the bigger picture. Lucy was soon to be homeless.

Actually, no she wasn’t, not if Kelly could help it.

“You can stay with me.” Kelly beamed, feeling proud of herself, and excited by the prospect.

Jo’s eyes lit up. “Great idea.”

Lucy’s piercing gaze bore into Kelly. “Don’t you think we should talk about that first?”

“Oh yeah,” Jo said, sounding as flat as Kelly felt.

Even though what Lucy said made sense, Kelly couldn’t deny the disappointment that weighed heavily on her shoulders. Her emotions were all over the place.

The next thought made Kelly’s stomach lurch. What if Lucy moved back to New Plymouth? Surely she wouldn’t.

“How about Mum’s place?” Jo asked.

“That could work,” Kelly replied. “Mum would love the company.”

“I couldn’t impose on your mother.” Lucy shook her head, her black hair fanning out like a raven about to take flight.

On second thoughts, perhaps it wasn’t such a bright idea. Kelly’s mum appeared to have come to enjoy her own space, to such an extent that a few weeks ago she’d asked Kelly to text ahead of time if she planned on visiting.

At the time, Kelly hadn’t thought much of it. Now though… No, she wouldn’t go there, not while there were more pressing matters to take care of.

Zeroing in on something over Kelly’s shoulder, Jo’s eyes went wide. “Don’t look now.”

A sense of Déjà vu crawled up Kelly’s spine. However, unlike the night Lucy had uttered those same words, Kelly didn’t turn around. She didn’t need to, she could sense Paula’s presence.