Yia-yia gave Kat a little smile and patted Tony on the shoulder as she left. Kat picked up the tray and followed. She knew there was nothing she could say that would make a difference, either. Poor Uncle Tony would have to stay and bear the brunt of Pappou’s disappointment.

* * *

Keely pegged the last sheet on the line and turned at the sound of a vehicle coming down the drive. Cars came and went all day but this one was coming to the house. She hoped it was Euan returning. She’d been pondering her future at Levallier Dell ever since he had announced that Maggie was coming to stay. Now she’d come up with an idea and she wanted to test it on Euan.

She reached the laundry door just as he came around the corner from the carport. His hair was still damp from the sea and it stuck out in tufts from his head.

“Hello, Keely. I feel as if I can face the day now. Do you fancy joining me for a coffee?”

“Of course.” She was pleased to see he was in a better mood.

While he showered, she made him an open toasted sandwich with ham, tomato and some of the locally produced cheese she’d come to love. He only protested mildly that she didn’t need to cook for him, before he sat down and tucked into the food.

Keely cleaned up the few things she’d used and wiped down the already gleaming sink. After Euan had gone surfing, Flynn had left for the sheds and she had spent her time cleaning. She’d stripped her bed, aired the bedroom and cleaned the bathroom. She didn’t know when Euan’s sister was arriving but she wanted to make sure everything was ready. It was during her cleaning frenzy that she’d had her idea.

She brought her coffee and sat at the table with Euan. He looked at ease. From across the table, she could barely see the fine lines she knew crisscrossed his face.

“Thanks for this, Keely.”

“You’ve both had a long night.”

“I’ll be alright. The surfing is my way of letting go. Flynn doesn’t have that. Unless you count riding that blasted bike of his too damn fast. He worries too much. He used to surf with me when he was kid. He hasn’t been surfing since Lucy died. She had the knack of lightening him up.”

Keely tried to imagine how tough it would have been for Flynn to lose his mother. She couldn’t picture her teenage years without both of her parents being there. She also had two younger brothers, so there was always something happening at the Mitchell house. It was strange how she didn’t really miss them here though.

“I love the vines but surfing is my total release.”