She looked down at his hands. They were shaking.

‘So you told me that night the review was coming out in the paper. Good for me professionally and for the hotel of course, but terrible on a personal front.’

‘Why?’

‘I suddenly realised they’d see it online back in Tassie. They’ve been Googling me for ages, trying to find me.’

‘Who?’

Pete’s shoulders relaxed and he stroked Fiona’s cheek and pulled the scarf round her neck as the breeze got up.

‘My mum died eleven years ago, I never told you.’

‘Why?’

Pete clenched his trembling hands together. ‘My dad killed her. Suddenly went crazy, smashed her head with a hammer. It affected me pretty badly. Well, obviously.’ He glanced at Fiona, who was glowering at him.

‘I left home soon after Mum’s funeral, had to get away. My sister thought I’d died, killed myself, with the grief and…’

‘What? Why would she think that?’

‘She tried for quite a while to find out what happened to me but I never got in touch. She presumed I was dead. She even put my name on Mum’s gravestone, no dates or anything, but just so folk would think, like her, that I was dead.’

Fiona swallowed.

‘So, once I knew that she would see my name online, I had to go to Tassie and see her, explain – which I did, courtesy of, sorry to say, our savings. I don’t suppose you’ll ever forgive me for that and why should you. Anyway, I slowly got everything sorted between us. But I had to come back here, I had to see you and Jamie again.’

Pete raised his hand and caressed Fiona’s cheek. She flicked his hand away and sat back, scowling.

‘I don’t understand any of this, Pete. Why would you pretend you were dead?’

‘I’m not proud of any of this, but, being back there, I had a bit of a breakdown. I needed some meds to set me right, and my sister helped me out, took care of me. By the time I was better, so much time had passed… I thought it would be better to apologise in person.’

‘Pete, what’s your sister’s name?’

‘Her name? Sam, my wee sister Sam.’

Fiona snorted. ‘Of course, your sister.’ She shook her head. ‘Why the hell could you not have told me about her – and about your mum being dead?’

‘I know, I know. To be honest, I was kind of ashamed. Christ, Fi, my dad’s a murderer.’

‘What happened to him then?’

‘Prison, in for life.’

Fiona sighed and looked straight at Pete. He looked so vulnerable.

‘Okay, so you used our savings to fly there, you saw your sister Sam. But how does Debs fit into this?’

‘Debs?’