Island of Secrets by Patricia Wilson

Author:Patricia Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zaffre Publishing

Chapter 24

London, Present Day.

OUTSIDE HEATHROW’S ARRIVALS, Angie ran into Nick’s arms. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’ She squeezed him tightly. ‘How’s Mam?’

‘She’s okay, doing better. They’ve decided on a stent.’ Nick glanced past Angie. He squared his shoulders and stood taller. ‘I think you’d better introduce us. I’m guessing that’s Uncle Stavro standing with the suitcases?’

Angie grabbed Nick’s hand and tugged him towards her uncle.

‘Uncle Stavro, I want you to meet my fiancé, Nick.’ The men shook hands, kissed cheeks and slapped one another on the back. Stavro gripped Nick’s shoulders and stared him in the face. The head of Angie’s family approving the man she would marry. The traditional salute meant such a lot to Angie. Acceptance. Stavro’s nod and the twinkle in his eye came as a ray of sunshine on a stormy night.

Nick drove them to the hospital. Angie watched the windshield wipers slap a melancholy heartbeat. Poor Poppy.

She remembered Crete, that star-studded evening, the pleasure of eating with them all, and the dancing. Her grandmother’s happiness, and above all, the camaraderie of her family. The occasion brought a strong sense of belonging to Angie’s life.

Angie continued to fret about her mother, as she had since the moment she heard the news, in Amiras. The thought that Poppy might have died was like a kick in the chest that she would never recover from. She tried to push the debilitating thought away and, for a moment, concentrate on Nick, as he drove. Her poor fiancé looked terrible, completely worn out. His skin was pale, he needed a shave, and he had dark bags under his eyes like she had never seen before. He looked like a heart attack waiting to happen, she thought, horrified.

Nick must be out of his mind with worry about his job. He had enough to deal with, without Angie accusing him of having an affair and his future mother-in-law collapsing at his feet. With the added pressure of house buying and the wedding on top of all that, no wonder he appeared stressed out and exhausted.

In a flash, Angie saw it all. She had asked too much of the people she loved. Hadn’t she inherited any of her grandmother’s spirit, the selfless need to better the lives of others? Had she ever made a real sacrifice for anybody? Sick and ashamed, she swore to herself she could change, it wasn’t too late, and that change would start here and now in the car.

She wanted to tell Nick that their goals, which were really her goals – the house, the job, the wedding, even the babies – weren’t crucial. That the people she loved were healthy, happy and above all, united, they were the important things. Together, Nick and Angie could change plans, and work things out. They’d talked about starting their own editing service, but she’d discouraged him, claiming it was better to aim for promotion, at least until they had a mortgage in place. So, her ever-loving Nick had abandoned his plans and taken Angie’s advice.

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