The Island Villa by Sarah Morgan

Author:Sarah Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-04-08T00:04:51+00:00

14

Cassie

The text from her mother pinged onto her phone about five minutes after Adeline had disappeared toward the village with her father.

Join me for yoga on the terrace. Please!

Cassie stared at her phone.

Even today, with her daughters thrown headfirst into emotional chaos, her mother didn’t miss yoga. It shouldn’t have surprised her. Catherine Swift was ruthlessly committed to routine and discipline. She talked about that side of her life in interviews. How else do you think I’ve written so many books?

Cassie had always admired that about her. It was, she knew, the key to her mother’s success. She’d learned from her mother that inspiration, talent and ambition were nothing without hard work and commitment.

When she was staying on the island, Cassie often joined her for yoga but right now she wasn’t in the mood. She wasn’t sure of her mood at all. She felt restless. Tired and hurt. Also confused. Her mind was in a turmoil, her thoughts jumbled and tangled after the events of the night before and her conversation with her sister. She’d had a very clear picture of her past, and now that picture was blurry and indistinct.

She had more questions than she had answers. Nothing made sense to her and given that the only person who could help her make sense of it was her mother, she knew she should probably get this conversation over with. Part of her wished that Adeline was here and that they were doing it together. She’d been learning things about her past that were new to her. Learning things about Adeline.

She felt a twist of guilt because she knew her life had been easier than her sister’s. She’d lost her father of course, but she had no memory of him, so for her the loss had always felt abstract. She didn’t miss him as a person, because she’d never known him as a person. It was more that she missed the idea of him. When she met friends’ fathers, she sometimes felt a tug of envy and found herself wondering how it must feel to be able to say, Meet my dad. At her graduation, she’d glanced up and seen her mother’s proud face and wondered how it would have felt to see her father there too.

But for the most part, you didn’t miss what you’d never had. Maybe it would have been different if she and her mother hadn’t been so close, but they were. They were a happy family, and she’d never once felt anything other than loved and secure. Families came in all shapes and sizes, and just because hers was leaner than some didn’t mean it didn’t function well. They were a unit. A team. A pair.

She’d been lucky. Compared to her sister, she’d had a smooth, easy life. She’d never had to weather rejection. Even her mother’s failed marriage to Gordon Pelling hadn’t shaken their bond.

She’d never felt the deep wrenching grief that Adeline had felt when her family had fallen apart. You didn’t need to study psychology to understand the impact that could have on someone.

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