The following morning I washed and dressed Katie, leaving early to take her to pre-school. I was relieved that it was one of the three days each week that I drove into Southampton to my workshop where I renovated old enamelled signs. It was good to get away from the house and Mum repeating her lines. I needed the peace of my studio after the shocking fire two nights before. Living at Mum’s house meant that I didn’t have to pay rent, just contribute to the upkeep of the place and our food, so Katie and I were able to survive on the small policy we received that Marcus had thankfully set up for us about a year before he died.
Sourcing and renovating the signs gave me an interest and added income. It also gave me a reason to drive to different markets looking for stock as well as keeping me from spending too much time at home dwelling on Marcus’ death. After a shaky start when my shyness threatened to hold me back, I now enjoyed selling the signs weekly from my market stall in Southampton.
Today, though, I was looking forward to spending a solitary day in the studio. The day was still and the heat heavy. I loved summery days, but this year the consistently high temperatures and feeling like I was trapped inside a thick blanket was exhausting. Determined to lift my mood, I pressed on the car radio. As I turned into to a road passing nineteenth-century town houses and hinting at the past wealth the region had enjoyed, I sang along to ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’ by Ronan Keating. My best friend Dee and I had sung it and I’d played it endlessly after she and her family had disappeared on the hottest night of a heatwave in 2003.
The song’s title gained a new significance when I rounded a corner and thought I’d spotted someone I hadn’t seen for fifteen years.
‘Leo?’ I shrieked as the car in front stopped at the last minute, when the traffic lights changed to red. It was pure luck I didn’t cause a smash. My heart pounded, although whether it was from the shock of the near miss, or thinking I’d seen Dee’s younger brother, I wasn’t sure.
I could still recall the months I’d waited for a letter from her. I’d wasted hours trying to trace them online and via electoral rolls, even contacting the Salvation Army, desperate to ascertain if they were still alive, or what might have happened to them. All to no avail.
I was about to drive on, but what if it was Leo? I couldn’t miss a chance to speak to him. Excitement bubbling inside me, I looked for a parking space, checking back in his direction, but unable to see him. My stomach churned at the lost opportunity, but then I saw him walking towards an office along the street.
A car pulled out of a space in front of me. Parking my Golf badly, I got out, almost forgetting to lock it, before running towards the imposing stone building that housed the branch of the town’s main bank. I took a deep breath and pushed the heavy oak doors open.
Running up to him wasn’t the way to reintroduce myself, if indeed it was Leo. I watched the broad-shouldered man speaking to the receptionist, willing him to turn his face slightly towards me so that I could get a better look. Why was he here? This wasn’t a financial district and this man looked the epitome of a financier, if the cut of his suit was anything to go by.
Then the potential humiliation of what I was about to do dawned on me. What was I thinking? Surely, if either Leo or Dee had wanted to get in touch with me, they could have contacted Mum. Losing my nerve, I turned away. Walking out of the building, the heat of the day hit me. Maybe listening to that song had conjured up one of the people I’d longed to find.
My tired mind must be playing tricks on me. Embarrassed at getting carried away, I hurried to my car. I dropped my keys when a hand landed heavily on my shoulder.
‘Sera, is that you?’ the man asked, bending down to retrieve my keys from the gutter.
The voice was much deeper, but the inflection belonged to Leo. A thrill of excitement shot through me.
‘Leo,’ I whispered spinning round to face him. ‘I thought I was going mad.’
He held out my keys and shrugged. ‘Yes, it’s me.’
I took the keys with a shaky hand and couldn’t help staring at him as he took a deep breath and smiled. ‘Where the hell have you been for the past fifteen years?’
‘Let’s not worry about that now, shall we?’
‘But…’ Why couldn’t he tell me? He must know how lost I’d been when his family vanished?
Taking my shoulders, Leo held me at arm’s length and studied my face. ‘I always knew you’d grow up to be a beautiful woman,’ he said, his cornflower blue eyes twinkling with more confidence than I could ever have imagined him possessing. My stomach contracted as I looked up at him. He was even taller than Marcus’ had been.
Leo frowned, then pulled me into a bear hug. I stiffened for an instant, unused to being held by a man since Marcus died. Despite my best efforts my face reddened. How could this handsome man be the same scruffy boy his sister and I had teased as teenagers?
‘I just can’t believe it,’ I said, my mind whirling and trying to come to terms with what was happening.
He held me away from him again and gave me another wide smile displaying perfect white teeth. He looked wealthy, as if he’d done well for himself.
Desperate to find out more about his family, but not wishing to give him an excuse to leave, I asked, ‘Dee? Is she well? She’s not here with you, is she?’
His smile slipped. ‘No. Dee’s not here.’
I waited for him to continue, but he glanced at his watch. ‘I have to go. I’m already late for a meeting.’
I followed his gaze to the large building. ‘Will I see you again?’
‘That would be great.’ He thought for a moment. ‘Where should we meet?’
‘I’ve moved back to Mum’s place. How about coming to the house this afternoon, if you’re free?’
‘I should be able to get there for around two-thirty. Would that suit you?’
I nodded. ‘That’s perfect,’ I said. ‘I’ll see you then.’
The mystery of their disappearance had plagued me since my teens. I had almost given up hope of ever finding out what had happened to Dee and her family, but it looked as if my wait wasn’t quite over. I smiled as I unlocked my car. At least I knew they were alive. Glancing back to the majestic bank, it dawned on me that Leo hadn’t actually answered any of my questions. What was he doing back here?