Rain’s heart sank, disappointment washing over her in waves. As she stared at the message, something in her shifted. A quiet, firm realisation. As much as she cared for Lauren, as much as she wanted to be with her, she knew she would never be Lauren’s top priority. And it wasn’t just because of her son. There was also her husband, her demanding job. How could Rain ever compete with all that? Deep down, she knew she couldn’t. As painful as it was to admit, they were from different worlds.
Rain was about to toss her phone aside when it started ringing. For a split second, she thought maybe Lauren had changed her mind.
But it wasn’t Lauren. It was Clara. Rain hesitated, not really in the mood to chat. But what else was she gonna do, sit around moping? She hit the accept button.
‘Hey, Clara.’
‘Hey yourself. Listen, I’ve got some free time tonight. Thought maybe we could get together, brainstorm about how to find your sister.’
Rain thought about the dinner she was preparing. No sense in letting it go to waste.
‘Yeah, sure. Why don’t you come over here? We can talk it out over dinner.’
‘Sounds perfect.’
‘Great. I’ll text you the address.’
Rain disconnected the call and quickly typed out her address, hitting send. She glanced at the clock – Clara would probably be there in about half an hour.
‘I’d better get my arse in gear,’ Rain muttered to herself, climbing out of the bath and reaching for a towel. She dried off quickly, then dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
Sometime later, the doorbell rang. Rain padded to the front door, opening it to find Clara standing there with a bottle of wine.
‘Hey, come on in,’ Rain said, stepping aside to let her pass.
‘Something smells amazing,’ Clara said as she walked in.
‘I made roast chicken. Hope you’re hungry.’
‘Starving.’
After plating up and pouring the wine, they settled at the small kitchen table and, for a few minutes, ate in comfortable silence.
‘So,’ Clara said finally, setting down her fork. ‘About ways we could try to find your sister.’
Rain looked up.
‘What if we set up a social media page for her? We could post her picture, some info, and ask people to share it. Maybe someone’s seen her or knows something.’
Rain nodded slowly. ‘That’s actually a really good idea. I never thought of using social media like that.’
‘It’s worth a shot,’ Clara said with a shrug. ‘The more people who see her face, the better our chances of getting a lead.’
Rain felt a surge of gratitude. ‘Thanks, Clara. Seriously. It means a lot that you’re helping me with this.’
‘Stop saying thank you. I’m more than happy to help.’ Clara hesitated for a moment, then asked casually, ‘So, have you seen Lauren?’
Rain looked down at her plate, pushing a piece of chicken around with her fork. ‘Yeah.’
‘From the expression on your face, I take it things didn’t go as planned.’
‘Nope. I think I’ve just got to accept we’re just . . . in different places right now.’
Clara nodded, a look of understanding on her face. ‘I get it. Sometimes, no matter how much you care about someone, it just doesn’t work out. Maybe . . . she just isn’t the one for you.’
Rain glanced up, catching something in Clara’s tone. ‘Clara, I . . .’
‘I’m here for you, Rain,’ Clara said softly, reaching across the table to cover Rain’s hand with her own. ‘In whatever way you need me.’
Rain swallowed hard, gently pulling her hand away. ‘I appreciate that, Clara. I really do, but I’m not looking for anything else right now. With everything going on with Fay, and the mess with Lauren . . . I just need a friend right now.’
Clara sat back, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face before she masked it with a smile. ‘Of course. I understand.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Right,’ Clara said briskly. ‘Once we’ve finished eating, let’s make a start on the social media post . . .’
Clara rolled off a number of other things they should concentrate on, and to Rain’s surprise, she actually felt better having her mind focussed on something other than Lauren.
After all, that was her sole purpose for being there, to find her sister, not fall in love with a married woman.
Chapter Twenty-Four
He sat at the hotel’s bar, scrolling through his anonymous social media feed. It was late, the bar almost empty, but he couldn’t make himself leave. Not when the anger was still eating at him. Suddenly, a post grabbed his attention. It was about Fay, asking if anyone had seen her or knew where she could be. He combed through the comments, hoping for clues. But there was nothing useful. Just a bunch of worried friends and family, all asking the same questions he was.
He scowled, his brain going into overdrive. If even Fay’s closest friends didn’t know where she was, how the hell was he supposed to track her down?
But then, an idea started taking shape. He paused for a second, then started typing a response.
