The Light Over London(52)

Vera raised her brows. “They made Barker a bombardier, and look what happened. You need to be able to do more than shout during training exercises. You need steel.”

Louise shook her head. “I’m just a girl from Haybourne.”

“And I’m just a girl who grew up in a military family who knows what that sort of leadership looks like.” Vera yawned. “Come on, let’s get to bed before Charlie starts snoring.”

“I should write to Paul first,” Louise said, hauling herself up from the table.

But by the time she made it to their room, she was half-asleep and fell into bed, promising herself that she’d write him when she woke up.





13


CARA


The coffee in Cara’s mug trembled a little until she clamped her free hand around it and raised it to her lips to ward off the chill that radiated from her parlor windows. That Sunday morning, sleepy Elm Road was quiet except for a runner clad in black tights and a shocking-pink jacket, her thin black braids swinging across her back.

I should start exercising again.

Cara dismissed the thought with a snort. These days she was more likely to collapse into bed with sore muscles from hauling inventory around Jock’s shop than she was to pull out a yoga mat or lace up her running shoes.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door to Liam’s cottage swing open. It was time. He was driving her to London, back to the storage facility that held all the artifacts of her past life. There would be no more delays. She’d already set too many things in motion.

She took a final sip of coffee before walking back to the kitchen and depositing the mug in the sink to rinse later. Then she gathered up her black leather jacket and slid on a pair of gray canvas flats.

Hitching her purse over her shoulder, she locked the front door and took a breath. Then she mustered the most convincing smile she could and waved to Liam.

“Good morning!” he called, catching sight of her as he rounded the short hedge between their drives. “Still up for our adventure?”

Not quite. On one hand, she was eager to retrieve Gran’s box, desperate as she was for any scrap of information about her family’s past and the secret that hung between them. At the same time, the thought of opening up the locker containing what was left of her parents’ life and her marriage was daunting.

Still, she forced herself to smile. “I’m ready.”

Liam’s brow knit. He already knew her well enough to know that she was lying. “If you don’t want to go—”

“No.” She lifted her chin. “We should. I need to do this, and . . . I’d rather have company.”

“Okay then.”

He sprinted over to his car and opened the passenger door for her. Touched by the gesture, she climbed in and promised herself that everything would be fine.



Everything was not fine.

The closer they got to London, the tighter Cara gripped the side of Liam’s passenger seat. All through the hour-and-a-half drive, she’d fought to keep her nerves from boiling over, but as they drove past the sign for her old neighborhood, her anxiety rose. Now, in front of the building she’d never wanted to visit again, her blood pounded in her ears and her palms were clammy.

Liam pulled into a parking spot in the massive storage building’s parking lot and turned off the ignition. Then he turned to her, his expression one of open kindness. “How are you doing?”

Unclenching her fingers from the seat, she said, “I’ve been putting this day off for too long.”

Liam reached over the center console, hesitating a moment before picking up her hand and giving it a squeeze. “We don’t have to do this. We can find a pub and sit down for a Sunday roast and drive back.”

She looked down at their joined hands, shocked at how comfortable it felt sitting here with Liam. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, but he’d already shown he could offer comfort and understanding without treating her as though she might break.

“No,” she said with a sigh. “This is the closest Gran has ever come to talking about the war. If I go back empty-handed, it’ll only give her a reason to shut down again.”

His thumb stroked the top of her hand once, sending her heart fluttering before he pulled away to unbuckle his seat belt. “Okay then. Let’s find your locker.”

The attendant at the front desk directed them to the right elevator bank. As they rode up to the tenth floor, Cara took the two padlock keys, one stainless steel and one brass, out of her pocket.

The doors slid open and they took a left down a hallway. Everything was quiet, save for the sound of their footsteps and the buzz of the fluorescent lights droning above them.

“Do you remember what you stored?” Liam asked.

“Too many things.” All of my things. “I went from a five-bedroom house with a drawing room, sitting room, and dining room to a two-bedroom cottage with a parlor and eat-in kitchen, so there’s a lot of furniture. And there’s also my parents’ things.”

She knew she was talking too much, but the words kept spilling from her. “I took the things with me I knew I wanted. I was supposed to have time to sort through the rest of it, but the house sold faster than anyone expected. I had the movers bring everything here.”

As they approached locker 2027, her hands started to shake.