“Would it damage your ego to tell you that she barely mentions you?”
His smile deepened. “It would confirm my suspicion that she’s probably the best neighbor on the planet.”
Liza rolled up the bottom of her trousers. The pale skin around her feet and ankles was evidence that she hadn’t stayed still long enough for her skin to see the sun. She needed to do something about that, and she definitely needed to do something about her wardrobe which was entirely unsuited to relaxation or beach life.
“How often do you see her?”
“Most weeks when I’m here.” He stooped to pick up a shell. “We drink coffee in her garden, or she comes up here to swim in the pool and we have a glass of something cold afterward.”
“Every week?” Liza couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “She swims in your pool?”
“She used to swim twice a day in the sea, but after she had that dizzy spell I persuaded her that the pool was safer.”
Dizzy spell?
If she asked him for details he’d think she was a terrible daughter. And there was no point in asking herself why her mother hadn’t mentioned it. She would have been afraid Liza would have lectured her on safety. And no doubt she would have done exactly that.
Maybe she was a terrible daughter. She’d been trying to help and protect, but in doing so had cut herself off from a large part of her mother’s life. Her constant urging to stay safe didn’t have any impact on her mother, who always did exactly as she pleased. All it did was encourage her to keep things from Liza, to avoid any fuss. But it seemed she didn’t keep things from Finn.
“She took your advice and stopped swimming in the sea?”
“Not at first, but I told her that if her body were to wash up on the shore one evening she might ruin one of my beach parties. She laughed and agreed to use the pool instead.” He glanced at her. “Glenys, my housekeeper, is always around when she uses the pool so she’s safe enough.”
Liza tried to think of a time she and her mother had shared a conversation that made them both laugh.
“You’re fond of her.”
He shrugged. “I don’t have parents or grandparents alive. I guess I see Kathleen as someone older and wiser.”
“Really?” That wasn’t how she saw her mother at all. “I tend to think of her as reckless. She gives me constant anxiety attacks.”
“I guess it’s different when it’s your mother.” He walked to the water. “Has she always been the way she is?”
“Stubborn?”
“I was going to say adventurous. Bold.”
“I suppose so, yes.”
“Must have made for an interesting childhood.”
It had made for a lonely childhood. But that wasn’t something she intended to discuss with Finn Cool.
“I always got good grades in geography. I’m the person you want on your team in a pub quiz.”
“I watched a few of her old shows on the internet. Incredible. She had such presence.”
She hadn’t watched The Summer Seekers since she was a child. They reminded her of absences. “She has them all on DVD.”
“You’re kidding.” The breeze had blown strands of hair across his face. “But they would have been shot on 16mm film, surely?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that they gave them to her on DVD as a gift on her sixtieth birthday.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite a gift. On the other hand she was something of a legend. I bet they all adored her. She must have been fun to work with. Are those DVDs in the house?”
Was he expecting her to invite him over? And how would she feel watching them? She’d always felt mildly resentful of The Summer Seekers. As a child she’d felt it was competition for her mother’s time and affection. “I don’t know where she keeps them, but I can ask.”
“You should keep them under lock and key. They’re probably collector’s items.” He turned to look at the sea, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “She knows how to live life. And she never conforms to society’s expectations. She was presenting long after other people would have been pushed aside, presumably because she was irreplaceable at the time. And look at her now—most people would expect her to be living in some sort of residential accommodation, and she’s traveling across America.” His shoulders shook with silent laughter. “She’s amazing. She knows how to hunt down every last delicious crumb of happiness and devour it. Most people tread those crumbs into the carpet. You must be pleased that she’s still so active and engaged in life.”
She felt guilty that she’d ever considered trying to persuade her mother to move out of the house. “Her lifestyle causes me anxiety.” And she’d been thinking about herself, not Kathleen. In her own way she’d been as selfish as the twins.
“She’s lucky to have a caring daughter like you.”
Was she? She had a feeling Kathleen would have chosen an adventure-seeking, globe-trotting daughter.
There had been a reason she hadn’t wanted Liza to drive her on her special trip.
She changed the subject. “Martha sent me a photo of her sipping cocktails on a roof terrace in Chicago.” She showed him the photo on her phone and he took it from her, shaded the screen with his hand.
“Brilliant. Are there more?”
She leaned across and swiped. “Martha took a photograph of the car.”
His smile widened. “Well, dammit—she went ahead and rented the Ford Mustang.”
“You knew she was planning to rent a sports car?”
“She asked me about cars. Wanted to know what I’d rent if I was doing that trip. Easy enough to answer, because I’ve done that trip—in that car.” He handed the phone back to her. “She’ll have the best time. So who is Martha?”
“Martha is a stranger who she hired without even checking references. Typical of my mother.” But in fact Martha had proved to be thoughtful. She was sending photos every day, along with amusing updates and videos. It seemed her mother had chosen her companion well. “You seem to know a lot about her trip.”
He hesitated. “She didn’t talk to you about the planning?”
“No. I kept waiting for her to ask for help because she hates the internet, but she never did.” She paused. “What are you not telling me?”
“She’s discreet. I feel I should be too.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “My team helped her with the arrangements. As you say, she’s not that comfortable with the internet.”