I Found You

by Lisa Jewell

They didn’t see Mark for three days after his angry exit from their cottage on Thursday morning. Gray’s family remained slightly on edge as they carried on about their lives. Mark had proved he had a knack for knowing where they’d be and when and for appearing silently from the wings. The house on the cliff stood white and alert, the eerie call of peacocks occasionally being blown down the coast to the beach. But there was no sign of him. “Maybe he went back to Harrogate?” suggested Tony as they sat in their usual spot on the beach on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t quite beach weather; the sand was still damp from the rain that had fallen that morning, but the sun was drying it out fast and the beach was slowly filling up. “I reckon,” said Mum. “No reason for him to stay here really if the girl he liked isn’t interested.” “He was probably embarrassed too,” said Tony. Gray gazed up at the house and shook his head slightly. “I reckon he’s there,” he said. “Planning his next move.” “Don’t,” said Kirsty. “You’re scaring me.” She turned to glance at the beach café behind them. She’d been doing that every few minutes. “You haven’t done anything wrong,” Gray said to her. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.” “I feel bad,” she said. “Bad?” “Yeah. I feel like I led him on.” “Oh, come on, you did not lead him on. He virtually stalked you!” “I know.” She plucked at the frayed tassel on her handbag. “But, you know, he paid for me to go to the cinema. And…” She shrugged. “And what?” “Well,...

Gray says planning his next move and Kirsten says he’s scaring her and he says she has no reason to be scared? Also, he prob went back home because the girl he’s interested in isn’t? He was there to help his aunt?!