Reunited By A Baby Bombshell. Barbara Hannay

old. By the time she was eighteen, Eva’s ballet career had probably been more important to Lizzie Hennessey than it had been to Eva.

      It was only much later, with the benefit of distance and maturity, that Eva had understood that her struggling single mother had been desperate to ensure that her daughter wasn’t trapped and held back, as she had been.

      Eva hadn’t allowed herself to question whether she’d been wrong to listen to her mother. Of necessity, she’d clung to the belief that she had done the right thing. And her career had repaid her a thousandfold.

      The wind swept her hair over her face. With shaking fingers, she brushed it away. ‘I know it was bad of us to take off like that,’ she told Griff. ‘I’ve always felt guilty about it.’

      ‘You were my first girlfriend,’ he said. ‘But you were also the first girl to dump me.’ He sounded less aggressive, closer to the friendly Griff of old. ‘I admit my ego took a blow.’

      He stepped up to the railing, standing beside her now, with his hands deep in his trouser pockets as he looked out to sea. Eva could see his profile: his broad, intelligent forehead, his strong nose, his lips that she’d once explored with such excitement and daring.

      ‘I thought I must have upset you,’ he said quietly. ‘We were both virgins. At the time, you seemed keen. I know you were keen, but I’ve often wondered if... I don’t know...if I’d scared you.’

      Oh, Griff, never. Tears stung Eva’s eyes. ‘That wasn’t the problem, honestly. It was—’

      ‘Excuse me.’

      A voice brought them both swinging round. It was a girl—the waitress with the purple streaks in her hair.

      Had she been sent to summon them inside? Eva wasn’t sure if she was annoyed or relieved by the interruption.

      ‘What is it?’ Griff snapped, making his own reaction quite clear.

      ‘I was hoping to speak to you both,’ the girl said, but she seemed less confident now. She was wearing a white shirt and black skirt and she fiddled with the buckle at her waist.

      Eva glanced Griff’s way and saw his eyes narrow as he frowned at the girl. ‘Well?’ he demanded impatiently.

      ‘I wanted to introduce myself.’ Her grey eyes were huge with an emotion that might have been overwhelming excitement or fear. ‘You see,’ she added, lifting her hands from her sides, palms facing up in a gesture that was both nervous and helpless, ‘I’m your daughter.’