Lili went quiet.
‘Is she the reason you never attempted to search for them yourself?’
‘I suppose.’ It hadn’t been the only reason, though. Lili had been too busy looking to her future, her career, marriage, children, to seek out her past.
‘Don’t you owe it to yourself to look into this? You could be an heir to their estate. Have you thought about that?’
Lili hadn’t. But she had been thinking about Joseph and that ring. Was she a descendant of the artist friends that Joseph and his parents stayed with on the Ionian Islands? Or was she related to Joseph?
Lili was about to tell Ray about her ring when the taxi driver opened his car door and called out, ‘Did one of you phone for a cab? I have another fare soon, so I’ll have to leave.’
Lili raised her hand, ‘Sorry, that was me. I’m coming.’ She turned to Ray. ‘I have to go.’
‘I want to find your relatives, Lili.’
‘That’s really kind of you, Ray, but I can’t ask you to do that. You’ve got the shop to run and your heir-hunting business. I can’t afford your fee.’ Right now, she had no job and no home.
As if reading her mind, Ray said, ‘Stay. Run the shop. I’ll speak to Joseph as soon as I can and persuade him to keep you on – god knows, he could do with the help.’
Lili smiled. ‘You know, you’re the second person today who’s said that to me.’
Ray raised his eyebrows.
Thinking of Sarah, Lili said, ‘Before I leave, I want you to know that I gave you some really dumb advice when I told you not to send her any more flowers and just give her some space. Instead, tomorrow buy her flowers, and the next day, and the next. Invite her to dinner. Don’t take no for an answer.’
‘Invite her to dinner?’
‘Oh, yes. And please buy her flowers.’
‘I think she was quite shocked that you’d bought them for me.’
Ray slapped his forehead. ‘I’m an idiot.’
Lili smiled. ‘She said that too.’
‘She did?’
Lili smiled. ‘Oh, yes.’
‘I am going to buy her the biggest, best bunch of—’
The taxi driver honked his horn.
Lili leaned towards him and gave him a peck on the cheek. ‘I’ll miss you.’
‘Don’t say that. You’ll be back.’
Lili doubted it.
‘Quick, give me your mobile number.’ Ray handed her the notepad and pen he still had in his hand.
Lili wrote her number down and handed Ray the notepad. ‘I’ll post the keys to Joseph’s shop through your letterbox before I leave.’
‘I’d rather you didn’t.’
‘What shall I do with them?’
‘What I meant was that I’d rather you didn’t leave.’