Page 119 of Best Summer Ever

‘Who’s that, Laurence?’ I said, coming to a stop again. ‘That’s Josh Alford.’ Laurence’s eyes were on stalks when he registered the surname. ‘Algy’s grandson.’

‘What?’ Laurence spluttered. ‘But I thought…’

‘You thought,’ I said, finishing what he had realised would not be a good thing to admit out loud, ‘that in lieu of any family of his own, and given how close we’ve become again since my return to Wynbrook, that Algy might one day consider leaving Wynbrook to me. Didn’t you? And if that happened and we’d got together again, then you’d be in line for a piece of the Alford estate too.’

Laurence didn’t deny it and I felt further repulsed by him now that I had worked out and voiced what his real, and wholly unpalatable, reason for turning up and trying to win me back had been.

‘Didn’t you?’ I repeated angrily.

‘Your Insta posts said you were like family,’ he spluttered pathetically.

‘We are. Algy has always been like a grandfather to me, but in terms of blood, he’s related to Josh who actually loves the estate and one day, it will be him who inherits it. So, I tell you what, why don’t you put the moves on him?’

Laurence looked at Josh, who was now standing as close to me as it was possible to get, and then back to me.

‘Total waste of time though,’ Josh commented, as he looked Laurence up and down. ‘You’re really not my type.’

Laurence’s face flushed the deepest red.

‘I take it this is your ex, Daisy?’ Josh asked. ‘He fits the description your mum gave me to a T.’ Perhaps she hadn’t been duped into using the best cups and saucers after all. ‘I went to the cottage to look for you and she was worried that you’d driven off with him.’

‘I didn’t have much choice about that,’ I said, taking Josh’s hand. ‘He drove off the second I sat in his car on the pretence of us having a chatandwithout my consent.’

‘Did he now?’ Josh growled and I was pleased I’d got a tight hold on him.

‘But he’s leaving now,’ I said, stepping slightly in front of Josh. ‘Aren’t you, Laurence?’

He looked at me and chewed his lip before his gaze dropped to his shoes.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I’m leaving now. There’s nothing here for me.’

‘And there hasn’t been for a long time,’ I said vehemently.

He looked back towards the path to where his car was parked at the top of the cliff.

‘Is that the only way back?’ he muttered.

‘Yep,’ said Josh, sounding thrilled. ‘It’ll be a steep ascent in those slippery soles.’

‘A slippery character like him should manage it, no problem though,’ I remarked and Josh laughed. ‘Though if I was him, I’d take the much longer way back. Walk right through the village and then along the road to the car park entrance.’

Laurence didn’t say anything further and strode off as best he could, back towards the steep path, rather than the more sensible route I’d suggested.

‘Hopefully,’ I said, letting out the longest breath, ‘that really will be the last I see of him.’

Josh gave my hand a squeeze, then kissed the back of it.

‘Did you come charging to Wynmouth just to find me because Mum was worried?’ I asked, gazing up at him.

‘Sadly not,’ he confessed, his brows knitted together. ‘I came to ask for help with a crisis of my own. I didn’t expect to find you in the midst of one of your own.’

‘That doesn’t sound good.’ I frowned. ‘Forget mine, it’s sorted now. Tell me what’s happened? And more to the point, how did you get here?’

Chapter 28

As we rushed back to the pub car park, which was where Dad was waiting for us, Josh explained what was behind his crisis and it turned out to be far more worrying than my reacquaintance with my materialistically obsessed ex.

‘Mum called me,’ Josh puffed, ‘to warn me that Dad might turn up at the manor.’ I stopped in my tracks and he reached for my T-shirt sleeve. He gave it a tug to get me moving again. ‘Come on. She said he could literally arrive at any moment.’

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