Page 57 of The Bookshop at the Cornish Cove

My darling Nancy,

My heart reaches out to you. I hope you are managing to work through all of your feelings. I cannot imagine what you are going through right now.

I can only apologise for my Dennis. He’s a fuckwit. I have told him this about three billion times since Saturday evening. He sat on the step of your shop on Sunday morning after he tried to see you again at your parents’ house and was sent packing by your mother. And I really don’t blame her.

I’m not saying that I blame you either, Nancy. But hopefully what I tell you now might help the situation.

When Dennis was a child, his parents treated him very badly, and when he was eighteen, they did something that was unforgivable. That’s his story to tell, not mine. And I’m sure he’d want to tell you everything, if you gave him the chance, but let’s just say he was left to fend for himself. I’m ashamed to call Dennis’s father my son, especially when they left him to move to Spain.

Dennis had to grow up very quickly and had to survive. His dream to go to university no longer an option, he had to get himself a job, which he did, and since that day he has made money his ultimate goal in life. He always had here to come to, of course – he had (and will always have) a home here with me – but he made a life for himself in London. Where he felt he could be the most successful. Because success was the other thing he needed. To show them that he didn’t need them, or anyone in fact.

I won’t be here forever, Nancy. I’m an old woman and I don’t mean to be dramatic or use this as a way of making you change your mind (although if you’d like to I’d really love that). There is nothing on this earth more that would make me happier than to go to heaven knowing that he has someone here that loves him and will look after him for me. And maybe even someone with whom he would go on to have his own family with. He’s always said that he doesn’t need anyone in his life, Nancy, but these last few weeks I’ve seen a change in him. It’s been so nice to spend so much time in his company. I know he had an issue at work and wanted to get away for a bit, but you’ve made his life here happy and even if this is the end of the road for you both, then it’s been a pleasure to see.

However, I do hope you give him the chance to explain more to you. You and he, in my opinion, are absolutely perfect for each other and I believe you are destined to be together. Dennis will tell you that he doesn’t believe in destiny but I think he should. My husband and I were together for many happy years. Some shit ones too, I have to tell you, but mostly fabulous ones.

Vi was a true diamond and I had to wipe my snotty tears away with the sleeve of my pyjamas.Stay classy, Nancy. I was glad I was alone as I could only imagine how very attractive I was looking at this point.

I grabbed some toilet roll from the en suite, noisily blew my nose and picked up the paper once more.

Dennis is a proud boy. He’s a fighter. He had to be. And he’s never needed anyone in his life. But there’s a huge difference between needing someone and wanting them. And I can see that my boy truly does adore you. He’s always been a good lad and as a child had the hugest of hearts, and I’ll never forgive his mother and father for breaking it. He felt like he had to spend his life protecting his heart from further harm and the only way he knew how to do that was to distance himself from everyone and everything. But then he met you and everything changed.

Please give him a chance to explain, Nancy. What happened with his so-called friend isn’t quite what you think, although I can totally understand why you reacted the way you did. The friend is a total cockwomble (a new word I learned recently) and think Dennis is probably being one right now too. But I hope that you can find it in your heart, which I believe loves Dennis as much as much as he loves you, to find a way through.

Much love to you, my darling.

Vi

xxx

It was another restless night where dreams invaded my sleep. In one, Dennie and I walked on the beach for ages and ages, our hands tightly welded together; in another I was reaching out to him and he was holding a big red heart in his arms, but he was holding it away from me, not letting me near it. In the final one, which woke me at 5.30a.m., we were in bed together and he was holding me in his arms. I couldn’t get back off after that, as I was so gutted when I woke up to realise that it wasn’t reality and it broke my heart all over again.

I crept into the lounge where Dan had made me leave my phone each night and unlocked it to see if I had any messages. I felt a huge urge to message Dennis. Tell him I was missing him. Then I remembered that I’d deleted and blocked his number so there was no way that I could contact him.

The scene from the shop kept replaying in my head. The look on Dennie’s face when he thought Craig was going to say something and how quickly he tried to get rid of him. The shame of what he’d done. And then I became angry with him again.

Dan wandered into the lounge, rubbing his head with one hand and scratching something down his pants which I didn’t really want to think about with the other. Quite a skill.

‘You shit the bed or something?’ I asked.

But he ignored my jibe and began to talk animatedly. ‘Know what, kid? I’m quite excited about the thought of what’s ahead for me. I’m so determined that I’m going to go through with everything we talked about yesterday.’

‘But what about Sabrina? What happens when she clicks her fingers this time, like all the other times and expects you to go running back?’

‘Dunno why, but this time it’s different. I feel completely different. Can’t explain it but it’s just the way it is. I feel strong enough now to tell her that it’s over. Once and for all. And to be the one that calls the shots in my own life. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, sis, but you’ve made me realise that life is too short to be unhappy.’

I punched the air – literally. Hallelujah! He’d got it. My brother was back.

‘Now, we just have to sort out your life.’

‘Ha!’ I huffed. ‘I’ve been thinking about that and have a short-term plan. Wanna hear it?’

‘You can bet your life I do.’

‘Good, because I need your help.’

34

Night-time in Driftwood Bay could go one of two ways. You could have the most glorious display of stars, lighting up the sky and casting a silvery spell across the bay, which along with the streetlamps, made it look like a stage waiting for a play to start, or, if it was cloudy or rainy, you couldn’t see a bloody thing. Luckily tonight was the first.

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