Page 60 of The Bookshop at the Cornish Cove

I backed down. ‘Sorry, bud.’

‘S’OK. I suppose.’

‘So what happened then?’

‘Well, look at my phone.’

I reached over. Twenty-two missed calls and a string of text messages, getting more abusive.

‘Blimey. How do you feel?’

He took a deep breath and then let out a huge sigh.

‘Actually, I feel pretty good. It’s different this time. Normally, I back down and apologise for whatever started it all off, even if it wasn’t my fault. I’ve spent my whole time with her making sure she’s happy, and I think somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I’ve realised that I have to think about my own well-being and my own mental health. It’s almost relief I feel, to be honest. Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.’

I smiled. Thank goodness he’d realised what he’d been going through.

‘It’s all thanks to you. Dennie too.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘When you and Dennie were together, it just felt, I don’t know. Different, I suppose. Like he really saw you. Like he really liked you. I’m not sure Sabrina has ever looked at me the way that Dennie looked at you.’

‘Yeah, well, he might have looked at me like that but he still fucked up in the end.’

‘Maybe he didn’t. Maybe you do owe him the chance to explain some more. What he said in that letter was pretty awful. He must be so damaged, Nance.’

‘How do you know what he said in the letter?’

‘Err, I read it while you were in the loo.’

‘Is nothing private around you?’ I huffed.

‘Should have taken it with you then.’ He laughed, then his face got serious. ‘Perhaps he does deserve a chance.’

‘Nah.’ I swigged the remains of my coffee quickly and banged the mug down on the table, harder than I intended. ‘He had his chance and he blew it.’

‘You’re a hard woman, sis.’

‘Yeah, well they do say that if you let someone upset you when you’re first seeing them, and then take them back, it paves the way for the rest of your relationship. If they’re hurtful at atime when they should be on their best behaviour and trying to be nice, then your future is going to be bleak. Look at yours. No offence.’

‘None taken, but who says that?’

‘Me!’

He laughed.

‘Dick!’

‘Yeah, well I’m your dick.’

I overexaggerated a mock heave.

‘I hate you, Nancy.’

‘I think you’ll find that you absolutely don’t. You love me. Who wouldn’t love this?’ I waved my hands down my body – my coffee-stained dressing gown and pyjamas that hadn’t been washed for days. I brushed the breadcrumbs from around my mouth and wiped away the dried tomato ketchup from my chin, then leaned across and pinned him down to the sofa, giving him a big slobbery wet kiss.

Just as I thought he was going to push me away again, he pulled me close into the crook of his arm and held me tight.

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