Page 36 of No Kind Words

His face lights up as he nods happily. “Thanks, that’s awesome.”

I walk into the office. Maeve is on the phone but gives me a nod as I sit at my desk. There’s a pile of bills and receipts to go through, and while Ben is busy at the café, I spend the time doing all the work that gets pushed aside during opening hours.

“I’m heading home. Will you be out tonight?” Maeve stands up from her side of the desk.

“I’m not sure what we’ve got planned. I’ll see what Ben wants to do. We’ve been home boys lately, so a night out could be good for us.”

“Give me a ring later.” She leaves.

The next time I look at the time, it’s close to five. I’ve worked through the majority of the tedious paperwork. The rest can wait. It’s time to go. It takes a couple of minutes to shut everything down. I whistle to Isla, who jumps up from her bed in the corner of the room. “Come on, girl, let’s go and stretch our legs. Beach time.” She twists and turns around my legs, wagging her tail frantically. “I wonder if Hope wants to come. Shall we call Ben?”

When I exit the building, a familiar face with a happy smile spread wide greets me. “I was just about to call you,” I say as he gets closer. “Do you want to take them to the beach?”

Hope and Isla bump noses, turning circles around each other. Hope still has a small limp, but it’s hardly noticeable while she’s this excited. Ben leans into me and places a soft kiss on my mouth.

“Sounds good. I need some fresh air. It’s been a crazy busy day. I think the sunshine brought everyone out.”

We head off towards the beach. “I saw Drew and his family today. The little girl is something else. They’ve bought a puppy, and Willow has decided to be a vet.” Then I remember what Merrick said. “Merrick said someone was looking for me at the gallery. They spoke to Melanie, but Merrick didn’t have any other info about it. That’s a bit weird, right?”

Ben’s steps falter. Does he know something? “Did he say what the person looked like?”

“No. Like I said, it was Mel who told him. Do you know who this person is? Have they been into the café?”

“No, it’s news to me. Are you going to ask Mel?”

I shrug. “Probably not. I’m not hiding. They’ll find me soon enough.”

The dogs race together across the damp sand, jumping in and out of the foamy sea, looking like they’re having the time of their lives. I wish I could say the same for me. Doubt and insecurity have been seeping into me. It’s all since the stupid phone call from Jamie. Is he the mystery person? After what happened and what he said, would he be interested, curious, to see the elusive Jethro? I doubt he believes me. He’ll want to see who I was holding on to for so many years. Especially now he seems to be single again, but it’s been years since it all blew up in my face. I haven’t given him a thought until he rang.

“What’s going on in your head, sweetheart? You’re lost in thought.” Jethro takes my hand as we watch the dogs.

There’s no one else on the beach, which is surprising considering how busy the day has been. In a few weeks, it will be Easter, and the holiday homes will open up again. The town will have its influx of people: the second home owners, the surfers, and the holidaymakers. The people who make this town a lot of money and are always welcome.

Is this the right moment to tell Jethro about the phone call? Honestly, while we’re out here in the chilly evening sun alone, it won’t get better than this.

“I had a phone call a few nights ago from someone I never expected to hear from again. An ex. His name is Jamie. It all ended over two years ago. He cheated on me when he got back with his old boyfriend. I only found out when I turned up unexpectedly to take him out for the weekend. He’s a teacher at the secondary school, or he was when I met him. I don’t know where he is or what he does now.”

“What did he want? Or is it an easy guess? He wanted to see you, to try again.” Jethro’s voice is even, calm. He doesn’t look or sound annoyed. I guess he’s confident in who and what we are.

“Something like that, just sounding out my situation. He wanted to meet for a coffee. I told him I was with someone. He wasn’t very happy about that. Snapping that I was still fixated on a past that was never going to happen.”

“He knew about me, about us?”

“Yes, of course. When you’re my age and not settled down, people ask questions. I didn’t go into it too much, just a lost chance at what I thought would be my forever. I told him it was you, that you had come home. Then I said goodbye and ended the call.”

“You think this person looking for me could be him? Why?” His forehead is etched with deep frown lines. “What good does that do? He can’t gain anything from it.”

“I don’t know if it’s him. The two things could be completely unconnected. I wanted to tell you about the call. Y’know, in case you heard something different.”

Jethro sighs, pulls me into him, and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “It won’t take long for whoever it is to find me. I’m not hiding. It doesn’t make sense that it would be either of them.”

“I’m sorry.” He’s right. It does seem a bit far-fetched. But it being Jamie would make sense. He might believe me if he sees Jethro or both of us together. In any case, I’m deleting his number from my phone. I don’t know why I haven’t done it before.

“Hey, you don’t have anything to apologise for. The easiest way to find out is to talk to Melanie. Maeve’s going to the pub tonight, and she’s bound to be there too.”

“Okay, sounds good. Do you want to meet there? I have to get home. Hope will want her dinner and drying off. Otherwise, she’ll lie on the sofa, soaking it with seawater and sand.”

Jethro agrees and calls his dog back. Hope follows eagerly, and we have them back on their leads. At the top of the steps, we pause. “See you about eight?” Jethro asks. I nod and kiss his cheek.

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