Page 135 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘I was just wondering if I’d seen her around here lately?’
‘I doubt it,’ Mandy says. ‘She lives in an old folks’ home in Cardiff these days. It was Irving, I think.’
I can’t remember if that fits. But I’m certain it will. I’ll check it later.
‘Sadly, we’ll never know Rob’s wish,’ Suzy says. ‘I bet it was something to do with you, Frankie.’
I blush and reach for my glass.
‘Do you know?’ Mandy asks. ‘You’ve gone awfully quiet.’
‘Rob did tell me – in his letter,’ I say quietly. ‘It was partly to do with me, but he also wanted to run the Merry Mermaid, like his parents had.’
‘Ah, that’s nice.’ Claire smiles. ‘He got to do that.’
‘Do you want to tell us what he wished that was to do with you, Frankie?’ Suzy asks gently. ‘Or would you rather keep it private?’ She glances at Mack.
‘I’m easy if you want to share?’ Mack says. ‘We all know you two were close.’
Mack squeezes my hand again and I nod.
‘Rob wished that I would be a part of his life, for ever,’ I tell the others, as my heart squeezes tightly as I think about Rob again. ‘Which I was, even if it wasn’t quite in the way he hoped when we were fifteen.’
Everyone is silent now as they think about Rob once more.
‘That is actually really lovely,’ Mandy says, and she looks quite tearful. ‘Blimey, you’ve even pierced my tough old heart with that one.’
‘And what about you?’ Mack asks me. ‘We’ve heard everyone else’s wish – what did you wish for, Frankie?’
‘Ah me,’ I say knowing it would be my turn eventually. ‘I wished for multiple things as well – like we all did actually.’ I smile at the others. ‘Not like we were greedy or anything?’ I wink at them. ‘I wished I could be a professional artist one day with my own gallery – which of course after many years I now am, and also have – thanks to Rob.’
‘And?’ Claire asks perceptively. ‘What were the other things?’
‘There was only one other thing. When Rob and I were together, one day Rob took a piece of driftwood and used it to draw a huge heart on the sand. Inside that heart he wrote “FH 4 RM for ever”. I thought it was really cute at the time, so when I made my wish, I asked that FH would fall in love with RM for ever, and RM would fall in love with FH for ever too.’
‘Aw, that’s so special,’ Eddie says. ‘And he did fall in love with you, Frankie. I think Rob always secretly held a candle for you.’
‘That’s what I always thought it meant too,’ I say, hardly daring to look at Mack. I can already feel his hand has loosened its grip a little on mine. ‘But the other day I realised maybe it meant something else too.’
‘What?’ Claire asks.
‘Remember when I went to see you at the pub the other day?’ I ask, turning to Mack.
He nods, but still looks worried.
‘You had just had your name put above the door, hadn’t you?’
‘Yes, it’s the law here. You have to display your licence to sell alcohol.’
‘I know, but it was the first time I’d seen your name – your full name.’
Mack looks confused. But then he gets what I’m hinting at, and he smiles.
‘And you didn’t know before then?’ he asks, his smile getting broader by the moment.
I shake my head. ‘But I do now.’
Mack leans forward, about to kiss me.
