Page 69 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘No, I don’t regret it,’ I reply as honestly as I can.
‘Me neither. It was a good night.’
‘Perhaps we should leave it at that, then – a good night enjoyed by us both.’
There’s silence again.
‘I think I might go back in.’ Rob turns around so his back is to the railings. ‘I’m getting the feeling you want to be on your own.’
‘No, not at all. I’m just feeling a bit grouchy tonight, that’s all.’
‘Because of what Mandy said?’
‘No . . . well, maybe a little bit. It’s mainly because I found out tonight that my parents are going to sell their house here. I’m feeling quite unsettled by that, and a few other things if I’m honest. I’m sorry if you thought it was because of you.’
‘No apology needed. I felt a bit like that when my parents said they were selling the pub. But we hadn’t lived there all my life, just a few years. Your parents have always lived in St Felix, haven’t they?’
‘Well remembered. Since I was born they have. I can’t imagine them living anywhere else.’ I look back out at the boats in the harbour. ‘It’s like my anchor is being taken away, and right now I really need that anchor.’
‘Why right now?’
‘Oh, no particular reason – maybe it’s just my age – I feel I need roots somewhere.’
‘Just because your parents don’t live here any more doesn’t mean you can’t call St Felix your home.’
‘I guess . . . ’
To my surprise, Rob places his hand over mine on the railings. ‘I still think of here as home, and I didn’t live here anywhere near as long as you did.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, some of my happiest memories were spent here.’
He doesn’t elaborate further, so I don’t ask. Now is not the time to be dragging our past up again. I have enough to worry about in the future.
‘Yes,’ I admit. ‘Mine too.’
We look at each other and, for a brief moment, all those old feelings come flooding to the surface once more as I gaze into Rob’s eyes, but they’re interrupted by a splashing sound in the harbour.
We both look down, then look back at each other, our previous wistful expressions now simply ones of acknowledgement at the all too familiar sound below.
Eighteen
We wander back inside the pub together, still talking about the fish’s tail that once again appeared before us in the waves around St Felix.
There’s a change at our table as Suzy is now sitting where Claire was, and Mandy has rejoined the group.
‘Suz!’ I rush over to greet her. ‘You made it.’
‘I did indeed.’ Suzy smiles at me. ‘Always one to make a dramatic late entrance, aren’t I? Hello, Rob,’ she says, looking behind me with interest at Rob. ‘I saw you two outside when I arrived, but I didn’t want to disturb you; you looked deep in conversation.’
‘Just catching up,’ I say quickly. ‘Now, tell me all your news. I want to hear all the gossip from the Houses of Parliament.’
‘Ha, you know I can’t tell you any gossip,’ she says, grinning at me. ‘Not anything too juicy anyway!’
After we’ve all been sitting back down at the table for a few minutes, with Suzy telling us everything she is allowed to about her job working for Prime Minister Tony Blair, I begin to wonder where Claire is.
‘Where’s Claire?’ I ask Eddie, now sitting next to me. ‘When I came back in, I thought she’d just popped to the loo, but she’s been gone ages.’
