Page 24 of A Wedding at The Cornish Garden Café
The following weekend, Wyatt gathered Titus, Finn, Thora, Rosie, and Reggie together in the village square. He’d told them he’d arranged a stag party for them all, and Titus and Finn had expressed their excitement. Wyatt had a contact in Newquay who owned an outdoor activity company, and he’d organised a day out that he thought they’d all enjoy. He’d hired a minibus to take them there so they could all relax and prepare for the day ahead.
When the bus arrived, Wyatt said, ‘OK then, gang, shall we get in?’
‘Where’s Edith?’ Finn asked.
Wyatt inhaled sharply. He had invited her, but she’d said she wasn’t sure if she could make it. Last night, he’d sent a reminder text, but she hadn’t got back to him, so he thought she might not have wanted to take part. He had told her she’d need to bring swimwear and a towel, so perhaps she’d decided it wasn’t the type of activity she’d like to take part in.
But just as they were all boarding the vehicle, he spotted her hurrying towards the square.
‘There she is!’ He climbed out of the minibus to greet her.
‘Morning.’ He smiled, and she met his eyes.
‘Morning.’
‘I wasn’t sure if you wanted to join us.’
‘Sorry.’ She looked away, then back at him, tucking some hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear. ‘My phone died last night, and I plugged it in to charge and then fell asleep. I meant to reply and say that I’d come.’
‘Can I take that for you?’ He gestured at the rucksack on her back. ‘It looks heavy.’
‘It’s fine. Not heavy, but yeah… thanks.’ She slid the strap off her shoulder and handed it to him. ‘What have you got planned?’
‘It’s a surprise.’ He tapped the side of his nose, grinning.
‘Oh…’ She sighed. ‘I know it involves water because you said bring swimwear. Can you give me a clue?’ Her eyes scanned his face, and he almost cracked and told her. She looked nervous, and he didn’t want that; he wanted everyone to enjoy the day.
‘You’ll find out soon enough,’ he said. ‘We’d better get going, though. It’s about fifty minutes away.’
‘Sure.’ She climbed the steps into the minibus and went to sit by Thora. Wyatt placed her rucksack on the seat with the rest and then got in next to the driver.
During the journey, Wyatt admired the scenery, chatted to the driver, and occasionally caught snippets of conversation fromthe back. He heard Edith laughing at something Finn had said and the low murmur of her voice as she told a story about a recent wedding she’d planned. Knowing that she was there and that they would spend time together made his heart squeeze. Today’s activity had been a pleasure to organise for his friends, but it was made even better knowing Edith was there too.
When they pulled into the car park in Newquay, he thanked the driver then got out and waited for everyone to follow. ‘OK then… Today is about having some fun and letting go, so I hope you’re all ready to do that.’
‘What are we doing?’ Reggie asked. At sixteen, Reggie was almost the same height as Wyatt but he was still thin and hadn’t yet filled out in the way he was sure to do. He had a gangly look, as if his limbs were too long for him at the moment and he needed to learn to walk on them properly. His brown hair was curly like Thora’s, and his brown eyes were keen and intelligent.
‘‘What do you think we’re doing?’ Wyatt asked, teasing him.
‘Are we surfing?’ Reggie asked with a grin.
‘Not exactly, but close.’ Wyatt saw Thora’s eyes widen.
‘Oh… Are we… Are we cliff jumping?’ she asked, hugging herself.
‘In a way,’ Wyatt replied. ‘We’re going coasteering. I promise it’s all perfectly safe and we’ll be with a reputable company. You’ll have wetsuits, life jackets and helmets, and there will be qualified staff with us at all times. Does that sound all right?’
Finn had previously mentioned a fear of jumping into water, but Wyatt hoped this would be a way to conquer that fear.
‘Finn? Is this OK with you?’ he asked. ‘I promise it’s all supervised and you’ll be looked after.’
Finn smiled broadly. ‘I do have a fear of water after our little Italian adventure, but I also think I’d like to overcome that fear. I’ll give it a go today.’
‘I’ll keep you safe,’ Titus said and Finn chuckled.
‘And what about you, Thora?’ Wyatt checked on her.
Thora chewed at her bottom lip but nodded, and Finn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered into her ear. Wyatt realised she must have some anxiety about the prospect of being in the water too. She had blanched, so he went to her while everyone else got their rucksacks from the minibus. ‘Hey… You OK?’
