Page 29 of A Wedding at The Cornish Garden Café
The sun climbed higher, catching on the shells scattered across the sand and turning the water’s surface into a bright ribbon of light. If Edith had been a spiritual person, she might have thought the heavens were showing her the way. A quiet thought formed in her mind as she gazed at the beauty of nature. Perhaps, at last, she was on the right path. Perhaps she had finally found her direction.
Edith stood up and brushed the sand off her hands then her trousers. ‘Do you have to rush to get to school?’
‘We have teacher training today, so I was going to spend the time revising,’ Rosie said.
‘Well how about I treat you to breakfast at the café first? Set you up for the day?’ Edith slid her feet into her trainers, sand still clinging to her damp toes.
Rosie smiled. ‘That would be awesome, thank you. I can change in the café toilets.’
‘Come on, then.’ Edith held out a hand and helped Rosie up then Rosie pulled her dry robe on over her wetsuit, and they headed up to the path.
‘You know, thinking about what you said…’ Edith pushed a hand through her hair. ‘Everything will fall into place. Your family isn’t shrinking; it’s growing, and that can only ever be a positive thing.’
‘I like that thought,’ Rosie said. ‘And we can never have too many people to love us, can we?’
‘Never.’ Edith smiled.
And while the sun made the sea glitter as if it were filled with stars and the sweet scent of wildflowers filled the morning air, they strolled side by side to The Garden Café.
20
WYATT
Wyatt had gone for an early morning run and was on his way back to the rental cottage when he spotted Edith on the beach. She was walking down to the sea, and it stopped him in his tracks. He thought about going over to her when he saw someone coming out of the water and walking over to Edith. In the early morning light, he thought he recognised the other person as Rosie, which would make sense as she was a keen swimmer.
Rosie sat down next to Edith on a rock. Her body language suggested she was telling Edith something of import and he wondered if he should go down and check that all was well, but it looked like Edith had it covered.
Sitting on a bench, he reasoned with himself that he was taking a moment to catch his breath. While browsing his phone to see how far he’d run, snippets of their conversation drifted to him on the breeze. Rosie said something about feeling conflicted and not fitting in, and his heart flipped over. It was like she’d reached down inside him and pulled out his own insecurities. He’d spent much of his life in New York, but he’d never felt like he belonged — not since he was a young boy when tragedy had struck. He felthe had no right to be there either. His eyes burnt with tears, and he hunched over his legs, rubbed at his throat and tried not to break down.
When he’d gathered his composure, he sat up and wiped his eyes, then looked over at the women again. Edith was speaking and Rosie was listening intently. He knew how it felt to speak to Edith about his feelings, and a wave of longing for her swept over him. She had been his safe port in the storm of life, and he had loved her so, so much. But then, he had left her, left the life they’d talked about having behind him as he felt she deserved so much better than him with all of his baggage. How could he have planned a life with her after what he’d done? How could he have allowed himself to become a husband and father when he was unworthy of ever having that kind of happiness?
He stood up, needing to run again, but as he did so, Edith stood up too and then held out a hand for Rosie. Edith was a nurturer, kind, compassionate and with a loving heart. By denying himself the things he had craved, he had also denied Edith them. He’d thought she’d move on and find someone else, but it seemed that hadn’t happened, and what if…Oh, what an awful thought.What if, by denying himself those things, he had then hurt her beyond repair? If that was the case, then he had created a whole new problem, damaged a whole other person, and not protected her as he should have done.
Edith had trusted him, and he had hurt her and stolen away the life they’d dreamt about having. What could he ever do to make it up to her?
Before they spotted him, he turned and ran towards the harbour. His heart pounded in time with his footsteps and tried to put his pain behind him as he ran, but he knew that he’d never be able todo that until he’d made things right with the only woman he had ever loved.
21
EDITH
Sitting in the beautiful gardens surrounding The Garden Café, Edith gazed out at the view. The air was fragrant with summer blooms, their sweetness mingling with the tang of sea salt. Bees drifted lazily between the flowers, and somewhere beyond the hedgerow came the murmur of conversation and the soft clink of cups.
She loved this spot, perched at the highest point in the gardens, where the bench offered a clear view of the beach and the endless stretch of sea beyond. It was quiet here, a place to retreat, to think, to simply breathe. How could anyone fail to relax in a setting like this? It was a haven from the pressures of everyday life.
With just over a week to go until Titus and Finn’s wedding, she needed a moment to catch her breath. This was the first of three weddings she had planned for the summer, but somehow this one felt heavier, more personal, more important, because they were her friends. And of course… because Wyatt was the best man.
Not that she thought that he would judge her. At first, yes, but now that she’d seen more of him, she could see that he was more reserved than she recalled. That he wasn’t arrogant or brash, that he seemed to carry a heavy burden that was weighing him down more by the day. And that made her sad because even though he had hurt her by abandoning her, she didn’t want to see him in pain.
Her phone pinged, so she exhaled and pulled it from her bag, then swiped the screen.
It was Finn.
Edith,
We have an emergency!!!
Where are you? x
