Page 81 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
Chapter Twenty-One
The three of them drank coffee outside Sunfish Cottage, enjoying a day that seemed to be apologising for the extreme weather of the night before with endless sunshine and a soft, caressing breeze, then they strolled into Port Karadow.
Even as they caught up, as Thea heard about Michael Morpurgo’s triumphant event, and she regaled them with details of her time in Cornwall so far, she couldn’t help worrying about Ben. What had he thought when he’d seen her and Alex embracing earlier? What had he done when he’d got home, after their night had been interrupted? What would have happened if Thea’s friends hadn’t turned up: where would she and Ben be now?
‘This is a gorgeous town,’ Esme said, stabbing at some peas with her fork. ‘I’m so glad we decided to come, though I’m sorry it wasn’t as welcome a surprise as we thought it would be.’ The pub they’d found was bustling, and they’dhad to sit inside because the tiny patio was rammed, groups of friends and families spilling across tables to make the most of the limited space.
‘I guess you’d got used to being on your own,’ Alex added. The look he gave her suggested he was silently trying to ask how her bookshop plans were progressing.
‘But she’s not been on her own,’ Esme pointed out, and now it was her turn to give Thea a deep, meaningful look, because Alex hadn’t been involved in their conversations about Ben. Thea clearly remembered their last one: desperate to get Esme to change the subject, she’d told her that Ben wasn’t long-term material, definitely not her type. She cringed, felt a flutter of worry, because she hadn’t been expecting these two parts of her world to collide.
‘That Ben bloke seemed nice,’ Alex said. ‘A little bit surly, but then he hadn’t been expecting us either.’
This, Thea decided, was exhausting. She wanted to tell Alex that she’d kissed Ben, that she liked him very, very much; she wanted to explain to Esme that she was going to move here and open a bookshop. These secrets, these undercurrents, were all her fault. She didn’t want to tell her best friend about her future plans in a crowded pub; that conversation needed to be approached carefully, with a whole lot of tact. What she could do, however, was address Alex’s comment about Ben being surly.
‘Ben is a sweetheart,’ she said. ‘He’s helped me find my feet here. He’s been fun to spend time with, and I think he could be a …’ her gaze drifted to Esme, then away. ‘A real friend, even once my three weeks is up. We’re going sea fishing tomorrow.’
Esme’s face lit up. ‘Sea fishing?’
‘I can find out if there’s room for you both on the boat, if you like?’
‘I would love that,’ Esme said. Alex nodded, though he didn’t look quite so keen.
Thea was torn. Now her friends were here, she wanted to spend time with them, but she was also desperate to speak to Ben, to see him on her own. Would he mind if she invited Esme and Alex on their pre-arranged boat trip? Did he think that, now they were here, Thea didn’t need him any more? She had to explain to him that that wasn’t the case at all.
Later that evening, she left Esme and Alex in front of aMission Impossiblefilm they’d found on ITV3, telling them she’d be back soon. She hurried to Oystercatcher Cottage and, taking a second to notice Ben’s van was gone, knocked on the door anyway. When there was no response, she sent him a message.
Hey. Is fishing still on tomorrow? Xx
His reply came almost immediately.
Yes. Your friends can come too, if they want? There’s enough space.
Amazing! Thank you. Hopefully we can talk afterwards? Xx
Great. Looking forward to it. Bx
She went back inside to her friends and the action film, and decided that things were looking up.
The following day Thea dressed in black shorts and a pink T-shirt, tied her hair in a ponytail, and checked she had suncream and a waterproof jacket in her rucksack. She finished off her outfit with Ben’s cap, pulling her hair through the hole in the back.
‘Where did you get that?’ Esme asked. She was also in boat-trip-appropriate clothing, leaning on the sofa, sipping a coffee.
They had decided to keep the sleeping arrangements as they were, as it didn’t seem fair to make Alex sleep on the sofa when she and Esme could easily share a bed. Thea couldn’t help wondering what Ben’s bed was like, whether his bedroom was as unfinished as the rest of his house, and if she’d get a chance to see it.
‘Ben gave it to me,’ she said now, touching the brim.
Before Esme could reply there was a knock on the door. Thea pulled it open to find Ben standing there, wearing green shorts, sturdy boots and a navy T-shirt with a print of theCasablancaposter on it. For a second Thea was mesmerised by him in all his tall, tanned perfection, and by the image of Humphrey Bogart adorning his chest.
‘Hello,’ she managed.
‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Ready?’
‘Yup. Good to go.’
He touched the brim of her cap, as she’d done herself only moments before. ‘This is a good look on you,’ he said gently.
‘Better than pink, peeling skin, you mean?’ She laughed self-consciously.
