Page 90 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
Her calves burned as she descended the steep hill, discovering little pockets of the town away from the main roads: narrow alleyways with painted gates at the ends, leading to tiny courtyard gardens with colourful plants in terracotta pots; a high stone wall with a row of carved ducks sitting on top of it; a homemade wooden stand with a chicken-hut roof, selling fresh eggs and home-grown vegetables. With every new discovery, Thea fell a little bit more in love with Port Karadow.
Turning onto Main Street, she saw that the door to Sea Brew was open, and she picked up her pace.
She walked through the open doorway into the compact, sunny space that smelled of coffee and freshly-cooked pastries, and saw that Max was behind the counter. She’d seen him in here a couple of times, and at the cook-off, where he’d been an enthusiastic judge. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark curls and green eyes, and a chequered apron over his navy T-shirt.
He gave her a warm smile. ‘Hi, how can I help?’
Thea took off her cap and put it in her rucksack. ‘Could I get a latte please, and one of your sausage rolls?’
‘Sure.’ He turned to the gleaming coffee machine, and Thea soaked up the sound of beans crunching, the enticing smells wafting around her. ‘Are you on holiday?’ he called over his shoulder. ‘I’ve seen you a few times, I think.’
‘I am,’ she said. ‘For nearly three weeks, now.’
He laughed. ‘Can’t get enough of the place?’
Thea smiled. ‘Something like that. It’s a beautiful part of the world.’
‘It’s unbeatable, in my opinion.’ He turned to face her, wiping his hands on a tea towel while the coffee machine drizzled two shots into a tall glass. ‘Quieter in the winter months, obviously, but you want that after the summer surge. You wait an hour, once all the holidaymakers have had their lie-ins, and I’ll be non-stop until three.’
‘You get enough custom over the winter, then?’
‘Oh yeah. There are a lot of shops and businesses along here, the boat owners who always want something a bit stronger than the instant in their cabins, and winter seaside holidays are becoming more popular. People want to prove that they’re made of hardy stuff, that they can do the long hikes despite the wind and sea spray, then I reap the rewards because they need good coffee and hot snacks to defrost. Incidentally, would you like yours warming? I’ll do it in the oven if you have time: the microwave destroys the pastry.’
‘I’ve got time,’ Thea said, leaning against the counter. ‘I want to pop in and see Meredith – she works at Cornish Keepsakes.’
Max’s face lit up. ‘I know Meredith. I know them all, next door. She’ll be there soon; she’s always in early, cooking up schemes to sell hampers and keep Adrian in line.’
‘Oh great,’ Thea said. ‘Thank you.’
‘Go and take a seat by the window if you fancy. You’ve got your pick; it’s mostly takeaways until nine.’
‘Thanks.’ Thea went to sit down, even though she felt restless now she’d decided what she was going to do. Shedidn’t have Meredith or Finn’s numbers, despite the time they’d spent together, and hadn’t felt able to ask Ben. This had seemed like her best option for finding Meredith, though, as a familiar figure stepped into the café, just as Max was approaching with her order, she hadn’t realised it would be quite so easy.
‘Hi Max,’ Meredith said. Her gaze followed him to Thea’s table, and her smile widened. ‘Thea! How are you? How’s the holiday?’
‘Good and bad,’ Thea admitted. ‘Complicated, too, it turns out.’
‘Bookshop stuff?’
Thea nodded, thanking Max as he put her coffee and sausage roll down.
‘No worries, hope you enjoy it.’ He sauntered away, and Meredith took his place next to her table.
‘Want to talk about it?’
‘I’d love that, if you have time. I actually came here to ask you a question.’
‘Ooh. Colour me intrigued. Let me order, then I’ll be with you.’
Ten minutes later, Thea finished explaining her predicament: Ben’s fear that the Old Post House wouldn’t be prioritised because of the challenges it posed, the idea that it could, potentially, be the end of her property search.
‘Anisha loves a challenge,’ Meredith said. ‘So I wouldn’t rule her out of being behind a project to renovate it. But it would help if there was a solid future for it.’
‘So you think I should ask her, then?’
‘What harm could there be in asking the question?’ Meredith grinned. ‘Finnsurviveson asking questions: if hewants to know about something, he just barrels in and tries to find out. In this case, you need to be more Finn.’
‘Right:Be more Finn. I should be able to manage that. Do you think I should aim to set up a meeting, or …’
