Page 92 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you? To be your wing people?’ Esme bit into her toast and swivelled from side to side on her stool.
‘I love that you want to be my wing people, and ordinarily, I would say yes,’ Thea said. ‘Alex, I wouldn’t have got to this stage without you, and Esme, it means so much to me that you’re happy I’m doing this. But …’ She took a deep breath. ‘I need to do this bit on my own. I think it’s right that I do.’
‘You’re going to ace it, Rushwood. You know that, don’t you?’ Alex was next to Esme, leaning back on the breakfast bar.
‘I don’tknowthat, but I’m going to give it my best shot. And, if they end up saying yes and want me to write some sort of proposal on top of my business plan, I would love your help with that.’
‘Of course,’ Alex said. ‘Whatever you need.’
‘There are so many things the two of you could do: go to the beach, visit Trebah Garden or the Eden Project. Driveall the way to Tintagel. You should make the most of being here.’
‘I’ve always wanted to see Tintagel,’ Esme said. ‘Do you fancy it, Alex?’
‘Sounds good. The weather’s meant to hold.’
‘There you go, then.’ Thea nodded. ‘Sorted.’
‘And you,’ Esme said, standing up, ‘are going to knock them dead, OK?’
‘Well, I hope not. It’ll stop my sales pitch in mid-flow if they all expire on the spot.’
Esme rolled her eyes, and Thea grinned.
She checked her appearance in the mirror by the door, and felt the nerves clawing at her. She was wearing a loose black dress with a bold bee print, had dried her hair so that it hung in a glossy curtain, and put on mascara and lip gloss. She hoped the look – calm, professional, but not remotely corporate – would survive the walk into town. She had a brisk breeze in her favour, cutting through the day’s heat.
‘Right, I’m going.’
Esme and Alex came to see her off at the door, which was possibly a bit over the top, but Thea appreciated their support. She walked across the gravel and out towards the road, then turned to give them a final wave. Alex had his arm around Esme’s shoulder, and she was laughing at something he was saying.
Her gaze shifted to Oystercatcher Cottage, and she noticed the bag of dog biscuits she’d left on the doorstep yesterday had gone. Did that mean Ben was softening towards her, or that Scooter had pounced on them when Ben had taken him for his walk? It felt odd, having no interaction with him, as if they were strangers again: shipspassing in the night. Still, now was notthe time to think about that.
When she got to Sea Brew,the cheery location of the meeting that could change her life, Meredith was waiting for her, Max smiling from behind the counter.
‘I’ve ordered pastries for the table, then I thought we could get our own drinks,’ Meredith said, hopping from one foot to the other.
Thea squeezed her arm. ‘Are you OK? You seem really nervous.’
Meredith nodded. ‘I’m OK. I just … ever since we went to Padstow, I’ve been thinking how wonderful it would be to have a bookshop in town. Somewhere to go and browse, rather than looking at thumbnails on Amazon and worrying that the cover will be bent when the book arrives.’
‘Theworst,’Thea agreed.
‘And also, I really like you, and so does Finn. And, despite how things are between you and Ben, I know he likes you a lot, too, so we all want you to stay, to take over the Old Post House, open a bookshop where authors can have events, and you can hold open mic poetry readings – if you’re into that. It would besolovely, and it feels like the future of the whole town, its happiness, is resting on this meeting, and—’
‘Way to pass those nerves over to me,’ Thea said, laughing.
‘And also, Anisha is bringing her boss, Andy.’ Meredith’s words finally dried up, and she bit her lip.
‘What?’ Thea whispered.
‘Nish only messaged me half an hour ago. She said it made sense to bring him in now, as it would cut out a level of negotiation, or something. I’m sorry.’
‘Is he … nice?’
‘Yes,’ Meredith said. ‘Nice and fair and – he’ll listen to what you have to say, I think. I don’t know him that well, but when we organised a Christmas pageant last year, he was part of it, and he’s always seemed like a good guy.’
‘Right. OK. That’s … great, then. It’s not like I’m having to present my business plan to a whole committee, is it?’
