A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley Page 0,103

and one former member had even come down from Wales for a few days specially to help out, but she knew they couldn’t go on like this for long.

Tiff came home to find her back indoors, with the laptop, juggling with the rota. She held up a paper bag and a delicious aroma filled the sitting room. ‘I come bearing gifts. I was passing the Stargazey Pie van and Sam Lovell insisted on giving me free pies.’

Marina’s appetite wasn’t great but she was very touched by Sam’s kindness. There were some solid gold people in Porthmellow, some of whom you could trust with your life. ‘That’s great. I haven’t had time to cook. Again.’

Tiff fetched plates and Marina unearthed a tub of coleslaw she must have bought from the shop earlier.

‘You look worn out, my love. Is that more stuff to do with Nate?’ She pointed to the computer after they’d eaten.

‘No. It’s the Wave Watchers rota. I’m struggling to fill it.’

‘I can keep you company if you want to go. I’m slightly less than useless now,’ Tiff said.

‘That’s kind but it’s not your usefulness I’m worried about.’

Tiff nodded but Marina could tell she was bemused. Marina couldn’t tell her the truth: that Nate’s reappearance and betrayal and her own guilt and shame meant that right now she wasn’t sure she could ever go back to the Wave Watchers.

‘Have you seen Lachlan since you got back from your mum’s?’ Tiff asked.

‘No … and I don’t want to.’ Unable to face talking about her feelings towards Lachlan, she quickly switched the conversation to Tiff. ‘How are you and Dirk? You must have been spending a lot of time away from him with all my stuff going on.’

‘Oh, we’re fine. He’s busy too. He went on some course at the lifeboats HQ. Something about saving lives and engines.’

Marina frowned. ‘You normally know exactly what he’s up to. You know you care, really.’

‘Do I?’ she said, shrugging.

‘Yes.’

‘Well, we both have our own lives, don’t we? We managed perfectly well before I came to Porthmellow. It’ll do him good to spend some time away from me.’

On Monday Marina phoned her boss and said she wanted to go back to work. She started to do some of her college admin from home when the house phone rang out. The handset showed a London number and she was going to ignore it but decided to answer it, in case it was related to Nate.

Tiff arrived home around four, so Marina let her settle down with a coffee before telling her about the call.

‘I had a phone call this afternoon from the editor of the Post. Yvette Buttler?’

‘What?’ Tiff rolled her eyes. ‘I told them not to hassle you and to do everything through me. I’m so sorry.’

‘Don’t get worked up. It was you she wanted, she asked if you could call her. Is it about the story?’

‘Ooh, I’m not sure. Could be …’

Abandoning her coffee, Tiff took her mobile outside to make her call. Marina heard dull snatches of conversation for a few minutes, then silence. However, it was a further ten minutes or so before Tiff came back into the sitting room, looking a little shell-shocked.

‘What’s going on? Are you OK?’ Marina asked.

‘Yes, but I need to tell you something, and you must promise not to be angry or try to persuade me to change my mind.’

‘Why would I do that? What does this call have to do with me?’

‘Yvette showed faith in me even when things were bad – she was the one who provided the auction tickets. She’s offered me a job as features editor after our story appeared. It’s maternity cover but it might become something permanent.’

Marina sat up straight. ‘That’s fantastic news.’

‘It is but I’m not going to take it.’

‘What? You’re joking! Why ever not?’

Tiff pouted. ‘I’m not leaving until the worst of this has blown over.’

‘Oh no,’ Marina wagged her finger, and not in jest. ‘You’re not giving up this chance for me. I don’t need mollycoddling. You have to take it.’

‘Yvette will wait.’ Tiff set her jaw. ‘She’ll give me another chance as soon as one comes up.’

‘Tiffany Trescott. I will never forgive you if you don’t do this … unless you want to stay for other reasons too. Like Dirk … Does he know about this yet?’

‘Of course not. He wouldn’t want me to stay here either, but that’s what I intend to do.’

‘Don’t you think you should give him the chance to say how he feels?’ Marina