A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley Page 0,88
even longer and that hit me much harder than I’d ever expected. I was grieving for Cat, and feeling guilty, and both of those things still apply.’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry, this weekend was meant to be a break for us both.’
‘It’s the space you need to think and talk. I don’t mind.’
They strolled hand in hand in silence for a while. Lachlan was staring at the horizon and seemed to be on another planet.
‘Earth to Lachlan?’
He turned to her. ‘Yes.’ He smiled. ‘Sorry. Miles away. There’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge with our name on it that we haven’t drunk yet.’
‘Why don’t we have it out here?’ she suggested.
‘OK. I’ll nip in and get it.’
He returned with the bottle, two glasses and a rug, which he laid in the dunes. With no one else around, they kissed and cuddled close, watching the sun sink lower.
‘You know this is the furthest most westerly edge of Britain. There’s nothing between us and America but rocks and the lighthouse,’ she said. ‘In ancient days, it really would have been the edge of the world for the people living here.’
‘It reminds me of the Western Isles,’ Lachlan replied. ‘Only warmer.’
She laughed.
‘Even though I’m almost a thousand miles from “home”, I feel I belong here in Cornwall, and Porthmellow,’ he went on. ‘It’s ironic that when I first arrived, I was determined to keep as far away from people as possible. It was nothing to do with the scars. Yes, some people do judge people on how they look and they’re disturbed by it initially, but that’s their problem and if they can’t get over it fast, then they’re not people I want to know.
‘The truth is that I didn’t want to engage with people, full stop. I thought I could stay in the background at the office, only communicating through a screen.’
‘You’d have been better off going to London if you wanted to avoid people.’
He chuckled. ‘You’re right, but I knew Aaron, I felt comfortable with him and I trusted him. Cornwall was literally the other end of the country. I didn’t expect to be drawn into the community as I have. I fought against it.’
Marina’s eyes widened. ‘Really? I hadn’t noticed.’
He grimaced. ‘I’m sorry. I was an idiot.’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t go quite that far.’
He narrowed his eyes at her then smiled ruefully. ‘I’ve realised over the past few months that I can’t stop myself caring about other folk. I tried my hardest but it hasn’t worked. Most of all, I can’t stop myself caring about you.’
Wow. Now he’d taken the wind out of her sails. She listened intently, willing him to say more.
‘I don’t know what the future holds …’ he went on after a pause. ‘But I can only see it in Porthmellow. You might be stuck with me.’
‘I learned not to look too far ahead a long time ago,’ Marina said carefully. ‘But I’m happy you want to stick around and found a way to be comfortable with us. Porthmellow isn’t for everyone but I think it’s great that you’re giving it a chance.’
He turned his head to her, his eyes demanding an answer to the main part of his statement. ‘And you? Are you happy to give me a chance?’
Marina’s heart beat a little faster. ‘You know I am. More than happy. Like you, I can never take the future for granted again but, since you’ve arrived, and we’ve grown close, I’ve started to look a little further … and I’m excited to see where this takes us.’
‘Yes …’ He slipped his arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder, drinking in the glory of the endless view over sea and sky, wishing the weekend could go on forever.
They lapsed into a silence that felt the opposite of awkward. It was so natural to simply sit there, with his arm around her, enjoying his presence, the awe-inspiring beauty and sense of isolation from all the pressures of the world.
She would approach the new season with fresh energy this year. She’d grown used to her own company in front of the fire on a dark evening. No storm bothered her after the one she’d weathered over the past years. She was independent, had good friends, colleagues, students and Tiff and she finally had closure in emotional – and soon legal – terms.
However, it would be lovely to have someone to share the sofa with in the evening – and her bed with at night. She