The Secret Seaside Escape - Heidi Swain Page 0,104
you sure?’ Joe asked.
‘Absolutely.’
Truth be told, I was looking forward to shutting myself away in the cottage and having a think about things.
‘All right,’ said Joe, ‘just give me a minute and we’ll go.’
*
‘Home sweet home,’ Joe smiled when we finally arrived at Crow’s Nest Cottage.
It had taken longer than expected to get back as one of the roads was blocked by a fallen branch. The limb wasn’t from one of the trees the brothers had mentioned the night before, but the whole area looked to be littered with debris courtesy of the storm.
‘Yes,’ I said, looking fondly at the little place, which didn’t look any the worse for wear given what had happened. ‘Here we are. You know, my time in Wynmouth seems to have been punctuated with one storm or another,’ I commented, thinking of the evening Joe had turned up at the Smuggler’s.
‘It’s certainly been a tempestuous summer so far,’ he nodded.
I had a feeling that neither of us were referring only to the weather.
‘I don’t suppose I’ll see much of you for a while now, will I?’ I said, thinking of the impending harvest.
‘I’ll still be about a bit,’ he smiled, ‘and I’ll keep in touch, although,’ he added, ‘that would be a damn sight easier to do if you turned your phone on.’
‘No chance,’ I said.
There were probably dozens of extra messages clogging it up now. Dad was bound to have had a reaction to my resignation email and not necessarily a good one.
‘If you’re so determined not to switch on the one you’ve got,’ Joe suggested, ‘then why don’t you go somewhere and buy a cheap pay-as-you-go to tide you over. That is, assuming you aren’t leaving just yet?’
‘That’s a great idea,’ I said, ‘why didn’t I think of that?’
Joe shook his head.
‘I’ll ask Sophie if I can borrow her laptop again and I’ll order one.’
‘That’ll make my life easier than having to drive here and shove notes through your door.’
‘You could always leave a message at the pub?’ I suggested. ‘Or send word with Hope.’
‘I’m sure Sam would love that,’ he tutted.
‘Which bit?’
He didn’t answer.
‘Well,’ I said, unclipping my seatbelt, ‘thank you for inviting me to the farm. I loved the tour and the dinner.’
‘You are most welcome,’ he smiled.
‘You’re very lucky to have such a beautiful place to live,’ I told him. ‘It’s truly stunning.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ he nodded, confusing me even more. ‘Take care, Tess.’
I waved him off and let myself into the cottage. It felt deliciously cool compared to the heat outside which had started to build again. Had I not lived through the storm I might never have believed that it had even happened.
I took a long shower then slipped on my dressing gown because I didn’t feel like getting dressed again. I was just contemplating the idea of taking a nap when someone began beating on the door.
‘Oh,’ said Sam, who I found on the doorstep, looking absolutely livid. ‘That’s all right then. You are alive. I won’t keep you. I just wanted to make sure.’
He turned around and was already at the gate by the time I grabbed his sleeve.
‘What on earth’s the matter?’ I asked, all thoughts of my cosy nap forgotten.
He spun around, his face flushed and his lips set in a thin tight line. The memory of my mouth pressed against his suddenly jumped into sharp focus and I looked up at his eyes instead. Faced with his fury, it was hardly the moment to wonder, but why hadn’t he mentioned our kiss after the party? There was no way that he had, like me, forgotten it, because he hadn’t been drinking. Was his recent bad mood a result of guilt, or did he consider himself blameless and think it was all my fault? Was that what this fiery outburst was all about?
‘I’ve just been worried sick, that’s all,’ he said, roughly tugging his sleeve out of my grasp. ‘We all have, I mean,’ he added, turning red.
An elderly couple on the other side of the lane looked at us curiously and given the show we were putting on I could hardly blame them.
‘Look,’ I said to Sam, ‘come inside for pity’s sake. Before we’re the talk of the village.’
‘Thanks to you,’ he said, reminding me of my outburst in the pub, ‘we already are. Folk are still gossiping about that you know.’
‘Well, let’s not make the situation worse then,’ I said, walking back inside.
He reluctantly followed, slamming the door behind him.