Chapter 6
6
The Hideaway, St Aidan
Runaway trains and things in drawers
Saturday
‘C ustomers, so quickly!’
‘Coming back for seconds, too!’
So much for low footfall at this end of the beach. With Nell, Plum, Clemmie, Sophie and three of her four kids joining Shadow and me for our early-morning beach walk, it’s like high summer by the donut stall.
It’s Saturday morning and the wind coming straight into our faces blows most of our conversation away, which means we pass the hotel without comment. It’s only as we reach the castle at Comet Cove and turn around that we start to chat properly. As we head back towards St Aidan, suddenly no one’s holding back with their enthusiasm for what’s been happening on my veranda since Nell and Plum were last here. Secrets are hard to keep in St Aidan at the best of times. With Jean’s #CocoPopswith FlorenceMay@TheHideaway Insta posts, my stealth mode was blown in two seconds flat.
And when Jean and Shirley promised to drop by again with their cash, no part of me thought they meant they’d come again today, even less that they’d be pleading for a second round of daybreak desserts. Shadow was still in bed and didn’t bother to stir when they appeared at the French windows today, and me hopping around, pulling up my shorts, opening the door chewing on a toothbrush, finger-drying my hair trying to get ready for the gang to arrive wasn’t my best look.
I have to protest before they get properly carried away. ‘They’re not clients , they’re acquaintances. Ephemeral ones.’
Nell lets out a snort. ‘Say that again in Cornish please, Mrs.’
I laugh. ‘They’re simply friends passing through, who won’t be getting loyalty cards.’ If I get my way, they won’t be coming again either.
When did my life get this complicated? Here Shadow and I are, tripping over seaweed strands, kicking through salty shingle, when we should still be snoozing under the duvet. All because the only way I could distract Nell from her singles club event last night was by suggesting a morning outing with her and Clemmie instead, which everyone else decided to join in too.
Plum gives me a sideways glance. ‘So what exactly is toffee crackle ?’
I’m not even sure what she’s doing here when she should be opening her gallery. It’s hard to sound like a bake-off contestant when I threw today’s mix together even faster than yesterday. ‘Teensy scoops of salted caramel ice cream, and Crunchy Nut Cornflake garnish. With a plastic flamingo to finish and a dribble of carton custard – in a cup, because that’s all I had.’ And even though I was rushing, I did ask about allergies.
‘If I hadn’t had three bacon baps at Clemmie’s already, I’d have needed one myself.’ Nell’s licking her lips as she strides along the tide line, pausing every now and then to throw sticks for Clemmie’s dog Diesel, while Shadow looks on with a mix of disdain and disbelief, except when the waves come too close, and then he starts barking at the sea.
Clemmie’s grinning at me over the top of Arnie, who’s tucked in a sling on her front. ‘I can’t fault you on the embellishment.’
I can’t take all the credit for that. ‘Ivy’s drawers are bursting with them. The best part is they’re reusable.’ Not that I’ll be exploiting that, because this was definitely my last hurrah.
Milla, Sophie’s teenage daughter, re-ties her silky blonde hair in a scrunchie, then catches her younger sister Tilly’s hand, and they fall into step beside me. ‘Would we be able to hold Shadow on the way back?’ Her broad smile is as persuasive as her mum’s. ‘Tilly’s never led a dog before, and I think she’d love it.’
Milla’s very hard to say ‘no’ to, and why would I? She’s always been an easy child who’s shown emotional intelligence beyond her years and is endlessly patient and helpful with her three younger half-siblings. I can’t ever remember a time when she’s been naughty, and she’s slid into adolescence like a dream.
I smile at her. ‘The sea makes Shadow so jumpy that I bought him a long leash.’ So far, it’s stayed coiled in my hand, because he’s glued to my knee so he can dive for cover if he meets anything scary. I unwind the lead, keep hold of the loop and hand the rest over to Milla. ‘There, you can both lead him. Hang on tight though, he might tug suddenly if the waves come up the beach.’
Sophie is laughing. ‘I never thought you’d be a helicopter parent, Flossie!’
I pull a face because she’s right. ‘I’ve only had Shadow a few months, I’m a very anxious mum. The move has unsettled him – he never barked in London!’
Nell throws another stick for Diesel. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll soon find his sea-paws.’ She gives a sniff. ‘He’s not the only reluctant new resident – Kit passed on the singles’ pie night yesterday too.’
I can’t knock him for that. Me not wanting to go is why we’re all here now.
Plum laughs. ‘Being realistic, he’ll hardly want to leave his swanky hotel hut to hang out at the Yellow Canary, even if their pies are award-winning.’
Sophie looks dreamy. ‘Their sweets are amazing. And the sticky toffee pudding is to die for. Just saying.’
Clemmie gives a low moan. ‘The ginger cheesecake too…’
By the time they’ve worked their way down the entire dessert menu and gushed over the stupendous cherry Bakewell tart and the out-of-this-world lemon meringue drizzle, the hotel is coming into view again.
Hand on heart, I’m concentrating more on the icing sugar dusting on puff pastry cream slices they’ve just described than on Shadow, who’s been happily trotting beside Tilly and Milla, without any of his usual barking because the rest of us have blocked his view of the scary sea. So when a freak wave rolls up the beach and we all scatter as it crashes over our feet, the tug on the lead in my hand takes me by surprise. A moment later there’s one loud bark, and Shadow is gone, haring off into the dunes, his lead trailing behind him.
I curse under my breath, and when I see his bounding shape weaving between the skinny cypress trees that edge the hotel lawns I groan. ‘The last thing I want is him running loose in the High Tide grounds!’
I start to run and a few yards later my chest starts to burn, reminding me of how unfit I am. Plum, Sophie, Milla, Tilly and Maisie have joined the chase too, all dashing along the sand beside me. As we come to the wide walkway that marks the hotel’s path to the beach, I catch sight of a familiar figure up by the buildings, and before I can stop myself I’m yelling, ‘Kit! Shadow’s escaped! If you see him, please can you grab him?’
He pauses to scan the space, then as he hurries across the slope above the beach Shadow comes into view again, galloping across the grass. Kit makes a beeline for him and launches himself at the dog. For a moment Shadow’s held in Kit’s full-length rugby tackle, but a wriggle later he bursts free, and zig-zags through the box bushes, his lead still trailing behind him. Kit springs to his feet, and as Shadow heads for the flat gravelled parking area another figure appears. Kit yells, ‘Get the dog, Rye!’
Shadow hurls himself down the steps, sending box plants in pots flying in all directions, and simultaneously the man Kit was calling to steps out from between two parked cars, and into Shadow’s path. A second later he’s scooped Shadow up, and he’s clutching him to his body, laughing across at Kit.
‘Nice tackle there, mate, bad luck for missing him.’
As we come closer, I’m taking in a jacket with epaulettes and trousers with creases. I’m kicking myself for letting Shadow go as I wail, ‘Just my luck to rock up next to a hotel with a dedicated dog warden!’ A strong one too, from the way he’s holding forty kilos of dog as if he weighs nothing.
Plum rolls her eyes. ‘Get real, Floss, a uniform that snappy in a luxury establishment car park? It’s clearly the man who does the valet parking.’ She turns to him and flashes a hundred-watt smile. ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’
It’s not only her smile that’s lighting up. She’s wiggling too, tossing her ponytail, and sticking out her chest for all she’s worth, which is completely unlike Plum.
As Kit hurries across to join us, I let out another wail. ‘And look at you, with your shirt covered in mud! I’m so sorry!’
He rests his hand on my shoulder and shakes his head. ‘No worries, I have a hundred more back at my beach huts, all clean and ironed.’ A smile spreads across his face as he lets his hand fall again. ‘Joking there, obviously.’
The guy holding Shadow laughs. ‘He’s not. They’re why he needs two huts.’
Kit shakes his head. ‘Stop giving away my secret vices! Parking valet, that’s a good one!’ He smiles at us. ‘This is Rye Radley, another London escapee, who has known me long enough to count my shirts and judge my wardrobe.’
Plum’s voice is breathy. ‘Good to meet you, Rye Radley. Nice alliteration you’ve got going on there.’
Nell, Clemmie and Diesel arrive in time to catch the tail-end of that crazy comment, and Nell chimes in. ‘Stuff alliteration, this is the best news ever for the singles club! Two new guys in town means double the excitement! Old friends, too! You can come to events together.’
I’m holding my breath. If there are partners around, or back in London, this would be the moment to mention them.
Milla puts her finger up. ‘You don’t have to be single either, in St Aidan everyone joins in, regardless of status.’
Damn.
Kit pulls a face. ‘We’ll get back to you on that.’
Rye Radley grins. ‘Come on, Kit, you promised you’d stop being a workaholic and start being an extrovert once you came to Cornwall.’ He rolls his eyes. ‘And to set the record straight, I’m not an animal trainer. I’m heading off for my induction as a part-time fireman, which is why I’m in uniform.’
Nell’s eyes are shining. ‘Better and better! There’s a lot of love in St Aidan for our emergency service workers.’
Sophie’s muttering in my ear. ‘Especially ones who are “built” and could work as Matt Damon’s body double. Have you seen Plum? We need to get out of here before she melts into a puddle at his feet or starts licking his face.’
Clemmie’s taking a lead on this. ‘First things first. Rye, how about you put Shadow down, and let Floss get hold of him.’
Whatever Sophie says about Plum, I can’t get out of here soon enough either. I’d intended to keep as far away from Kit as possible, not become inadvertently indebted to him and his bestie, while looking like an irresponsible dog owner to boot. I step forward and take a firm hold of Shadow’s lead. ‘Thank you so much for your help, gentlemen, we can take this from here.’
Then I step back, and as Rye puts Shadow back on the ground, in the split second before he launches himself at me, I notice the sand and sea-water stains all down Rye’s front.
‘Here, let me brush you down.’ Plum steps forward, hands outstretched.
But before she makes contact Sophie comes in sideways and shoves her out of the way. ‘I’m sure Rye can manage that on his own, Plum.’
I’m in a full body hug with Shadow, but even his paws on my shoulders can’t stop me dying inside for the mess I’ve caused. ‘Obviously I’ll pay for the cleaning.’
Nell joins in. ‘Go to Iron Maidens and ask for Jenny; she’ll speed it through for you.’
I’m doing some shoving of my own, to move everyone on. ‘Give me a shout about the bill. We’ll let you get on with your day.’ I turn to the gang and murmur the words guaranteed to get them going. ‘How about elevenses back at mine?’ And the next moment we’re back out on the sand, racing back to The Hideaway.
Milla falls into step beside Shadow and me as we kick our way past the seaweed piles. ‘Did you sense a vibe back there, Aunty Florence?’
I smile. She’s so perceptive. ‘Plum’s very picky with her men, but those muscles under that uniform definitely woke something up back there.’
Milla laughs. ‘Not Plum. I meant you and Kit. They were high-voltage sparks if ever I saw them!’
‘ Sparks? High voltage? ’
Whatever I said about Milla’s emotional maturity, scrub that. She’s got this entirely wrong.