Chapter Four
The One With the Style Council
Perched on a rocky promontory close to the coast path, The Lookout proved to be more than Kate could ever wish for. Barely eighteen months old, it had hardly been lived in, with Daniel moving up to Yorkshire to live with Lauren and her baby daughter, Amelia, not long after its completion.
It was a dream home, fully furnished and equipped, which meant Kate could leave everything in storage, beyond the few boxes of personal things she and Mollie had ear-marked for whenever they found somewhere to rent, and the views out to sea were stunning.
Anna provided a hearty lunch for when Kate’s parents arrived with Mollie, and once the former had set off for their accommodation in Falmouth, Kate had taken Mollie and Podge upstairs to settle in, the cat mewing in protest in his basket.
‘This was the room Anna stayed in when she was growing up and spending her summers with her aunt Meg.’ Closing the door, Kate let the cat out, and he jumped straight onto the bed and began kneading.
Heading to the window, Kate’s eye was drawn instantly to the house on the opposite cliff. ‘You can see why she fell in love with it.’
Mollie joined her, cuddling the cat, her bright eyes flicking from the white caps dancing out to sea to the harbour, sheltered within the embrace of the cove’s arms of land.
‘Can I go into town? I need some new clothes. And more loom bands.’
Reflecting on the high-end, stylish boutiques, the shop crammed with walking attire and supplies and the chandlery, Kate shook her head.
‘It’s not really that sort of town… village. We’ll go to Truro for shopping. I’ll take you on my day off.’
Mollie huffed, letting Podge go and exploring the room before leaning her elbows on the sill, her chin in her cupped hands, her gaze still fixed on the scene outside.
‘Why couldn’t you take the week off? It’s school hols.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Kate put an arm across her daughter’s shoulders, giving a brief squeeze. ‘I’ve only just started the job so I can’t ask for time off so soon. But we’ve got the weekend, and I have news.’
Swinging around, Mollie folded her arms across her chest. ‘It’s not about Dad, is it?’ Her expression was mutinous.
‘No. Nothing to do with the old life. I think I’ve found us somewhere to live. Or, at least, Anna has, but I wouldn’t commit until you’ve seen it. Want to come now?’
Her features brightening, Mollie brushed her fringe from her eyes. ‘Yes, please! Podge is fed up of being the product of a broken home.’
‘I’m so sorry, love.’ The familiar guilt descended as they left the room, but Mollie grabbed her mother’s arm and tugged.
‘Hey, I’m joking.’
‘But you’re—’
Mollie shook her head vehemently as she stepped past Kate and started down the stairs. ‘It wasn’t much of a home and it wasn’t broken, Mum, you were.’
Kate’s mouth opened but no words came as she stared after her daughter, who’d reached the hall and disappeared from sight.
Out of the mouths of babes…
Suitably dressed for the chilly weather, Kate borrowed the keys from Anna and led Mollie up the hill to The Lookout, unsurprised at her daughter’s instant and positive reaction.
‘What a bewt!’ Brown eyes – so like her mother’s – sparkled as she almost skipped from room to room, peering out of every window, turning taps on and off in bathrooms and bouncing on each bed in turn. ‘Can I have this one?’
Kate laughed. She’d known Mollie would fall for the charmingly dressed guest suite with its stylish shower room, dressing area and a desk under one of the windows. Even on a winter’s day, it was bathed in glorious light.
‘Can we put stuff on the walls?’
‘I’ll get you a pin board, we can prop it up on that long table by the window. There’s lots of drawers for your Washi tapes too.’
‘I can use this for making my bracelets.’ Mollie patted the desk.
‘And homework,’ Kate added, but this garnered no response.
Once back downstairs, Kate showed Mollie the snug with its large screen, set up for gaming or movies, the living area with its floor-to-ceiling windows affording panoramic views, and the stunning hearth housing a large log burner. The vast open-plan area also contained a dining table and chairs and incorporated a spacious kitchen with an island. Despite its proportions, however, it had been beautifully furnished, with rugs on the hardwood floors, cushions and throws on the sofas and stunning artwork on the walls.
‘Yay, they’ve got an ice machine like ours.’ Mollie’s voice faltered, then she shrugged. ‘Like the one we used to have. What’s in here?’ She opened every kitchen cupboard, inspected the boot room, downstairs cloakroom and then dragged Kate outside to explore the large terrace. This afforded more stunning views of the open sea and, to their right, the entrance to the bay, the lighthouse just visible where it crowned its run of rocks, against which the sea crashed repeatedly.
‘Come on, we can get directly onto the coast path.’
With Mollie hard on her heels, Kate opened a gate and stepped out onto the path which ran along the top of the cliffs.
‘Anna says you can walk all the way to Trebutwith if you go that way,’ Kate waved a hand to the left, ‘where there’s a great beach, or back down to join the lane into Polkerran this way.’
She scanned the stretch of path. Wasn’t this where she’d been caught abusing the environment last week?
Mollie had wandered further along the dirt path back towards Polkerran, and Kate’s gaze swept across the expanse of sea. There were no boats to be seen today, and the sky was a leaden grey, portending the rain forecast for later.
‘Mum! Muuum! ’
Spinning around, Kate’s gaze fell on Mollie, then moved to the little boy clasping her hand as they approached. Dressed in a green padded coat, he looked to be around five or six, and his eyes were darting from the girl at his side to Kate.
‘Hello. Are you lost?’
The boy’s eyes widened as he stared up at Kate, but he didn’t speak.
‘I can’t get him to say anything,’ Mollie explained. ‘He was sitting on the edge of the path by a stile.’
Kate crouched down to the boy’s height, her smile kind. ‘Is it because you mustn’t talk to strangers?’
The little boy gave an emphatic nod.
‘Ah. Good. That’s right. You shouldn’t. I’m sure whoever you’re with will be along soon.’
Leaving Mollie to oversee things, Kate looked around. The wind whipped over the top of the cliff, much as it had the day she’d tried to dispose of the rings, and she put a hand on her hair to stop it from splaying across her face. Whoever had lost this little boy must be distraught.
She walked a few paces further on, then peered over the railing to scan the beach and rocks below. The tide was out and there were a few people walking, but none of them looked as though they’d lost anyone.
Then, a faint sound came on the wind and Kate turned around as Mollie gave a whoop of delight.
A black dog bounded up to the child, who threw his arms around its neck.
‘Hello, Bayley.’ Kate joined them, patting the labrador, whose tongue was hanging out as he panted, tail wagging furiously. She was aware of Rick’s approach, but for some reason she felt flustered.
‘Theo! Oh, my God! How many times have I told you not to wander off!’ His voice was raw with emotion and Kate felt for him, although seeing Theo’s sweet face fall, she didn’t hesitate. She placed a comforting arm around the little boy’s shoulders as the man came to a breathless halt beside them.
‘He’s fine. Truly. He was being very sensible, sitting by the path, waiting. And he wouldn’t talk to us because he knows not to speak to strangers.’
Rick’s eyes flashed for a second, but then his countenance softened as his gaze moved to his son.
‘Sorry, Teds.’ He ruffled Theo’s dark auburn hair and he took his dad’s hand. ‘Thank you,’ he added to Kate. ‘They have no idea, do they?’
Kate huffed, throwing a sidelong look at Mollie, who merely rolled her eyes and folded her arms.
‘Mollie once got on a bus and was missing for an hour. She was only six, my parents were out of their minds trying to find her. I was at work in ignorant bliss. Thank goodness for a tolerant driver when he found his stowaway.’
An awkward silence fell between them. Then, Rick called Bayley to heel.
‘We’d better get back.’
He turned away, a protective hand on his son’s shoulder, the dog following in their wake, and Kate’s thoughtful gaze remained on him until he was out of sight.
It looked like she wasn’t the only Polkerran resident facing the challenges of single parenting.
When they arrived back at Westerleigh, Anna was in the kitchen, and Mollie rushed up to her.
‘It’s epic, Anna. I can’t wait to move in! I’ve got my own shower again, and there’s this room, like, where I’m gonna play all my games. With Podge there, it will be just like a home.’
Anna’s gaze met Kate’s across the room. ‘So, it’s a yes?’
‘Definitely. If you let me have Daniel’s number, I’ll go and call him so we can sort out the details.’
When Kate returned to the kitchen from the hall, she found Anna making coffee and could see Oliver on the terrace, his phone to his ear.
‘Oliver looks a bit stressed.’ It was unusual, from all Kate had discerned so far. He was generally a reticent man, his emotions under good regulation but his current demeanour belied this.
‘It’s Alex Tremayne. The man I fell for when I first came down here?’
‘Oh, yes. I remember! He’s on the phone?’ Kate could well recall the handsome specimen from Anna’s photos a few years back. ‘He looked like butter wouldn’t melt.’
‘No, Oliver’s on with his solicitor. Alex is trying to scupper a property purchase.’
‘He doesn’t live here, then?’
‘No, thank God! He’s London-based, but his family still live in the huge manor house by the church and Tremayne Estates continues to run from Polkerran.’
They settled at the table, each cradling a mug of coffee, Anna’s anxious gaze on her husband outside, his broad-shouldered back to them as his call continued. His posture was rigid, his free hand gripping the railing bordering the terrace.
Then she turned to Kate. ‘Ignore me. Oliver’s perfectly capable of looking after himself and his business. So, what did you agree with Daniel over moving in? I meant what I said about staying here for now, making it easier for you to focus on the job, knowing Mollie is being looked after.’
‘I appreciate it. That’s pretty much what I said to Daniel, and that I wanted to get Mollie settled into the new school before we moved in. He’s having an AST drawn up, twelve months initially, and after that we’ll take it from there.’
‘I’m so pleased you decided to give Polkerran Point a chance.’ Anna sent Kate a warm smile before her attention returned to the man outside the window.
Kate leaned back in her chair, metaphorically crossing her fingers. Only time would tell if it had been a wise move.
The remainder of Mollie’s holiday – also half term for the local schools – sped by in a flash, and despite Kate’s having to work every day except the Wednesday and be on hand for an evening event on the Friday, Mollie barely seemed to notice.
The locals took her under their wing in various ways. Anna taught her how to make and decorate cupcakes. Oliver showed her his man cave of antiques and she’d lost herself for hours, browsing the shelves of historical books. Nicki, Anna’s friendly next-door neighbour, had included Mollie on a trip to Dobwalls with her own boys. Liam and Jason were pupils at the village school, and although they were a bit younger than Mollie (and she’d turned her nose up at the idea of going to a family theme park with them), she’d returned with sparkling eyes and full of a childish merriment Kate hadn’t seen for ages.
‘Hey, Mum!’
‘What?’
‘Where do squirrels go in a hurricane?’
Kate’s brow had furrowed as she stirred a pan of spaghetti on the stove. ‘No idea.’
‘All over the place!’ Mollie’s arms flayed left and right, and Kate had stared in amazement as her daughter scooped up a souvenir carton of popcorn and headed up to her room giggling.
Jean – who, apart from working some shifts on reception at the hotel in the quieter months, ran the village ice cream shop in season – had also invited Mollie to spend the day learning how to make some, which they’d had for dessert that day. A man called Tommy the Boat had added Mollie to the list for kayak classes, which Nicki’s boys already attended and would start up again as soon as the weather improved, and Kate took her to the hotel leisure centre after work twice, so they could swim and use the sauna.
The weather had closed in, with rain lashing the windows of Kate’s office. It was Friday evening, and instead of finishing for the weekend, she was on duty for a retirement dinner for a prominent – as she was fast learning – local, namely Mr Tremayne senior. The aforementioned Alex’s father, he was the outgoing custodian of Tremayne Manor, a castellated manor house in the centre of Polkerran Point.
By coincidence, there was also a recurring get-together in one of the smaller meeting rooms of a business consortium.
Having checked the rooms during the afternoon, agreeing the order of play with the restaurant manager – along with the sandwich order for the business forum – confirming the cake would be delivered by five, and tweaking the odd flower or two in the table arrangements, overseen by a young and anxious florist (it was her first time supplying the hotel), she’d gone outside to guide her out of a compact parking space, but despite the umbrella, she hadn’t escaped the elements entirely.
To make matters worse, Kate had stopped by the entrance to adjust the signage board, moving it further back to avoid the current deluge, only to overhear someone just inside the doorway on their phone.
‘No, Leigh, I am not having an affair with any woman, least of all someone I’ve met once for a matter of minutes.’
Rick’s tone was firm, and Kate looked around for somewhere else to be, but aside from stepping out into the torrential rain, she was stuck unless she walked into the entrance hall and made her presence obvious.
‘Theo is not lying! We bumped into her by accident on the cliff path and—’ There was a pause. ‘You can think what you like, you invariably do, but don’t threaten me over Theo.’ There was another pause, then Rick made a small sound in his throat. ‘She’s hardly my type. I’ve had my fill of know-it-all businesswomen, obsessed with designer labels.’
Hackles raised, Kate straightened her Karen Millen jacket and strode through the door into the entrance hall, conscious of Rick leaning against the wall nearby as she made her way, head held high, to the cloakroom.
Still bristling, Kate eyed her damp appearance in the full-length mirror. She’d opted for a fitted sleeveless navy shift dress and jacket, along with her favourite heels, and she refastened her hair into the usual tight bun before touching up her make-up.
So what if she liked nice clothes? And how dare he declare her a know-it-all, just because she understood her job, what to do and say…
‘Ugh!’ she muttered. ‘Men!’