Chapter Eleven
The One Where Kate Finds Something Missing
Anna and Oliver were due to come to The Lookout for dinner on the Friday night of Ryther’s birthday meal at the hotel, and Kate was more thankful than ever she’d already agreed she didn’t need to stay the entire evening. With Mollie stopping overnight with a school friend upriver in Polwelyn, it also meant she could enjoy an evening of purely adult company for a change.
Leigh had breezed in, looking stunning and slipping her arm through Dev’s in a proprietary way as the guests arrived. Kate had greeted Ryther warmly and, to her surprise, he’d placed a kiss on her hand.
‘Are you well?’ she asked him as they walked along the corridor towards the private dining room.
‘Quite fit for purpose, my dear.’ He’d met her concerned look with a smile. ‘Old age is quite the bugger, I’m afraid.’
‘Are you here for long?’
‘I’m staying with Dev, keen to spend some time with my great-grandson during the holidays. Theo wishes to go pony trekking.’ His eyes twinkled as his gaze met Kate’s. ‘Exhilarating though I once found horseback riding, I shall not be joining him.’
With a laugh, Kate wished him an enjoyable celebration and watched as he joined his family inside the room. Then, her concern returned. Had he lost weight he could ill afford to lose?
She was also trying to dispel the feeling of disquiet she’d experienced when meeting Dev’s unreadable gaze as she passed. Unlike on her first encounter with Leigh, he hadn’t extracted himself from her arm.
Pushing it aside, Kate welcomed her guests and they settled at the island for pre-dinner drinks, but when Anna asked how the festival planning was going, she decided it was time to regale them with the purpose of Dev’s recent visit.
‘They’ve all resigned. Apparently, the committee, such as they were, couldn’t handle actually being asked to do anything.’
She watched Oliver pour the wine he’d brought with him.
‘Seems par for the course since Leigh left.’ He handed Kate a glass. ‘Try it. It’s one of Anna’s favourites.’
Kate took a sip of the deliciously dry rosé. ‘Yum! I think I might be ordering a caseload to get me through this. You’re right, though, Oliver. It seems Leigh was the central cog and with her removal from the scene, the wheels have fallen off the wagon. Come on, let’s sit more comfortably.’
‘Why was Leigh there tonight?’ Anna followed Kate over to the sitting area.
It was a question Kate had pondered. ‘I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look as if she’s committed to detaching herself.’
And if you’re honest, you’ll admit it’s how Dev feels about it that niggles…
Silently quashing the thought, Kate joined Anna on the sofa.
‘Nothing surprises me where that woman’s concerned,’ Oliver intoned as he took an armchair opposite the ladies.
‘I’m not sure she really wants to let go of the family.’
Anna bit her lip, looking from Kate to Oliver. ‘Maybe she just hasn’t had chance to prioritise her personal life? She must have huge responsibility, being so high up in her company.’
Kate sent Anna a kind smile. ‘Your ability to always see good in people hasn’t changed.’
The conversation drifted onto pleasanter things before they headed to the dining table to eat.
‘I’ve cheated a bit,’ Kate admitted to Anna as she placed a chicken and mushroom pie on the table. ‘I made this earlier and I’ve just heated it up so I could enjoy the company and not be frazzled in the kitchen.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ Anna said, leaning forward and inhaling deeply as Kate added a bowl of garlic and rosemary potatoes. ‘Gosh, it smells yummy.’
‘Here,’ she handed around some bread rolls. ‘Not homemade like yours, but from Shari’s bakery, so should be good.’
‘Shari’s is my go-to when I’ve not had time to bake.’ Anna passed the basket to Oliver. ‘And I haven’t lately.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘My fault,’ Oliver said, spooning peas onto his plate. ‘I’m behind on researching the new book, so Anna’s been trying to help.’
Throwing Kate a culpable look, Anna spread butter on her roll. ‘I’m not a trained research assistant, sadly, much as I love history, so I’m not sure I’m much use, but the property company has been taking up so much of Oliver’s time, and with Daniel now in the US it’s become more hands-on for him.’
‘I never expected, when I first came to Polkerran, to find everyone so busy with their lives,’ Kate exclaimed as she tucked into the chicken. ‘It looks like such a laid-back, calm place on the surface.’
‘Just wait until the summer,’ Oliver warned. ‘It’s mayhem.’
‘Not that Oliver would know.’ Anna sent him an indulgent smile. ‘He barely emerges from his den once the main summer holidays are here.’
When the meal was over and Anna and Oliver left, Kate’s thoughts turned to how the evening at the hotel was going.
The school holidays were almost upon them and some of those tourists would be pouring into Polkerran for a few weeks. Ryther had intimated Theo would be spending the school holidays with his dad. Did that mean Leigh would be in town too, so that the little boy got some time with both his parents?
Mollie may well be better off away from the toxic atmosphere that permeated the house when they lived with Hugo, but that wasn’t the case for all separating families.
Kate truly hoped the little boy would get what he most wished for.
When Kate arrived at the hotel on Monday morning, Jean was already in the staff room and greeted her with a warm smile.
‘I’ll miss my shifts.’ It was her last one before she returned to running the village ice cream shop full time for the season.
Kate made a coffee and joined Jean at the table.
‘I envy you. I don’t suppose you need an assistant, do you?’
With a frown, Jean stirred her coffee. ‘I thought you loved organising things. There are so many events going on right now. You’re such a natural.’
‘I do.’ Kate sighed. ‘It’s not work, it’s the summer festival. I feel like I’m constantly taking one step forward and fifty back.’
‘So why not do that?’ Jean picked up her mug, clearly amused at Kate’s confusion. ‘Take it back in time, to its roots, when it was a traditional village fayre.’
Kate’s imagination was caught, and her mind immediately kicked into gear. ‘I like that idea. I’ve been unhappy with continuing Leigh’s vision, especially as the locals don’t get a chance to showcase their talents. Jean,’ Kate smiled warmly across the table, ‘you’re a genius!’
Jean grinned. ‘I’ve been known to have my moments.’
Pulling her laptop from her bag, Kate set it up on the table. ‘You’ve given me inspiration. I’ll just check in with my friend, Google, and see what she’s got to say about it.’
‘Talk to Anna, too. She’s usually full of ideas.’
Jean left Kate to her investigations, but she wasn’t too sure about asking Anna for assistance. From what they’d said the other night, she already had enough on her plate trying to help Oliver.
At the end of the week, the local schools finally broke up for the Easter holidays and Mollie went up to Bristol to spend the first week with her grandparents and to hang out with her cousins who lived in Bath.
With Mollie away, Kate extended her strolls after work. The nights were becoming lighter, and she enjoyed the longer circular route back to The Lookout, which involved walking down from the hotel to where the tidal beach below Harbourwatch met the coast path. She kept a change of clothes in her office and had taken to wearing her sturdy walk boots, as they had such a good grip on them, making her way along the broad rocks which stretched out a stony arm into the sea and provided a solid foundation for the small lighthouse perched on the end.
Although the forecast for the holidays was the usual mixed bag for the time of year, today was fine and clear, the water bore a glassy sheen, both out beyond the rocks protecting Polkerran from the sea and within the bay. It had grown milder too, and Kate noted the new arrival of hanging baskets on the many lampposts, several pleasure craft in the harbour and a noticeable number of strangers walking along the waterfront, many of whom were families.
Reflecting on her week, Kate was surprised how much she’d enjoyed it. Work was going well, with excellent feedback from the small events she continued to organise, and positive vibes for the upcoming clutch of weddings and family celebrations. She’d also just secured a business conference for early December, along with a twenty-first birthday party in the autumn.
Slightly less productive was her work on the festival – or fayre, as she now preferred to call it. She’d had a morning off in lieu of an evening event earlier that week and called at Anna’s before the usual crowd descended, and as her friend finished her breakfast duties, she’d continued making notes on the proposed community event. Nicki had called in just as Anna joined Kate at the table, and they’d both been so enthusiastic about the idea of returning to the traditional fayre, Kate had begged them to garner some help. Promising to do what they could, she’d left feeling optimistic, and this evening her mind was busy with what exactly she needed help with.
‘Well, you did say you didn’t have enough to do,’ Kate cautioned under her breath as she navigated her way along the uneven, rocky path. Smiling ruefully, she paused and raised her head to stare across the undulating water to where Westerleigh Cottage nestled, its lawned gardens sweeping down to the fencing separating it from a sheer drop into the waves caressing the rocks below.
Oliver and Anna’s boat rocked from side to side as the waves dallied with it, tucked against its mooring in a sheltered inlet, and Kate’s gaze drifted further back along the coastline towards the bridge, and then the harbour, before it travelled along the other side of the bay. Unable to help herself, her eyes landed on the outer walls of Harbourwatch, all that was visible of it from this position. She could see one side of the charming, square room where the wedding reception had been held, with its arched windows. Was Dev inside? What if he was at that very window, looking over to where Kate stood?
Frustrated with the direction of her thoughts, and conscious of the flaring interest triggered by any and every thought of the man lately, Kate mulled over why Dev intrigued her. There was no denying his physical attractiveness, but she knew his appeal lay more in how much he loved Theo. Having lived with Hugo’s dismissive behaviour towards Mollie, her heart went out to Dev as he tried to navigate his diminished role as a parent.
Kate huffed out a breath and resumed her walk. It was none of her business, and their interactions to date had been sufficient to suggest he wouldn’t appreciate her interest. Dusk would be falling in the next hour and if she wanted to complete her full circuit, she needed to press on.
A notification drew her attention to her phone and she paused to read it. Hugo, questioning the return of the jewellery again.
‘Let it go, let it go,’ Kate sang under her breath as she walked on, tapping in a quick reply. There, that would hopefully keep Hugo quiet for now whilst she put her plan in operation.
Barely had she tucked her phone away, however, when something caught her eye up by the lighthouse. Was it a bundle of something?
Kate emitted a slight gasp as the mound moved, proving itself to be a small figure in a green coat. Concerned, she increased her pace towards the lighthouse.